Social work jobs are attractive to many young people who feel that they would like to help people as part of their job, but many aspiring social workers do not entirely understand what social services jobs entail.  For any school or university leaver thinking about different career paths, knowledge is key, and this article aims to help you to get to grips with the world of social worker jobs.

Social workers might work in hospitals, prisons, residential centres, or offices.  Their principle role is to help clients of any age to identify their problems and to come to terms with them.  This can involve a number of different activities.  Primarily, they would hold interviews with clients and their families, and give them advice and supervision.  Group sessions can be very effective in proving mutual support for people who are dealing with problems, so conducting group sessions is an important activity for many social workers.  In more practical terms, they might arrange support in the form of meals on wheels or financial assistance.  With many clients, the social worker will be one of a few professionals that is working to help a client, so you will need to liaise with police officers, doctors and community workers in order to achieve the best result.

In terms of key skills, the clue is in the name.  ‘Social’ workers must be sociable people, who can communicate with ease with people from a wide range of backgrounds.  You may be engaging with people who are very distressed or experiencing severe problems, so tact and understanding are necessary attributes.  However, it is important that social workers do not try to become the client’s best friend.  These professionals must be able to empathise, while remaining impartial.  For the practical side of the job, problem-solving skills and administrative skills are very useful.  In addition, when working on emotional cases, it is important to be able to switch off at the end of the day.

It is clear, then, social work jobs are demanding, but the emotional element can be one that gives the most satisfaction, as social services jobs enable you to make a difference to peoples’ lives on every working day.  If you have the skills and attributes listed above, then it is certainly worth applying for social worker jobs, or looking at the qualifications you might need to get started.  Many social workers have a three-year degree in the field, so if you are keen, looking at university courses is probably the best place to start.

Please visit http://www.socialworkandcarejobs.com/ for further information about this topic.

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