Social Workers

HOW TO GET THERE

Typical pathway

A common pathway is to finish secondary school and then take a social work degree at college or university, although exact program choices can vary by province and employer. Many students build experience through volunteer work, paid support jobs, or placements in community agencies, schools, health settings, or child and family services. Early experience often includes helping with referrals, listening to clients, and learning about counselling, advocacy, and community resources. Some people later focus on areas like child welfare, family services, corrections, gerontology, or addictions.

THE WORK

What you may do

Legacy duties

• Interview clients individually, in families, or in groups, to assess their situation and problems and determine the types of services required
• Provide counsel and therapy to assist clients in developing skills to deal with and resolve their social and personal problems
• Plan programs of assistance for clients including referral to agencies that provide financial assistance, legal aid, housing, medical treatment and other services
• Investigate cases of child abuse or neglect and take authorized protective action when necessary
• Serve as members on interdisciplinary teams of professionals working with client groups
• Act as advocates for client groups in the community, lobby for solutions to problems directly affecting client groups and develop prevention and intervention programs to meet community needs
• Develop or advise on social policy legislation, conduct social research and assist in community development
• Provide mediation services and psychosocial assessments
• Evaluate the effectiveness of counselling and social programs
• May provide public education and consultation to professionals or groups regarding counselling services, issues and methods
• May supervise other social workers.
• Social workers may specialize in fields of practice such as child welfare, family services, corrections, gerontology or addictions.

SKILLS TO BUILD

Skills used in this Career