Child, Family, and School Social Workers

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Child, Family, and School Social Workers

Careers / Child, Family, and School Social Workers

Summary Description


	Provide social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families and to maximize the family well-being and the academic functioning of children. May assist parents, arrange adoptions, and find foster homes for abandoned or abused children. In schools, they address such problems as teenage pregnancy, misbehavior, and truancy. May also advise teachers.

Sample Job Titles

1.	Adolescent Counselor

2.	Adoption Agent

3.	Adoption Coordinator

4.	Adoption Counselor

5.	Adoption Social Worker

6.	Adoption Specialist

7.	Adoption Worker

8.	Adult Protective Caseworker

9.	At-Risk Specialist

10.	Case Manager

11.	Case Planner

12.	Case Worker

13.	Casework Supervisor

14.	Caseworker

15.	Certified Children, Youth, and Family Social Worker

16.	Child Abuse Worker

17.	Child Advocate

18.	Child and Family Services Worker

19.	Child Care Counselor

20.	Child Development Consultant

21.	Child Protection Specialist

22.	Child Protective Services Social Worker (CPS Social Worker)

23.	Child Protective Services Specialist

24.	Child Welfare Caseworker

25.	Child Welfare Consultant

26.	Child Welfare Counselor

27.	Child Welfare Social Worker

28.	Child Welfare Specialist

29.	Child Welfare Worker

30.	Children's Counselor

31.	Children's Service Worker

32.	Community Organization Worker

33.	Community Worker

34.	Delinquency Prevention Social Worker

35.	Early Intervention Specialist

36.	Early Interventionist

37.	Elementary School Social Worker

38.	Family Advocate

39.	Family Caseworker

40.	Family Intervention Specialist

41.	Family Manager

42.	Family Preservation Caseworker

43.	Family Preservation Worker

44.	Family Protection Specialist

45.	Family Service Caseworker

46.	Family Service Worker

47.	Family Support Specialist

48.	Family Support Worker

49.	Field Representative

50.	Field Service Representative

51.	Foster Care Social Worker

52.	Foster Care Worker

53.	Group Worker

54.	Human Service Specialist

55.	Juvenile Counselor

56.	Juvenile Officer

57.	Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

58.	Licensed Social Worker

59.	Medical Social Worker

60.	Post Adoption Coordinator

61.	Program Support Specialist

62.	Protective Services Social Worker

63.	Public Housing Community Relations and Services Advisor

64.	School Social Worker

65.	Social Worker

66.	Youth Advocate

67.	Youth Services Specialist

Job Tasks

	Counsel individuals, groups, families, or communities regarding issues including mental health, poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, physical abuse, rehabilitation, social adjustment, child care, or medical care. Advise clients or community groups on health issues. Counsel clients or patients with substance abuse issues. Counsel clients regarding interpersonal issues.

	Interview clients individually, in families, or in groups, assessing their situations, capabilities, and problems to determine what services are required to meet their needs. Interview clients to gather information about their backgrounds, needs, or progress.

	Serve as liaisons between students, homes, schools, family services, child guidance clinics, courts, protective services, doctors, and other contacts to help children who face problems, such as disabilities, abuse, or poverty. Advocate for individual or community needs.

	Maintain case history records and prepare reports. Write reports or evaluations. Maintain client records.

	Counsel parents with child rearing problems, interviewing the child and family to determine whether further action is required. Interview clients to gather information about their backgrounds, needs, or progress. Counsel clients regarding interpersonal issues.

	Administer welfare programs.

	Refer clients to community resources for services, such as job placement, debt counseling, legal aid, housing, medical treatment, or financial assistance, and provide concrete information, such as where to go and how to apply. Help clients get needed services or resources. Refer individuals to educational or work programs. Refer clients to community or social service programs.

	Consult with parents, teachers, and other school personnel to determine causes of problems, such as truancy and misbehavior, and to implement solutions. Evaluate potential problems in home or work environments of clients. Confer with family members to discuss client treatment plans or progress. Collaborate with other professionals to assess client needs or plan treatments.

	Recommend temporary foster care and advise foster or adoptive parents.

	Supervise other social workers. Supervise workers providing client or patient services.

	Develop and review service plans in consultation with clients and perform follow-ups assessing the quantity and quality of services provided. Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling or educational programs. Confer with clients to discuss treatment plans or progress.

	Address legal issues, such as child abuse and discipline, assisting with hearings and providing testimony to inform custody arrangements. Recommend legal actions.

	Counsel students whose behavior, school progress, or mental or physical impairment indicate a need for assistance, diagnosing students' problems and arranging for needed services. Arrange physical or mental health services for clients. Counsel clients regarding educational or vocational issues.

	Lead group counseling sessions that provide support in such areas as grief, stress, or chemical dependency. Counsel clients or patients with substance abuse issues. Counsel clients or patients regarding personal issues.

	Provide, find, or arrange for support services, such as child care, homemaker service, prenatal care, substance abuse treatment, job training, counseling, or parenting classes to prevent more serious problems from developing. Help clients get needed services or resources.

	Place children in foster or adoptive homes, institutions, or medical treatment centers.

	Evaluate personal characteristics and home conditions of foster home or adoption applicants. Evaluate potential problems in home or work environments of clients. Evaluate characteristics of individuals to determine needs or eligibility.

	Determine clients' eligibility for financial assistance. Evaluate characteristics of individuals to determine needs or eligibility.

	Arrange for medical, psychiatric, and other tests that may disclose causes of difficulties and indicate remedial measures. Arrange physical or mental health services for clients.

	Collect supplementary information needed to assist client, such as employment records, medical records, or school reports. Collect information about clients.

	Serve on policy-making committees, assist in community development, and assist client groups by lobbying for solutions to problems. Collaborate with other professionals to develop education or assistance programs. Advocate for individual or community needs.

	Work in child and adolescent residential institutions.

	Conduct social research. Research social issues.

Work Activities

Importance	Work Activity

Getting Information — Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates — Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.

Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others — Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.

Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work — Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.

Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships — Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.

Making Decisions and Solving Problems — Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.

Communicating with Persons Outside Organization — Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.

Assisting and Caring for Others — Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.

Performing for or Working Directly with the Public — Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.

Documenting/Recording Information — Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

Interacting With Computers — Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events — Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.

Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards — Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

Developing and Building Teams — Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.

Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings — Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.

Thinking Creatively — Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.

Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others — Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.

Processing Information — Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.

Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People — Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.

Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others — Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.

Scheduling Work and Activities — Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge — Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Developing Objectives and Strategies — Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.

Training and Teaching Others — Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.

Provide Consultation and Advice to Others — Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.

Selling or Influencing Others — Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.

Coaching and Developing Others — Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.

Performing Administrative Activities — Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.

Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates — Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.

Analyzing Data or Information — Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.

Performing General Physical Activities — Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.

Monitoring and Controlling Resources — Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.

Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment — Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.

Staffing Organizational Units — Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.

Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information — Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.

Nature of the Work


	(Abstract from Career Articles)

	Social Workers
	Social workers help people solve and cope with problems in their everyday lives. One group of social workers—clinical social workers—also diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional issues.

	Read More >>

Working Conditions


	(Abstract from Career Articles)

	Social Workers
	Social workers are employed in a variety of settings, including mental health clinics, schools, child welfare and human service agencies, hospitals, settlement houses, community development corporations, and private practices. They generally work full time and may need to work evenings, weekends, and holidays.

	Read More >>

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Interesting Fact

Before her music career, Gloria Estefan worked as a Spanish and French interpreter for customs at an American airport.

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