Social Worker (Family/Child)

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.

O*NET reports this occupation under titles such as: Adoption Social Worker; Case Manager; Case Worker; Child Protective Services Social Worker (CPS Social Worker); Family Protection Specialist; Family Resource Coordinator; Family Service Worker; Foster Care Social Worker; School Social Worker; Youth Services Specialist

Tasks

• Maintain case history records and prepare reports.
• Interview clients individually, in families, or in groups, assessing their situations, capabilities, and problems to determine what services are required to meet their needs.
• 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.
• Develop and review service plans in consultation with clients and perform follow-ups assessing the quantity and quality of services provided.
• Address legal issues, such as child abuse and discipline, assisting with hearings and providing testimony to inform custody arrangements.
• Counsel parents with child rearing problems, interviewing the child and family to determine whether further action is required.
• Consult with parents, teachers, and other school personnel to determine causes of problems, such as truancy and misbehavior, and to implement solutions.
• Arrange for medical, psychiatric, and other tests that may disclose causes of difficulties and indicate remedial measures.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Collect supplementary information needed to assist client, such as employment records, medical records, or school reports.

Knowledge

• Customer and Personal Service
• Psychology
• Therapy and Counseling
• English Language
• Administrative
• Sociology and Anthropology
• Education and Training
• Law and Government

Skills

• Active Listening
• Speaking
• Critical Thinking
• Reading Comprehension
• Monitoring
• Writing
• Active Learning
• Learning Strategies

Abilities

• Oral Expression
• Oral Comprehension
• Problem Sensitivity
• Written Comprehension
• Written Expression
• Speech Clarity
• Deductive Reasoning
• Inductive Reasoning
• Speech Recognition
• Information Ordering
• Near Vision
• Fluency of Ideas
• Originality
• Category Flexibility
• Selective Attention