If you are motivated by the desire to make a positive impact on the world, social work is your career. Social workers provide support to families, communities, and individuals to deal with the challenges they face every day.
Whether you are interested in helping families, a specific community, or simply want to make a difference, a social worker can fulfill many roles. Each role can have subtypes with slightly different responsibilities.
Here’s a list of social work jobs for people looking for a job in this field. While these categories are general, you can better understand what to expect and what opportunities may be available.
- Healthcare Social Worker
An individual in need of healthcare often encounters a healthcare social worker who can provide emotional, financial, and physical support to individuals and families during health crises.
In addition, healthcare social workers provide families with information about how to pay for funerals if their loved one has passed away. The healthcare social worker can also help people with referrals to other agencies, such as hospice services for terminally ill patients needing long-term nursing care.
- Child & Family Social Worker
Out of the several different social work jobs, child welfare social worker is the one we’re most familiar with. In various capacities, child and family social workers assist vulnerable children and youth.Â
Children in danger at home may require intervention by a child welfare social worker. Others work directly in schools, providing counseling to at-risk students or trauma therapy after a crisis event.
The main objective of a child welfare social worker is to ensure that a child has adequate shelter, food, and a nurturing environment.
In addition, a child and family social worker can help families with mental or physically disabled by matching them with resources that will help them care for their children.
- Geriatric Social Worker
Gerontological social workers are also known as senior social workers. A social worker in this field can either be employed in a nursing home or visit the elderly at home.
Registered social workers whose focus is on seniors can help seniors maintain a good quality of life as an example of their goals. In some cases, an elder care social worker can assist someone in obtaining part-time or full-time assistance, allowing them to remain at home instead of moving into a nursing home.
Families with loved ones living with Alzheimer’s or dementia may also benefit from the assistance of a social worker for elderly patients.
It is important for those new to living in a nursing home to adjust to the environment and to get emotional support as they adjust. The Baby Boomer generation has reached the age of approximately 58-76, so the eldercare social worker position will be even more in demand.
- Home Health Social Worker
In addition to being a senior social worker, a home health social worker can also assist those with disabilities of other ages who cannot leave their homes.
You can often find them listed under travel social work jobs or job listings for social workers on the road. They usually travel to clients’ homes to check on them regularly and offer assistance in different ways.
Those who work in travel social work jobs for home health care professionals will serve as an important liaison between the clients, their families, physicians, and support resources.
- Mental Health Social Worker
According to the National Association of Social Workers, mental health social workers (also known as clinical social workers) are among the largest groups of mental health providers in the United States.
Individuals and families receive direct mental health services from a social worker. These services may include depression, anxiety, emotional problems in relationships, and other mental health concerns.
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
An addiction social worker helps people overcome their addictions. Addictions to drugs and alcohol will be the most common, but they might also include food addictions.
Typical social workers’ responsibilities include crisis interventions, group therapy sessions, finding clients’ jobs and support, and following up with clients.
- Psychiatric Social Worker
Psychosocial workers work with severely mentally ill people, so they differ from other types of social workers. In the case of people needing intensive psychiatric treatment, a psychiatric social worker will give the person and their family support, coordinate care, and provide therapy.
- Corporate Social Worker / Industrial Social Work
The corporate social worker is a less traditional example of a social worker. Also known as industrial social work, it involves working in a corporate environment and offering support to the company and its employees.
An industrial social worker could work alongside the human resources team and help employees experiencing personal issues. In addition, industrial social workers guide leadership on employee health and well-being.
Change management is another area where corporate social workers are needed. A social worker’s interpersonal skills are often necessary when dealing with employees’ resistance to change.
- Supervising Social Worker
Supervising social workers in the U.S. and other countries often work in foster care. They are in charge of overseeing and supporting foster families.
Social workers who supervise others may ensure continuity of care for children, check in with Foster Care families regularly, and guide other social workers under their supervision.
- Community Social Worker
An international social worker is another community social worker who works with underserved populations.
When assessing needs and resources and facilitating help and support where needed, the community social worker must always keep an entire community in mind.
- Criminal Justice Social Worker
Social workers employed in courthouses, treatment centers, and correctional facilities are often called correctional workers. They are responsible for supervising individuals who are in jail. In many cases, licensed social workers help these individuals reintegrate into society when released.
- International Social Worker
Social service providers are often motivated to make a difference in the world by helping the underprivileged in other countries. Because international social workers often travel to different parts of the world where there is a need, they may also work as travel social workers.
These social workers often work in refugee camps, hospitals, orphanages, and in areas going through war or recovering from natural disasters.
An example of social workers in this field would be those who work in gender and social inclusion to assist those who have been or are at risk of marginalization.
- Military & Veteran Social Worker
Military and veteran social workers work with military personnel or former military personnel. A social worker in this area might assist soldiers with transitioning into civilian life or those with PTSD with getting the support and care they need.
Since much of what they do in helping veterans and members of the armed forces is related to their mental health, registered social workers in this field will also often be referred to as mental health social workers.
Conclusion
People who feel a sense of social justice or desire to give back to society have many options for getting into the field and helping others. For example, child welfare social workers help kids and their families when they face developmental challenges or abuse. A community social worker can assist a town that has suffered a natural disaster. Some are working in nursing homes assisting the elderly. Social workers can pursue a wide range of career paths, so you can find the one that interests you most and pursue it.