Social worker roles

Broker

·     Purpose: To link clients to human service resources

·     Interviews clients to find out their needs, abilities, vulnerability, emotional state and their ability and willingness to change

·     Links clients to resources, and has knowledge about the strengths and limitations of  the services that are available

Advocate

·     Purpose:  To help clients uphold their rights to get resources and services that they are entitled to, and to help clients change programs that have a negative affect on the client

·     Helps clients with appeal procedures within an agency

·     Helps clients take legal action if needed

Teacher

·     Purpose: Teaches clients and general public knowledge and skills necessary in order to prevent problems and better their social functioning

·     May teach skills in conflict resolution, money management, parenting

·     Teaching clients by using role modeling and value clarification 

Counsellor

·     Purpose: Helping clients improve their social functioning by helping them better understand their feelings, modify their behaviours and learning to cope

·     They develop a understanding of both the client and their environment in order to help them come up with an action plan or intervention

·     They help the client understand their relationships around them, help mediate conflict, develop strategies to make their lives better

Case manager

·     Purpose: connecting clients to appropriate services and coordinating the utilization of those services

·     They identify the client’s needs and help them overcome barriers to successful living

·     Follow-up with them to make sure they are getting all of their needs met and that they are happy with the services

Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But ANGER is like fire. It burns all clean 

By Maya Angelou

Workload manager

·     Purpose: Managing workload to be as efficient as possible

·     Help balance the obligations to both clients and agency

·     Sets priorities, facilitates time management

·     Job performance evaluations 

·     Makes sure they have all of the services to meet the clients needs

Staff Developer

·     Purpose: Coaches the professional development of staff

·     Training, supervision and personal management

·     Maximizes staff effectiveness, and makes sure that everyone knows what they should be doing to meet the jobs standards

Administrator

·     Purpose: To plan, develop and implement polices and programs

·     They behave like the accountant for program development

·     They set organizational standards

·     They are the key figure in the agency’s public relations

Social change agent

·     Purpose: Participate in identifying the problems in the community and helping to make changes to better the quality of life of the people in the community

·     Recognizes conditions that are contributing to peoples problems and the need for resources

·     They look at the impact of policy on the community and social problems

·     They help get groups together to talk about issues in hopes for making change

Professional

·     Purpose: To act as a professional and engage in a ethical social work practice as well as helping to develop the profession  

·     A professional is a person whose actions are thoughtful, purposeful, appropriate, responsible, and ethical.

·     Develops their knowledge and skills about the field on a on going bases

·     addresses  work performance problems that either have been pointed out by college ages or even clients

·     Horsejsl, C., & Sheafor, .B. (2003). Techniques and guidelines for social work practice (sixth Edition). Boston: Allyn and Bacon

Interesting Facts about Social Workers

Who are social workers?

·      Social workers care about people and their social conditions

·      They help to assist people manage their problems

·      Try to improve the social conditions of their clients and community

·      Advocate on behalf of the people to help make positive changes in their life

There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside of you

Maya Angelou

What do we do?

·      We work with families, individuals, organizations and communities in these areas of:

·      Poverty

·      Domestic Violence and Abuse

·      Substance Addiction and Abuse

·      Youth Work

·      Clinical Services

·      Child Welfare

·      People with Special Needs

·      And many more………

Earnings

·      Earnings range from $ 3,000 to $50,000 and up depending on the agency and level of education.

The making of a Social Worker:

·     Social workers should be:

·     Genuine and sensitive to help others with their problems

·     Respectful others

·     Committed to their job and the profession

·     Have self- respect and act responsibly

What a social worker is not:

·     We are not a super hero; we can’t solve everyone’s problems

·     We are not a perfect human being because of our position

What a social worker is:

·     Idealistic yet realistic when approaching people’s problems and concerns

·     We respond to situations not react

·     We are surrounded by a body of knowledge and code of ethics

Facts for The Mind:

As new social workers we may think that we have to know everything when we first enter this field but the key is that we don’t. This field is an ongoing learning process that we can never say “I know everything” because you never will!!! You need to be willing to make some mistakes but never let them bring you down, mistakes are just another way to learn from life, that you need to overcome. It’s an ongoing ride and you must be willing to take that ride ’till the end!!!!

Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning

The desire to reach for the stars is ambitious; the desire to reach hearts is wise

 All quotes are from Maya Angelou

Jokes

What's the difference between a social worker and a Pitt bull terrier?
At least you can get part of your baby back from the Pitt bull.

Social worker and the mugger with a gun

A social worker is facing a mugger with a gun.
Your money or your life! says the mugger.
I'm sorry the social worker answers I am a social worker so I have no money and no life.

What time is It?

A social worker asks a colleague: What time is it?
The other one answers: Sorry don't know I have no watch.
The first one: Never mind! The main thing is that we talked about.