At Portman Recruitment, we think that one of the best things about working in social work is the opportunity to meet and connect with a variety of clients, and help those in need. Social work involves helping people, and whether that’s taking care of children, providing support to vulnerable adults or ensuring that the community has beneficial programmes in place, social workers have many paths open to them from which to choose.
In this post, we take a look at the 4 most popular, outlining what they involve and things to consider before taking on the role.
Child & Family Social Workers
Family life presents a range of challenges that can leave parents and children struggling to cope. Child & family social workers provide support to these families, ensuring the children grow up in a stable environment and are given the same opportunities as other children. Social workers in this field help children who live below the poverty line and may not have access to adequate nutrition, hygiene and proper parental care; who have been placed in foster care to ensure their development; who have a history of mental or physical abuse, or illnesses.
If you love working with children, and want to ensure their well-being, then this may be the perfect role for you.
Things To Consider:
- Can you handle working with children who may have behavioural problems?
- Will you be able to remain calm and composed during family arguments, and around parents who are suspected of abuse?
- Regardless of the situation, will you always be motivated to make a difference?
Community Social Workers
Community-run programs are always a vital part of a county’s social services, helping to meet the demands of the individuals, schools, families, children, elderly and those with special needs, among others. A community social worker’s job is to identify much needed areas for improvement, creating and implementing plans to solve issues and help those that need it. By working with individual groups, the whole community can benefit, because the help the community social worker provides makes the environment these groups live in considerably better.
If you genuinely want to make the world a better place, then this might just be the path for you.
Things To Consider:
- Do you feel comfortable dealing with difficult situations, focusing on the positive outcomes that you can help to achieve?
- Do you have an issue spending long periods of time with communities who are disadvantaged, outraged or upset?
- Does watching a community grow and transform sound like it’s worth the effort required, and something that you wholeheartedly want to do?
Healthcare & Medical Social Workers
Healthcare and medical social workers work with those who deal with medical conditions causing a range of physical, mental and emotional changes that are difficult to face alone, such as chronic or terminal illnesses. They provide patients with counselling, physical support and connect patients with other useful services. Working with multidisciplinary teams, they create appropriate care plans for their clients, and ensure they counsel the patients’ families and caregivers to enhance their level of support. Along with organising support groups and health-positive activities, they may also be called upon when the patient is readmitted into hospital or other healthcare facility.
A demanding role that requires a high level of patience, support and care, these are things to consider before choosing this path:
- How comfortable are you with illness and death, and being in the presence of those who have lost limbs or are dealing with mental health issues?
- Do you feel confident providing support to, and being a source of strength for these people?
- Have you worked in the healthcare system before, and are you willing to stay up to date with all the latest in treatments and industry processes?
Geriatric Social Worker
Geriatric social workers assist older adults and their families with everything from medical problems, – such as finding suitable home healthcare, mental health support and the transition into assisted living or nursing care facilities – to organising meal delivery services and social activities.
If you understand the importance of taking care of the elderly, then this job could be right up your street.
Things To Consider:
- Can you cope with the level of care that you’ll need to provide on a daily basis?
- Do you feel comfortable speaking with a range of individuals, from healthcare professionals and family members to organisations and businesses that can help your clients have an easier life
- Do you enjoy spending time with the older generation, and know how to connect with them?
All social workers have the skills, confidence and ability to work with people in a caring and professional manner, assessing situations for change and supporting individuals and families through the most difficult of times. Our role is to improve the outcome of their lives, acting as guides and advocates. Taking all of this into consideration, have a good think about whether you’re in the right role, or if you fancy a change. For information on the roles that we have available, why not give us a call today on 0161 327 0936 to find out more.