College ,,Mihai Eminescu”, from Soroca

Discutat și aprobat la
Ședința catedrei Filologie și științe socioumane
Proces - verbal nr.___din___2018
Șef _ catedră ZAGAIEVSCAIA-REZNEAC Lilea

Teaching Support
at the discipline
Foreign language applied in domain

AUTHOR:
Guţu Svetlana,
English language teacher,
didactic degree II

2018
 Content

Unit 1. Introduction into social services

1.1 What is social assistance?………………………………………………………………1
1.2 Social assistance policy………………………………………………………………..3
1.3 Types of social assistance………………………………………………………………4
1.4 The services provided.…………………………………………………………………6
Unit 2. Social assistant and his functions
2.1 Who is the social assisstent?……………….. ………………………………………………7
2.2 Duties and responsibilities……………………………………………………………………9
2.3 The social assistant profile.…………..………………………………………………………11
2.4 Challenges faced by a social worker ………………………………………………13
Unit 3. Managerial activities
3.1 Meetings ………………………………………………………………………………….16
3.2 Business plan ……………………………………………………………………………..18
3.3 Demand and supply …………………………………………………………....................19
3.4 Sales promotion …………………………………………………………………………..20
Unit 4. Marketing
4.1 Marketing. Definition and characteristics. ……………………………………………….21
4.2 Company marketing ……………………………………………………………………...23
4.3 Marketing studies ………………………………………………………………………...26
4.4 Trademarks ……………………………………………………………………………….27
4.5 Product distribution ……………………………………………………………………....28
Unit I Introduction into social services
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
Lesson 1 What is social assistance?

Welfare is a type of government support for the citizens of that society. Welfare may be
provided to people of any income level, as with social security (and is then often called a social
safety net), but it is usually intended to ensure that the poor can meet their basic human needs
such as food and shelter. Welfare attempts to provide poor people with a minimal level of well-
being, usually either a free- or a subsidized-supply of certain goods and social services, such as
healthcare, education, and vocational training.
A welfare state is a political system wherein the State assumes responsibility for the
health, education, and welfare of society. The system of social security in a welfare state
provides social services, such as universal medical care, unemployment insurance for workers,
financial aid, free post-secondary education for students, subsidized public housing, and
pensions (sickness, incapacity, old-age), etc.
The first welfare state was Imperial Germany (1871–1918), where the Bismarck
government introduced social security in the late 19th century. In the early 20th century, Great
Britain introduced social security around 1913, and adopted the welfare state with the National
Insurance Act 1946, during the Attlee government (1945–51). In the countries of western
Europe, Scandinavia, and Australasia (New Zealand), the national government provides social
welfare that is paid from the national tax revenues, and by non-government organizations
(NGOs), and charities (social and religious).

Terminology
In the U.S., welfare program is the general term for government support of the well-
being of poor people, and the term social security refers to the US social insurance program for
retired and disabled people. In other countries, the term social security has a broader definition,
which refers to the economic security that a society offers when people are sick, disabled, and
unemployed. In the U.K., government use of the term welfare includes help for poor people and
benefits, specific social services, such as help in finding employment.

History
In the Roman Empire, the first emperor Augustus provided the Cura Annonae or grain
dole for citizens who could not afford to buy food every month. Social welfare was enlarged by
the Emperor Trajan. Trajan's program brought acclaim from many. The Song dynasty
government (c.1000AD in China) supported multiple programs which could be classified as
social welfare, including the establishment of retirement homes, public clinics, and paupers'
graveyards. According to economist Robert Henry Nelson, "The medieval Roman Catholic
Church operated a far-reaching and comprehensive welfare system for the poor… .
Early welfare programs in Europe included the English Poor Law of 1601, which gave
parishes the responsibility for providing welfare payments to the poor. This system was
substantially modified by the 19th-century Poor Law Amendment Act, which introduced the
system of workhouses.
Public assistance programs were not called welfare until the early 20th century when the
term was quickly adopted to avoid the negative connotations that had become associated with
older terms such as charity.
It was predominantly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that an organized system
of state welfare provision was introduced in many countries. Otto von Bismarck, Chancellor of
Germany, introduced one of the first welfare systems for the working classes. In Great Britain
the Liberal government of Henry Campbell-Bannerman and David Lloyd George introduced the
National Insurance system in 1911, a system later expanded by Clement Attlee. The United
States inherited England's poor house laws and has had a form of welfare since before it won its
independence. During the Great Depression, when emergency relief measures were introduced
under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Roosevelt's New Deal focused predominantly on a
program of providing work and stimulating the economy through public spending on projects,
rather than on cash payment.
Modern welfare states include Germany, France, the Netherlands, as well as the Nordic
countries, such as Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland which employ a system
known as the Nordic model. Esping-Andersen classified the most developed welfare state
systems into three categories; Social Democratic, Conservative, and Liberal.
In the Islamic world, Zakat (charity), one of the Five Pillars of Islam, has been collected
by the government since the time of the Rashidun caliph Umar in the 7th century. The taxes were
used to provide income for the needy, including the poor, elderly, orphans, widows, and the
disabled. According to the Islamic jurist Al-Ghazali (Algazel, 1058–111), the government was
also expected to store up food supplies in every region in case a disaster or famine occurred.

Germany
The welfare state has a long tradition in Germany dating back to the industrial
revolution. Due to the pressure of the workers' movement in the late 19th century, Reichskanzler
Otto von Bismarck introduced the first state social insurance scheme. Under Adolf Hitler, the
National Socialist Program stated "We demand an expansion on a large scale of old age welfare".
Today, the social protection of all its citizens is considered a central pillar of German national
policy. 27.6 percent of Germany's GDP is channeled into the system of health, pension, accident,
longterm care and unemployment insurance, compared to 16.2 percent in the US. In addition,
there are tax-financed services such as child benefits (Kindergeld, beginning at €192 per month
for the first and second child, €198 for the third and €223 for each child thereafter, until they
attain 25 years or receive their first professional qualification), and basic provisions for those
unable to work or anyone with an income below the poverty line.
Since 2005, reception of full unemployment pay (60–67% of the previous net salary)
has been restricted to 12 months in general and 18 months for those over 55. This is now
followed by (usually much lower) Arbeitslosengeld II (ALG II) or Sozialhilfe, which is
independent of previous employment.
Under ALG II, a single person receives €391 per month plus the cost of 'adequate'
housing and health insurance. ALG II can also be paid partially to supplement a low work
income.
…………………………………………………………………
Lesson 2 Social Assistance Policy

Individual and social well-being

Well being is a multi-faceted concept: it might refer to:
 needs - the things which people must have;
 interests - things which are good for people, or
 wants - the things which people choose for themselves.
Despite the ambiguity; some generalizations are possible: in each sense, poverty can be
identified with a lack of well-being.
Individualists (and economists) define well-being as a property of 'individuals'. Social
well-being is the interests of people in groups, which is not always the same as the people within
it; there are often conflicts between the interests of individuals, families and communities. For
example, it is generally considered to be in the interests of a nation to defend itself against attack,
even where people within it suffer directly as a result. Individual and social welfare coincide
because people are interdependent, social creatures, and people rely on social mechanisms (like
social interaction, exchange, the division of labor, and education) for their personal development
and well-being.

Solidarity
The basis of solidarity is mutual obligation. This is mainly expressed through reciprocity,
or exchange. "Balanced reciprocity" occurs where people make a direct return for the things they
receive. Often, though, reciprocity is "generalized"; there is no simple balance, but people give
because they have received something in the past, or because some future reciprocity is possible.
For example, parents give to children because their own parents gave to them; people support
pensioners in the expectation that future generations will support them when they are pensioners.
Generalized reciprocity is the norm within families, but it also occurs in mutual insurance.
Solidarity can be difficult to distinguish from 'altruism', but there is no reason to suppose
that the motivation is unselfish. The central problem of solidarity is that it is often exclusive -
confined to a special group.

Rights
Rights are rules: they can protect liberties or impose duties on other people. Rights to
welfare can be general (applying to everyone) or particular (applying, like contractual rights,
only to specific people). The welfare states of continental Europe have mainly developed
particular rights, related to membership of schemes and individual rights; this has proved a very
effective way of promoting social protection, most notably in the area of pensions, but it does not
necessarily extend to the whole population. The model followed by the UK attempted to extend
rights to everyone, on the basis of citizenship. Citizenship is the right to have rights. T H
Marshall called citizenship as 'a status bestowed on those who are full members of a community.'
Human rights are a further class of general rights, which apply to everyone, regardless of
whether they belong to a political community. Several international organizations, including the
United Nations and the Council of Europe, promote human rights beyond citizenship. The UN's
Guiding principles on extreme poverty and human rights treat poverty as a violation of human
rights.
Justice
There are two main approaches to justice.
The Platonic idea sees justice as what is good, right or desirable. John Rawls, for example,
asserts that freedom is part of justice. The Scottish Government's plan includes commitments to
superfast broadband, oral health, measures to stop bullying in schools and programs to help
lonely old people.
The Aristotelian view sees justice as a principle of proportionate action. Social justice is
basically a distributive principle: it concerns the proportions in which people should contribute to
and receive things from society. Corrective justice means that the punishment should fit the
crime; distributive justice means that people should have fair shares.
Justice begins with a presumption of equality; people should not be treated differently
without a reason. There may, though, be many reasons. The criteria which have been proposed as
the basis for distribution are complex: they have included need, desert, contribution to society,
hereditary status, and many others.

Freedom
Freedom has three elements. A person must be free from restraint, to do something. Freedom is,
then:
 psychological - people must be able to make a choice
 negative - people must not be prevented, and
 positive - people must be able to act.
Individualists argue for a model of freedom where people's freedom depends on their
independence. Social welfare and state intervention are seen as undermining independence, and
so freedom.
A social model of freedom begins from the view that freedom depends on interdependence.
To be able to act, people have to have the power to choose in society. In this model, poverty
negates freedom. Social welfare empowers people and enhances their freedom.

The state
The welfare state is a general term for the institutions, agencies and procedures related to
government. The idea of the 'welfare state' suggests that social policy is mainly a governmental
responsibility, though in practice many of the functions of welfare states are undertaken by
agencies beyond the government.
If governments are concerned about the welfare of their citizens (some are not), they will have
some responsibility for social protection. This responsibility may be residual (confined to those
who are unable to manage in other ways), but most states have found that it is impossible in
practice to confine their actions.

Religious values and social policy

The first dimension of religious influence is based in moral teaching. Many religions offer
guides to morality, but there may be several strands of moral belief which co-exist.
 Universalism is the view that the same principles apply to everyone.
 Communitarianism states that we have special responsibilities to some people (such as
family members), and that our moral duties define how close we are to others.
 Individualism argues that each person is responsible for his or her own actions.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………...
Lesson 3 Types of Social Assistance
Forms of welfare
Welfare can take a variety of forms, such as monetary payments, subsidies and vouchers,
or housing assistance. Welfare systems differ from country to country, but welfare is commonly
provided to individuals who are unemployed, those with illness or disability, the elderly, those
with dependent children, and veterans. A person's eligibility for welfare may also be constrained
by means testing or other conditions.

Provision and funding

Welfare is provided by governments or their agencies, by private
organizations, or a combination of both. Funding for welfare usually
comes from general government revenue, but when dealing with
charities or NGOs, donations may be used. Some countries run
conditional cash transfer welfare programs where payment is
conditional on behavior of the recipients.

A SOCIAL ASSISTANCE CHARITY

In Johannesburg, an organisation called Friends For Life offers counseling and emotional
support to people with HIV or AIDS, and gives assistance with
food-parcels, home and hospital visits.

Social welfare program

Any of a variety of governmental programs designed to protect citizens from the economic
risks and insecurities of life. The most common types of programs provide benefits to the elderly
or retired, the sick or invalid, dependent survivors, mothers, the unemployed, the work-injured,
and families. Methods of financing and administration and the scope of coverage and benefits
vary widely among countries.
The earliest modern social welfare laws were enacted in Germany in the 1880s. A
minimum protection has come to be viewed as one of government’s general responsibilities with
respect to specific risks, and in many countries the consensus holds that public responsibility
extends to all those unable to care for themselves for whatever reason.
The chief characteristics of a welfare or security program are the risks to be protected
against, the population covered, eligibility criteria, levels of benefits, manner of financing, and
administrative procedures. All these criteria are subject to wide variation in practice. In
particular, eligibility criteria often include a “time-lock,” which requires participation in or
coverage by a program for a specified time. Financing is generally accomplished by exacting
contributions from covered persons, employers, or both, by the government out of general
revenues, or by a combination of the two.
The most common varieties of programs may be summarized as follows: Old-age,
invalidity, and survivor programs. These provide benefits to those who live beyond their ability
or eligibility to engage in gainful employment, to those who become permanently disabled other
than through work injuries and who are not covered under some other medical disability
program, and to those who are left dependent by a deceased worker. Programs of this type
usually provide for universal coverage; they are commonly funded as contributory insurance
programs. Time-lock provisions apply to old-age benefits and, less stringently, to invalidity and
survivor benefits. Benefits levels are typically 30 to 60 percent of base wages. The plans are
administered nationally.

Medical Care Programs

These are the most complex and controversial of welfare and security programs. Benefits
may include indemnification for lost wages in addition to medical treatment. Coverage ranges
from universal down to only those employed by participating employers. Financing may be
contributory or governmental, depending in particular upon the method of providing service in a
given country. Medical care may be provided by private practitioners and suppliers or by
departments of government organized to provide it; private practitioners may be paid directly by
the government or by the patient, who is then reimbursed by the government. With varying
degrees of public involvement in the actual provision of health care come degrees of choice by
the patient, of permanence in patient–physician relations, of incentive to hold down costs, of
regularity in physicians’ incomes, and of ease of administration.

Unemployment Benefit Programs

These are common in industrialized countries, less so in developing countries. They
usually provide 50 to 75 percent of base wages to workers who are normally employed and have
become unemployed through no fault of their own and who are willing and able to work.
Benefits are provided for limited periods and are financed typically from compulsory insurance
payments made by employers or employees or both, sometimes supplemented by government
funds.

Family Allowance Benefits

These are benefits provided by governments to families with a specified minimum number
of children. The benefits may be open to all families, in which case the program is a step in the
direction of a guaranteed family income, or they may be provided as supplements to other
assistance, especially unemployment benefits.

Work-Injury Compensation
This is the oldest and most widespread social welfare program. Such programs usually
cover all employees of firms above a specified size and are financed by employer contributions
to some form of insurance plan. Benefits include medical payments, wage restoration, special
indemnities for permanent bodily injury, and death benefits. Acceptance of work-injury or
worker’s compensation benefits precludes recovery of damages by suits at law.

Public Assistance
This is a residual program designed to provide assistance to various classes of needy
persons not covered by other programs. Typical classes of beneficiaries include the aged not
covered by the employment-related programs mentioned above, the blind, the disabled not
covered by work-injury or other employment-related programs, and impoverished families with
dependent children.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
Lesson 4 The social services
People need help to live a full and productive life. They may need assistance finding a job
or appropriate child care, learning skills to find employment, locating safe and adequate housing,
and getting nutritious food for their family. The social assistance industry provides help to
individuals and families to aid them in becoming healthy and productive members of society.

Goods and services. Social assistance establishments provide a wide range of services that
include helping the homeless, counseling troubled individuals, training the unemployed or
underemployed, and helping families to obtain financial assistance. In general, organizations in
this industry work to improve the lives of the individuals and families they serve and to enrich
their communities. The specific services provided vary greatly, depending on the population and
its goals or mission.
Social assistance consists of four segments—individual and family services; community
food and housing, and emergency and other relief services; vocational rehabilitation
services; and child day care services.
Establishments in the individual and family services sector work to provide the skills and
resources necessary for individuals to be more self-sufficient and for families to live in a stable
and safe environment. Many of the services in this sector are often aimed at a particular
population, such as children, the elderly, or those with mental or physical disabilities. Services
targeted at children can vary greatly. Some programs provide youth services, such as after-school
programs or youth centers. Generally, these programs are aimed at giving children a safe,
supportive environment to spend their time after school or on weekends. Often provided are
planned activities such as field trips, tutors to assist with homework, and games and sports
equipment. Foster care and adoption agencies are responsible for locating safe families and
environments for children who are in the foster care system. Other services aimed at children
include drug prevention and mentoring programs.
Services provided to the elderly include senior centers, which hold activities towards
senior citizens and are often used as a place for seniors to gather to talk or play games. Some
services, like adult day care and support groups, are aimed at assisting both the elderly and
disabled populations. Home care agencies provide services to the elderly and disabled to allow
them to continue to live in their own homes. This may include assistance with errands, cleaning,
and personal hygiene.
This sector of the industry also provides other support services to individuals and families.
These often include programs for people addicted to drugs or alcohol, parenting support groups,
and rape or abuse crisis centers.

Community food and housing, and emergency and other relief services establishments
provide various types of assistance to members of the community. This sector consists of three
subsectors: community food services, community housing services, and emergency and other
relief services.
Establishments in the community food services subsector collect, prepare, and deliver food
for the needy. They may prepare and deliver meals to persons who by reason of age, disability,
or illness are unable to prepare meals for themselves. They may also collect and distribute
salvageable or donated food, or prepare and provide meals at fixed or mobile locations, and
 distribute clothing and blankets. Food banks, meal delivery programs, and soup kitchens
are included in this industry.
Establishments in the community housing services sector provide short-term emergency
shelter for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or child abuse. These establishments
may operate their own shelter or may provide subsidized housing using existing homes. Also
included in this sector are establishments that provide transitional housing for low-income
individuals and families, as well as establishments that provide temporary residential shelter for
the homeless, runaway youths, and patients and families caught in medical crises. Community
housing establishments also perform volunteer construction or repair of homes of the elderly or
disabled, or of low-cost housing—sometimes in partnership with a future homeowner, who may
assist in construction or repair work.
Establishments in the emergency and other relief services sector provide assistance to
those that have been directly affected by a disaster. These establishments may set up emergency
shelters for those who have been evacuated from their homes. They may also provide medical
assistance to those who have been injured by the disaster. In the aftermath, they may supply food
and clothing, assist with resettlement, and provide counseling to victims of domestic or
international disasters or conflicts.

Vocational rehabilitation services establishments provide vocational rehabilitation or life

skills services. Workers in these establishments work with people who are disabled, either from
birth or as a result of an illness or injury. They teach clients the skills necessary to live
independently and to find employment. Often, services include assessing the abilities of their
clients to determine what occupations they should pursue. These workers may also provide job
counseling and assist in locating training and educational programs.
Thousands of other establishments, mainly in State and local government, provide
additional social assistance.
Unit II Social Assistant and his Functions
……………………………………………………………………………
Lesson 1 Who is the social assistant?
“Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do,
but how much love we put into the action that we do.” —Mother Teresa

“…most of us have a pretty good idea of what we what we expect from a doctor or a
teacher. For social work, the role expectations are not quite as clearly understood by the general
public. Perhaps this is because there are so many professional roles in social work. The number
and diversity of social work roles provide opportunity for a great deal of creativity in practice.”
—Suppes, M., Cressey Wells, C. (2003)

Roles of a Social Worker

Social Worker Assistant
Social and human service assistants provide client services, including
support for families, in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology,
rehabilitation, and social work. They assist other workers, such as social workers,
and they help clients find benefits or community services.
Social worker assistants help people in need by offering advice, implementing
treatment plans, and giving access to community services. Interacting with clients is a
huge part of the role, but when they’re not out in the field, social worker assistants spend
a lot of time coordinating with agencies and handling paperwork. No two cases are ever
the same, and the role requires patience, adaptability, and poise under pressure. They typically
work under the supervision of licensed social workers, following regular office hours with
occasional night and weekend shifts.

Advocate
In this role, social workers fight for the rights of others and work to obtain needed
resources by convincing others of the legitimate needs and rights of members of society. Social
workers are particularly concerned for those who are vulnerable or are unable to speak up for
themselves. Advocacy can occur on the local, county, state or national level. Some social
workers are involved in international human rights and advocacy for those in need.

Educator
Social Workers are often involved in teaching people about
resources and how to develop particular skills such as budgeting, the
caring discipline of children, effective communication, the meaning of a
medical diagnosis, and the prevention of violence.

Facilitator
In this role, social workers are involved in gathering groups of people together for a variety
of purposes including community development, self-advocacy, political organization, and policy
change. Social workers are involved as group therapists and task group leaders.

Organizer
Social Workers are involved in many levels of community organization and action
including economic development, union organization, and research and policy specialists.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
Lesson 2 Duties and Responsibilities

Social Worker Assistant Duties and Responsibilities

A social worker assistant’s responsibilities vary based on their employer, program
structure, and caseload, but we analyzed several job listings to identify the following core tasks:

Recommend Community Services

The primary responsibility of social worker assistants is connecting individuals or families
with social and community services such as medical insurance, Supplemental Security Income,
and food subsidies. They also arrange meetings with relevant agencies, serving as advocates who
help clients through every step of the process.

Interview and Assess Client

Social worker assistants conduct assessments on clients through diverse methods such as
questionnaires, direct interviews, and observation. This allows them to form a thorough social
history of the client and determine their current situation. They may also perform reassessments
quarterly and annually to check for progress.

Design Treatment Plans

Because social worker assistants interact directly with clients, they assist with the
development of treatment plans, whether for individual care or facilitated groups. While social
workers are mainly in charge of the design process, social worker assistants contribute
significantly by giving valuable input about the needs and goals of clients.

Monitor Individual Progress

Social worker assistants may work one-on-one with individuals, providing consultations
about programs and also counseling if they have the necessary training. By getting to know their
clients personally, social worker assistants can monitor behavior and gauge the impact of
intervention treatments.

Facilitate Group Activities

Social worker assistants facilitate group activities such as social support sessions, games,
and movement exercises. For large-scale projects that involve community outreach, they assist
social workers with organizing and implementing events.

Manage Information
An important task of social worker assistants is managing information. They document the
behavior of clients, handle the paperwork for securing services, and file assessments and reports.
Maintaining an up-to-date roster of relevant agencies is also part of the job

Occupations in the Industry

Careers in social assistance appeal to people with a strong desire to make life better and
easier for others. Workers in this industry are usually good communicators and enjoy interacting
with people.
Some of these workers may have direct interaction with clients, while others have limited
interaction with the population they serve. These workers may spend their time on tasks like
planning programs or events, organizing classes or workshops, grant writing, or creating
educational material to be used by clients. Professional and related occupations within this
industry include: social workers, counselors, health educators, teachers-adult literacy and
remedial education, and social and human service assistants.
 Social workers help clients function within the limitations of their environment, improve
their relationships, and solve personal and family problems. Often, this includes counseling and
assessing the needs of clients, referring them to the appropriate sources of help, and monitoring
their progress. Many social workers specialize in a particular field. Child, family and school
social workers aim to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their
families. This may involve work with single parents, parents seeking to adopt a child, or children
in foster care. Medical and public health social workers provide support to individuals and
families coping with illness or diseases; at times, this may include both terminal and chronic
illnesses. These workers may help arrange for additional services to assist in caring for patients,
including services such as meals-on-wheels or other home care services. Mental health and
substance abuse social workers evaluate and treat individuals with mental health and substance
abuse problems. They may provide treatment through group or individual therapy or work on
community outreach and crisis intervention.
Counselors help people evaluate their interests and abilities, and advise and assist them
with personal and social problems. Counselors often specialize, so their job duties vary greatly,
based on the population they serve. Educational, vocational, and school counselors in this
industry usually work in what is more commonly known as career counseling. They assist clients
in determining what field of work they should enter and help them with job-seeking activities,
like locating job openings for which they might apply or coaching them on proper interview
conduct. Rehabilitation counselors assist people in living with the social, personal, and
vocational effects of a disability. In some cases, they assist people who are adjusting to a
disability caused by injury or illness, but they also counsel those who have had disabilities from
birth. These counselors evaluate the abilities and limitations of the individual and arrange for
vocational training, medical care, and job placement. Mental health counselors work with
individuals and families to treat mental and emotional disorders. This is often done through
individual or group therapy. Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors work with
individuals who are addicted to substances, such alcohol, tobacco or other drugs, or a behavior,
like gambling or an eating disorder. They often use techniques such as group and individual
therapy and, in some settings they may be involved in crisis intervention and community
outreach. Marriage and family therapists aim to improve an individual's or family's mental and
emotional health through therapeutic techniques that focus on the family system. This is
frequently done through individual, family, or group therapy.
Health educators encourage healthy lifestyles and wellness by educating individuals and
communities about behaviors that promote health and prevent illness and diseases. They use
many different mediums and methods to get their message to their target audience. They often
teach classes and plan events or programs on health-related topics, create pamphlets and other
written materials, and organize medical screenings for illnesses. In the social assistance industry,
they may often be responsible for writing applications for grants.
Adult literacy and remedial education teachers instruct adults and out-of-school youths in
reading, writing, speaking English, and basic math skills. These workers may work with adults
who are in need of basic education or who are pursuing their General Educational Development
(GED) certificate. They may also work with adults and children who are learning English as a
second language.
Social and human service assistants work in a variety of social and human service
delivery settings. However, in general, they provide services, both directly and indirectly, to
ensure that individuals in their care can function to the best of their ability. Job titles and duties
of these workers vary, but they include human service worker, case management aide, social
work assistant, mental health aide, child abuse worker, community outreach worker, and
gerontology aide.
 Service occupations
About 37 percent of the jobs in the social assistance industry were in service occupations,
in 2008. These workers generally provide direct services to their clients. Many do work that
requires hands-on interaction with clients. These workers include personal and home care aides
and home health aides who help elderly, disabled, and ill persons live in their own homes,
instead of in an institution. Personal and home care aides provide routine personal care services.
They perform non-medical tasks, such as cooking meals, basic cleaning, assisting the client to
bathe or dress and, in some cases, accompanying the client to appointments. Home health aides
provide health-related services, like administering oral medication, or checking the client's pulse
rate or temperature. They may assist the client in performing exercises and help them bathe,
dress, and groom.
Other occupations
Social and community service managers plan, organize, and coordinate the activities of a
social service program or community outreach program. This includes overseeing the budget and
the execution of programs, events, and services. They often may direct and supervise those who
are providing both direct and indirect services to the population they serve. In some situations,
they may be responsible for fundraising activities or speaking to donors.

All Occupations
Management, business, and financial occupations

Counselors
Social workers
Social and human service assistants
Service occupations
Home health aides
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants
Cooks and food preparation workers
Personal and home care aides
Recreation and fitness workers
Office and administrative support occupations
Secretaries and administrative assistants
……………………………………………………………………………
Lesson 3 The social assistant profile

Understanding the Role of a Social Worker

Being a social worker is often a challenging, yet rewarding career. Social workers are
responsible for helping individuals, families, and groups of people to cope with problems they’re
facing to improve their patients’ lives. One aspect of this is teaching skills and developing
mechanisms for patients to rely on to better their lives and experiences.

• Skills
• Specializations
• Other Social Work Tasks
• What to Consider When Evaluating MSW Options

However, many social workers find that direct counseling of patients, families, and groups
is only one aspect of their broader set of responsibilities. Social workers will often serve as
liaisons between different institutions to assist patients and collaborate with other health
professionals to ensure patient wellness. They will become familiar with, and refer clients to,
community resources. Social workers address legal issues, such as assisting with hearings and
providing testimony relating to their patients. They also engage in research, policy development
and advocacy for services. And of course, social workers must maintain case history records and
prepare reports. Social work can be the kind of job that requires a great deal of overtime, and
separating the emotional aspects of the job from the duties required can be a difficult
undertaking. But there are plenty of resources, including websites, books and social media users,
that can offer great advice.

Skills
In dealing with the multitude of problems that social workers address, they must employ a
variety of skills depending on the job that needs to get done. While some of these skills may be
natural, many of them are honed while a social worker earns his or her bachelor’s or master’s
degree. Below is a list of traits that a well-trained social worker might employ while assisting
and guiding a client.
Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to
understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at
inappropriate times.
Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as
they do.
Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of
alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related
documents.
Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people.
Writing — Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Complex Problem Solving — Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information
to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Judgment and Decision Making — Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential
actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Training and Advancement
Training requirements within this industry vary greatly based on occupation, state licensure
requirements, and the setting in which the work is done. Many workers begin in this industry by
working as a volunteer. Volunteering with a student, religious, or charitable organization is a
good way for jobseekers to test their interest in social assistance, and may provide an advantage
when applying for jobs in this industry. However, for many occupations, a bachelor's or master's
degree is required for entrance into the industry.

Professional and related occupations.

Entry requirements vary based on occupational specialty and State licensure and
certification requirements. A bachelor's degree is the minimum educational requirement for
entry-level positions as social workers, health educators, and counselors. However, some
specialties and employers may require additional education, like a master's degree, or some
previous experience. In some settings and specialties, social workers, marriage and family
therapists, and counselors may be required to obtain a State-issued license. Licensure
requirements vary from State to State, but most States require a master's degree and 2 years or
3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience.
Educational requirements are less stringent for social and human service assistants. Some
employers do not require any education beyond high school, but they may prefer some related
work experience. Other employers favor workers who have completed some coursework in
human services, social work, or another social or behavioral science. Other employers prefer an
associate degree or a bachelor's degree in human services or social work. A number of employers
also provide in-service training, such as seminars and workshops.
Professional workers in this industry often advance to a supervisory position, such as
supervisor, program manager, assistant director, or executive director. Often, advancing to this
level requires a master's degree and the appropriate licenses. Some workers opt to move away
from positions that provide services directly to clients and become involved in policymaking,
grant writing, or research. Others enter private practice and provide psychotherapeutic
counseling and other services on a contract basis.

Service occupations.
Service occupations within this industry require little to no education beyond a high school
diploma. Personal and home care aides receive some basic on-the-job training. The Federal
Government has guidelines for home health aides whose employers receive reimbursement from
Medicare. These workers must complete both a training program consisting of a minimum of 75
hours and a competency or state licensure program. Training includes information regarding
personal hygiene, safe transfer techniques, reading and recording vital signs, infection control,
and basic nutrition. However, aides may take a competency exam to become certified without
taking this training. At a minimum, 16 hours of supervised practical training are required before
an aide has direct contact with a resident. These licensure requirements represent the minimum,
as outlined by the Federal Government. Some States require additional hours of training to
become certified.
Workers in service occupations may opt to get some additional training and may advance
to, for example, licensed practical nurse. Some personal and home care aides may opt to open
their own businesses