Social Worker

Summary

Social workers help people to deal with personal and social problems, either directly or by planning or carrying out programs that benefit groups or communities.

Duties & Tasks

Social workers may perform the following tasks:

  • provide counselling and support through a crisis that may be due to death, illness, relationship breakdown or other reasons
  • provide clients with information about services that can assist them
  • provide letters of referral or reports that will help clients to obtain other services such as crisis accommodation or social security benefits
  • guide small groups of people to share their experiences, support each other and learn social skills
  • assist community groups to plan and carry out programs to help themselves (assisting newly arrived immigrants to form an association, for example)
  • research community problems, needs and solutions through client contact and records of welfare and health agencies
  • analyse statistics and write reports
  • develop policy and evaluate programs
  • manage and train staff
  • attend professional meetings
  • lobby to change social welfare policies and procedures in the pursuit of social justice for all members of the community.

Personal Requirements

  • emotional maturity
  • keen analytical abilities
  • able to view other people's problems objectively
  • good organisational and communication skills
  • able to work independently or as part of a team
  • commitment to social justice.

Related Courses:

Related Careers