CAREER AND OPPORTUNITIES OF

SOCIAL WORKS
CHILD WELFARE
 Child welfare social workers practice in family
based services that address the needs of children,
youth and families. They may counsel children who
have behavioral problems or have difficulty
adjusting socially. Social workers also work to
protect children and intervene on their behalf
when they are abused or neglected. Some of them
work in residential institutions for children and
adolescent. Still others specialize in adoption
services and assists parents in arranging for
adoption.
HEALTH CARE
 Social workers are important members of the
healthcare teams in hospital, clinics, and other
medical facilities. They work together with doctors,
nurses, administrators, and other professionals to
help patients and their families cope with chronic
or terminal illnesses. They assess a patient’s
needs for medical, and/or emotional treatment, as
well as rehabilitation. Social workers help
facilitate discharge and provision of supportive
services for post-hospitalization by providing
patients and the family caregivers with information
and referral.
MENTAL HEALTH

 Clinical social workers provide more than half

of the counseling and therapy services in the
United States. As mental health providers they
help clients with mental, emotional, alcohol or
drug abuse problems through individual and
group therapy, outreach and crisis intervention,
and in many cases, serve as agency directors
and administrators.
PUBLIC WELFARE
 Social work in public welfare entails
administration, implementation, monitoring, and
program evaluation of the public welfare system.
Social workers provide information on how to apply
for public assistance and other benefits, review
eligibility requirements, and arrange for services.
Social worker also train and supervise
caseworkers who provide direct services. The main
challenges of public welfare agencies is to develop
effective programs for self-sufficiency and moving
people from public welfare into the work force and
mainstream of society.
SOCIAL WORK WITH THE ELDERLY

 There is a great need for a professional social

work practice in our aging society. Social
workers provide services to senior citizens such
as counseling, income assistance,
transportation, home care assistance, and
recreational activities to help them remain
active, healthy, and independent as long as
possible.
EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
 A growing practice field for occupational or corporate social
workers is in employee assistance programs (EAPs). These
programs are available with large corporations, businesses,
and labor unions, mostly in urban and industrial
settings. EAP social workers counsel workers and executives
alike to help them achieve emotional well-being and improve
job performance. They deal with the diverse problems and
situations affecting American workers today: divorce, single
parenthood, substance abuse, domestic violence,
depression, eating disorders, vocational rehabilitation,
stress, takeovers, layoffs, etc. In this way, social workers
help businesses and organizations improve their productivity.
SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK
 School social workers work closely with
teachers, administrators, and other
professionals to help children with physical or
learning disabilities as well as emotional
problems. They provide counseling and referral
services for a range of concerns including
family problems, domestic violence, child
abuse, neglect, and poverty. They serve as a
liaison between family and school and often
between school and community.
CORRECTIONS AND JUSTICE
 Social workers in criminal justice make
recommendations to courts, serve as expert witnesses,
do pre-sentencing assessments, and provide services
for prison inmates and their families. They focus on
rehabilitation by providing therapy, drug and alcohol
addiction treatment, and basic life-skills training. Many
social workers become probation officers or parole
officers. They help ex-offenders access supportive
services upon release from prison. Social workers may
arrange for a halfway house, job training, employment,
remedial classes, counseling, child care, and/or
transportation
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
 here are numerous opportunities for social workers in
community development programs and projects that are
designed to provide community, professional, and volunteer
services. This is an area of employment that is expanding as
greater responsibility for human service programs is
assumed by cities, towns, communities, neighborhoods, and
local organizations.
Social workers participate in establishing and operating such
services as homeless shelters, youth activities, free lunch
programs, parent training and child care, migrant worker
services, educational programs, and services for
homebound elderly and persons with disabilities.
INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL WORK
 International Social Work involves direct services in child
welfare, family planning, health and mental health,
international adoptions, human rights advocacy, and
refugee programs through relief and international aid
organizations. Social workers also assist governments
in developing delivery systems and training
programs. They provide technical assistance and are
involved in research projects. International
organizations such as the World Health Organization
(WHO), the Red Cross, the United Nations, and
numerous non-government organizations employ social
workers.