The impact of social workers on children and families play a meaningful role in the mental and emotional well-being of people and communities. They support children and families and work to make family units stronger. They provide access to the services people need and help children who need support to benefit from their education.
Social workers with a master’s degree have the advanced knowledge and skills to address concerns with children and families and make a difference in communities.
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The role of a social worker
Social workers identify the systems, environment, relationships, and policies that affect their clients’ lives. Meetings with clients take place to assess their needs and develop plans for the future. Their services include providing therapy for individuals, families, and groups. Some of the conditions they address include depression, anxiety, substance abuse disorders, and borderline personality disorder.
An important skill in social work is understanding how different backgrounds influence mental and emotional well-being and response to treatment. Social workers recognize the needs of their clients and are respectful when interacting with them. They can refer clients to specialist or advisory services. For example, they can organize support in finding housing and employment or mental health services for clients with drug addiction.
Advocacy is a long-standing tradition in social work. Social workers represent their clients to see policies developed that promote social justice. They champion issues such as homelessness, discrimination, and access to healthcare and education. Working with community organizations and policymakers, they highlight issues and look for solutions to social problems.
They oppose policies that mean fewer resources and restricted access to community initiatives. Policy briefs are written to inform the media, public, and policymakers and gain support for funding and services.
Children and families
Social workers provide support to children and families and work to improve the lives of families in need. They may step in to protect children from neglect or emotional or physical harm. In these situations, children may have experienced trauma, such as loss or neglect.
Social workers can be asked to investigate and may have to testify in court. In cases where abuse is found, social workers conduct follow-up visits with children in the household or foster care environment. Counseling and therapy are often used to offer ongoing support and care.
Social workers make home visits, coordinate services for children in foster care, supervise visits between children and families, and attend court hearings. Children need safe and stable environments. Social workers believe it is critical to safeguard children and have a plan to ensure they receive long-term care.
Education
Social workers connect schools and communities to provide services that improve children’s experience at school. With their specialized training, they can help with mental health and behavioral concerns, providing support with anger management, conflict resolution, and crisis intervention. Individual and group counseling is used to help children develop social and emotional skills.
Social workers also work with school staff, providing training and assistance with classroom management. They interview parents and guardians to discuss problems affecting children’s education. Support is given to facilitate children’s adjustment to school and to reduce family stress. Social workers use community resources to help children and ensure schools are supported by mental health and social agencies.
Services
Social workers work to improve the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities. They help people access the services offering support for people struggling with poverty, substance use, poor access to healthcare, and other issues. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these struggles, and social workers have responded to the increase in needs.
They work to reduce food insecurity and help people access healthcare. They offer counseling services to address the stress and depression caused by job loss, isolation, bereavement, and other challenges stemming from the pandemic.
Social workers advocate for their clients, raising awareness of their needs and providing access to solution-based services and programs. They organize counseling for individuals, couples, groups, and families. Their training allows them to cope with challenging situations and change people’s lives for the better.
Working as a social worker entails connecting people to school systems, public officials, police officers, and service providers. Social workers develop a network of providers who can offer assistance and support. Children in need of care benefit from the collective work of different agencies.
Another social work role involves interacting with policymakers and community organizations to develop services, programs, social conditions, and policies for communities.
Career progression
Licensed social workers are in much demand across Pennsylvania. If you’re wondering how to become a social worker in Pennsylvania and want to pursue a successful social work career, look no further than Keuka College.
Keuka College offers an online Master of Social Work (MSW) degree program that prepares students to earn licensure upon graduation. An advanced track program exists for those with a Bachelor’s in Social Work, and the traditional track is for students without a social work degree.
Studying online can benefit working professionals who want to further their education, as they can work their studies around work commitments. With technological advances, online degrees are well-designed and use effective teaching methods. Students can interact with each other virtually, sharing viewpoints and experiences.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics gives a statistical overview of the employment prospects for social workers. Social worker employment is predicted to grow by 7% over the next ten years. This growth is much more than for the average occupation. It is forecast that there will be more than 60,000 new job openings each year over the decade.
Social workers are valuable for children and families
Social workers with a master’s degree have advanced knowledge and skills that they use to work with children and families. They work to safeguard children and ensure they are looked after and doing well at school. Families are helped to tackle difficulties and access the help they need.
Connections to other services enable social workers to provide a wide-ranging service that provides support across the board. Social workers play an invaluable role in society, addressing the struggles and challenges found in our communities.
