Child, Family, and School Social Workers
Provide social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families and to maximize the family well-being and the academic functioning of children. May assist parents, arrange adoptions, and find foster homes for abandoned or abused children. In schools, they address such problems as teenage pregnancy, misbehavior, and truancy. May also advise teachers.
What you’d do
- Maintain case history records and prepare reports.
- Interview clients individually, in families, or in groups, assessing their situations, capabilities, and problems to determine what services are required to meet their needs.
- Serve as liaisons between students, homes, schools, family services, child guidance clinics, courts, protective services, doctors, and other contacts to help children who face problems, such as disabilities, abuse, or poverty.
- Develop and review service plans in consultation with clients and perform follow-ups assessing the quantity and quality of services provided.
- Address legal issues, such as child abuse and discipline, assisting with hearings and providing testimony to inform custody arrangements.
- Counsel parents with child rearing problems, interviewing the child and family to determine whether further action is required.
- Consult with parents, teachers, and other school personnel to determine causes of problems, such as truancy and misbehavior, and to implement solutions.
- Arrange for medical, psychiatric, and other tests that may disclose causes of difficulties and indicate remedial measures.
Skills that matter
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Reading Comprehension
How to get there
Considerable preparation: most need a four-year bachelor's degree
Also called
- Case Manager
- Family Protection Specialist
- Family Service Worker
- School Social Worker
- Adoption Social Worker
- Case Worker
Related careers
See all careersHealthcare Social Workers
- Bright Outlook
- Rapid Growth
Provide individuals, families, and groups with the psychosocial support needed to cope with chronic, acute, or terminal illnesses.
Extensive preparation: most need graduate school, such as a master's degree or higher
Marriage and Family Therapists
- Bright Outlook
- Rapid Growth
Diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders, whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral, within the context of marriage and family…
Extensive preparation: most need graduate school, such as a master's degree or higher
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers
- Bright Outlook
- Rapid Growth
Assess and treat individuals with mental, emotional, or substance abuse problems, including abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and/or other drugs.
Extensive preparation: most need graduate school, such as a master's degree or higher
Rehabilitation Counselors
Counsel individuals to maximize the independence and employability of persons coping with personal, social, and vocational difficulties…
Extensive preparation: most need graduate school, such as a master's degree or higher
Social and Human Service Assistants
- Bright Outlook
- Rapid Growth
Assist other social and human service providers in providing client services in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology…
Considerable preparation: most need a four-year bachelor's degree
Social and Community Service Managers
- Bright Outlook
- Rapid Growth
Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of a social service program or community outreach organization.
Considerable preparation: most need a four-year bachelor's degree