Social WorkerVARIJA SHUKLABUSINESS LAW BLOCK 4JANUARY 7TH, 2015

What is a Social Worker?

A social worker is someone who helps individuals function within their environments despite certain barriers such as mental illness, physical impairments, drug addiction, alcoholism, and poverty.

Helps people cope with problems in their everyday lives.

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Nature of work

The tasks of a social worker include the following: Assess clients’ needs, situations, strengths, and support networks to determine their goals Develop plans to improve their clients’ well-being Help clients adjust to changes and challenges in their lives, such as illness, divorce, or

unemployment Research and refer clients to community resources, such as food stamps, child care, and

healthcare Help clients work with government agencies to apply for and receive benefits such as

Medicare Respond to crisis situations, such as natural disasters or child abuse Help clients get resources that would improve their well-being Follow up with clients to

ensure that their situations have improved

Preparation

A Bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW) is the most common requirement for entry-level positions. However, some employers may hire workers who have a bachelor’s

degree in a related field, such as psychology or sociology. Some positions require a master’s degree in social work (MSW),

which generally takes 2 years to complete. Master’s degree programs in social work prepare students for work

in their chosen specialty by developing clinical assessment and management skills.

Experience

Social work education does not only consist of education in the classroom, but will also involve field work.

Every social worker student will participate in an internship to provide them with real world experiences of what they have learned in the classroom.

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Skills

Communication skills. Clients talk to social workers about challenges in their lives. To effectively help, social workers must be able to listen to and understand their clients’ needs.

Empathy. Social workers often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations. To develop strong relationships, they must have compassion and empathy for their clients.

Interpersonal skills. Being able to work with different groups of people is essential for social workers. They need strong people skills to foster healthy and productive relationships with their clients and colleagues.

Organizational skills. Social workers must help and manage multiple clients, often assisting with their paperwork or documenting their treatment.

Problem-solving skills. Social workers need to develop practical and innovative solutions to their clients’ problems.

Time-management skills. Social workers often have many clients and administrative responsibilities. They must effectively manage their time to provide adequate service to all of their clients.

Starting Salary

Social workers make $21.88 per hour and a range from $28,240 to $75,850 per year.

The median annual wage for a social worker as of 2014 is $45,500 per year.

Annual salary ranges depending on specific area of focus: Healthcare social workers - 51,930 Child, family, and school social workers - 42,120 Mental health and substance abuse social workers - 41,380

Opportunities for Advancement

Social workers with experience can move into management positions there they will be responsible for supervising other, less experienced social workers.

The larger the facility you work in, the greater the possibility of advancement.

For example, a clinical social worker in a large hospital will have more opportunity for advancement than a clinical social worker in a smaller nursing care facility.

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Citations

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/social-workers.htm

http://legalcareerpath.com/social-worker/

http://www.glencoe.com/sec/socialstudies/street_law/additional_resources/careers_in_law/index.php