Why become a social worker? Well here’s one reason that we think trumps all others – you have the chance to make a real difference to people’s lives every day. After all, that’s what we should be doing more of: seeking ways in which we can help other people, especially those in unfortunate circumstances or who simply need some support.
But with there being so many areas within social work to specialise in it can be hard to decide which is the right path for you. That’s why we’ve created this list of the top 10 social work jobs:
1. Child and Family
A child and family social worker primarily provides support to children by helping to improve the functioning of their family; to do so they may liaise with the child’s school, the court and medical providers on their behalf. This job requires a broad level of social care that extends to offering debt counselling, family therapy and assistance with job placement. This truly means that no two cases are the same.
2. Fostering and Adoption
Fostering and adoption social workers have the all-important job of assessing whether a family are suitable for caring for a child that either has been removed from an unsafe home or who no longer has a permanent home. Day-to-day activities will include making visits to these families to also check that the environment is safe and that they are a good fit for the child.
3. Substance Abuse
A majorly rewarding factor of being a substance abuse social worker is seeing a client turn their life around. The role involves supporting people from all backgrounds because substance abuse is something that can affect anyone, regardless of ethnicity, gender or wealth. These social workers’ environments will change every day, taking them from hospitals to schools, courts and police departments.
4. Gerontology
Our ageing population will see an annual 3% increase in demand for adult social workers. This will particularly affect the demand for those specialising in gerontology. As the average life expectancy grows so does the need for social workers who can help the elderly sustain their independence. The degree of care necessary will differ between patients – some may simply need help buying food and household supplies or it may be a case of supporting the family members of someone suffering from dementia.
5. Domestic Abuse (IDVA)
An independent domestic abuse advisor (IDVA) is responsible for ensuring that any high-risk victims are moved to safety, along with their children if they have any. The main duties are crisis intervention, risk assessment and safety planning. This can be a mentally demanding area to specialise in as it requires the IDVA to be proactive. But here’s the reward - studies have shown that when victims receive help from an IDVA there are clear and measurable improvements in their safety.
6. Mental Health
This is another area of social work which is experiencing an increase in demand as more people are seeking counselling and treatment. Mental health social workers are responsible for assessing and diagnosing mental health and using this information to create a care plan. It is their role to help patients cope with difficult life events and to rebuild their relationships.
7. Youth Offending Officer
A youth offending officer aims to stop young people aged 10-18 from offending or re-offending. The role includes drawing up action plans with the young person to help them identify unacceptable behaviour. The goal of a youth social worker may be to get the young person back into education, find a job, or even extend to accompanying them in court. It is a chance to help shape the lives of the future generation - particularly those that don’t have support from anyone else.
8. Housing
A floating support worker will ensure that clients are ready to move into housing once they reach the Staging Post. Beyond this they will help them avoid eviction, perhaps by encouraging them to develop living skills or to manage their finances better. In some cases, the goal will be to prevent individuals from returning to rough sleeping. Therefore, this area of social work is a chance to support both rough sleepers and families who are at risk of being evicted.
9. Veteran and Military
Those returning from service are likely to need help adjusting back to everyday life. This can be as straightforward as assisting them in setting up a bank account and register at the doctors, or it may require providing therapy for PTSD. There will always be a demand for veteran and military social workers because men and women, when reintegrating back into society, will experience some challenges.
10. Research
Our understanding of the human brain and how society affects its development is always changing, so we need to constantly assess whether we are supporting the members of our society in the best way. A social work researcher will analyse field and clinical practices and use this information to assess their effectiveness; in circumstances where a policy is not best practice a social work researcher may testify in court. Therefore, they can make a real difference to the wellbeing of our communities.
Find your next social work job with Tradewind Recruitment Social Care
At Tradewind Recruitment Social Care, we have a wide range of roles for social workers and we also hire for administrative jobs within social care. Can’t find what you’re looking for? Contact us and one of our consultants will be in touch to help you.