What is a Social Worker’s Role? Branches or Types of Social Workers Jobs

What is a social worker’s role? Different types of social worker roles or jobs are available like Penitentiaries, Health Sector, Adoption Processes, etc. He is a figure who guides, informs, and helps people who are in need of social security in a psychosocial way.

What is a Social Worker’s role?

The social worker is a professional who improves society. Without a doubt, Social Work is the profession of social change. It is a very humanitarian profession that is present in a multitude of social aspects.

In this article, we will show you what a Social Worker is. We started!

It is difficult to define what a Social Worker is briefly. In short, a social worker is a social action professional who is dedicated to articulating the social resources available to help the well-being of the person and the care and prevention of any deficiency or difficulty that may arise in a specific social group, person, or family with the one who lives.

In addition, the social worker is a figure who guides, informs, and helps in a psychosocial way people or families who are in a situation of violence, disorganization, or in the face of losses of economic origin such as a job or a home. It is also responsible for minimizing the difficulties that certain groups of people may present to integrate socially, such as marginalized people, people with physical or mental disabilities, to different degrees, or immigrants.

To do these significant social activities, the Social Worker should gather every one of the requests of these individuals to complete a goal investigation of the circumstances in which they get themselves.

In this way, he establishes the most appropriate intervention plan to improve the situation of individuals. In short, a Social Worker is a social professional who facilitates their life development and prevents any anomaly that prevents them from enriching it.

If you are interested in the profession of Social Worker, we recommend visiting the official information in the Code of Ethics for Social Work.

Types of Social Workers Roles or Jobs

Social Workers can act in different sectors of society. In addition, due to constant social changes, new groups arise where the Social Worker must plan, organize, and coordinate the different aid programs according to social policies.

Next, we show you some of the fields where the Social Worker can act.

• Social Work in Penitentiaries.
• Social work in adoption processes.
• Social work in the Health Sector.
• Social work in drug addiction centers.

These are just a few examples of the social sectors where a Social Worker works.

Social Workers focus their efforts on helping communities improve their standard of living, in this sense, these professionals work in a variety of places and their responsibilities vary according to their specialty. Social Workers provide consultancy to the community in terms of abuse problems, psychological or psychiatric disorders, family conflicts, unemployment, or discrimination based on race, social status, or sexuality. Likewise, they advise minors in the custody of foster care systems, adolescents and adults confined in penitentiary institutions, or older people in nursing homes.

Most Social Workers specialize in communities with certain types of problems, for this reason, their work is required in a wide variety of places. These professionals are normally hired by educational centers, government entities, penitentiary institutions, foster care agencies, and nursing homes.

Social Workers advise individuals or groups of people to help them overcome their problems, providing an environment that allows them to be cared for and develop to the point of successfully completing the direction and collaboration of the Social Worker.

Principal Functions of A Social Worker

What is a social worker’s role in Principal Functions? A social worker manages different types of functions in his profession. Here are some important functions of a Social Worker:

Counseling individuals, families, and communities on mental and physical health based on the types of social workers jobs:

• Provide assistance to people who use narcotics or who suffer from physical or verbal violence.
• Guide people to overcome poverty, discrimination, and social exclusion.
• Guide the community in health matters.
• Work in conjunction with child welfare and geriatric centers.
• Advise and rehabilitate adolescents and adults incarcerated in the prison system.

 

Interviewing individuals to detect and assess their problems includes what is a social worker’s role:

• Keep a record of the individuals interviewed and the interviews carried out.
• Collect information about the individual’s environment.
• Prepare reports based on your progress and needs.
• Communicate with Counselors, Physicians, and Nurses to plan and provide necessary treatment:
• Share information with coworkers to evaluate cases more efficiently.
• Consult with Physicians to design a treatment plan.
• Assess the individual’s needs.

 

Visit people in their homes or specific places:

• Give information about the center where they work and encourage individuals to seek help.
• Assess the family environment when necessary.
• Based on the visits made, decide the procedure to follow, either through therapy, counseling, family placement of minors, or taking legal action.

 

Sort out-group or bunch activities and local gatherings, for example, bunch treatment, support gatherings, and local area occasions, among others:

• Invite everyone involved.
• Follow up on the development of activities.
• Keeping a record of presence and progression.

 

Assist the children confined in the foster care system when proceeding with the placement:

• Interview families interested in adopting.
• Assess potential homes.
• Assign a home to minors.
• Carry out the corresponding follow-up to monitor the development of minors.

 

Examine potential instances of kid misuse or disregard:

• Monitor the child’s development.
• Inspect the behavior of the family.
• Report cases of child abuse or neglect.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of social programs.
• Give expert testimony before a Judge if necessary.

 

Daily tasks of a social worker Based on Different Types of Social Worker role

 

A social worker does many tasks daily. Here’s some:

• Interview and advise individuals, groups of people, or families.
• Assess the living conditions and social environment of individuals.
• Plan social gatherings, among other activities, and invite individuals to participate in them.
• Give lawful, monetary, clinical, or family conjunction help.
• Do therapy with individuals or groups of people to help them develop their skills in order to overcome their problems.
• Prepare reports describing the progress or development of individuals.
• Investigate cases of child or domestic abuse and report them to the competent authorities.
• Defend individuals who are being affected by certain laws or decrees, for example, before a demolition order in a residential area.
• Run campaigns aimed at increasing health awareness.

 

Skills of A Social Worker

A social worker would have to gain some special skills besides his degrees. Now we will explain what the skills are.

Excellent communication skills:

1. Communicate clearly and confidently, both verbally and in writing, to provide advice in a timely manner.
2. Use tact, patience, and good judgment when communicating with individuals, families, and groups to maintain effective and cooperative relationships.
3. Listen carefully, in order to easily identify people’s needs and difficulties, such as bullying, drug use, or family problems.
4. Work in a team effectively.

High sense of empathy and compassion:

1. Be careful about the personal basic needs of people.
2. Possess an innate ability to make others feel that they are valued.
3. Be able to work in a multicultural environment, showing consideration and respect for a diversity of individuals and their origins.
4. Optimistic, enthusiastic, and proactive, with skills to motivate others.

High levels of creativity, initiative, flexibility, responsiveness, and leadership include what is a social worker’s role:

1. Adapt to constantly changing demands.
2. Use your creativity and imagination to develop new perspectives and apply new solutions to problems.

Organization and administrative skills:

1. Use a pre-established budget to organize activities.
2. Organize group activities, such as meetings or assemblies.
3. Monitor running activities.
4. Track attendance.

Analytical, with problem-solving skills based on different types of social workers jobs:

1. Be able to translate ideas into achievable goals.
2. Being able to apply good judgment and guide individuals to acquire the required resources.

Professionalism and ethics: 

• Be reliable enough to handle sensitive or confidential information.

 

The Social Work career focuses on helping others to improve themselves. These professionals work with passion to achieve a positive change in the social conditions of their community, hence these people must be committed to society.

It is important to bear in mind that to enter this field experience is a determining factor, which can be acquired through volunteer work in community centers, nursing homes, family homes, or orphanages and different elements committed to the social help of those out of luck. It is the most human side of all professions.

In this sense, most of the job offers look for applicants with at least 2 years of experience in the field.