A social worker helps people to help themselves. They are trained professionals aimed at social welfare by assisting people and communities in need. Social work as a profession is mainly aimed to support people in challenging situations, empower them to better cope with their struggles and protect themselves in the future. This article talks about important social worker skills, to make an impact and change in the lives of people from the underprivileged sections of society.
What are the key responsibilities of a Social worker?
A social worker works with people from different sections of society. They listen and understand their needs and provide appropriate solutions and support. They act as an advocate for the rights of the vulnerable community and provide them with legal, financial and emotional aid. By enhancing the voice of the unheard, they represent the struggles of marginalised communities.
In the role of a counselor, the social worker assists in addressing the client’s emotional challenges and explores specific solutions that improve their current situation. They occupy various roles to address different social concerns and to uplift the struggling population.
Key Skills Required For A Social Worker
These are five social worker skills that are essential to create a positive impact on people’s lives. If you are someone who is willing to pursue the field of social work, developing these five important social worker skills can be highly beneficial.
Empathy
Empathy is an important aspect of social work. It is the ability to feel the emotions of others and to understand their struggles intellectually, culturally and emotionally. Realising that each individual has their own unique lived experiences and validating them, helps to build rapport with clients.
Tolerance
Essential to the social work profession is the ability to deal with people from different socio-economic, racial, gender and cultural backgrounds with respect. Hence, tolerance is a core component in social worker skills. As an individual we might possess certain personal biases and judgements. It is important as a social worker to not let these subjective perceptions hinder the effectiveness of their duty.
Critical Thinking
A professional social worker will be approached by clients with distinct needs with complex and intricate life situations. It is the responsibility of a social worker to critically analyse the situation and provide innovative and out of the box solutions that work best for the client. Considering multiple perspectives and analysing layers of the problem, helps them to generate an appropriate and well structured solution that resonates with the client.
Organizational Skills
An important skill to keep in the social worker toolbox is organizational skill. A social worker provides different kinds of services to clients with varying levels of needs in different timelines. Hence the ability to organise your workflow is a mandatory aspect of social work services. Organisational skills enable a social worker to efficiently complete duties and ensure great productivity.
Boundary Setting
Dealing with complex needs of clients on a daily basis can be tiring and overwhelming to some. Establishing a strict boundary between work and personal life is vital in the field of social work. Only with healthy boundaries and an adequate work-life balance, social workers can survive in this field.
Boundary setting can have different meanings in the field of social work. For instance, while dealing with a client’s needs, it is important to keep personal biases, opinions and perceptions away and deal with utmost professionalism and objectivity.
These are the five characteristics every social worker should have. If you are an aspirant or a student or a fresher in the field of social work these five important social worker skills can set a strong foundation for your career.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
To become a social worker you need to complete a degree in bachelor of social work or BSW. To enter into more advanced roles like counselling or clinical social work a masters degree in social work ( MSW ) is required.
A social worker with 15 years of experience in the field can earn between Rs 0.2 Lakh to 9.1 Lakhs on an average annually. This constitutes a monthly income of Rs.15,000 to 16,000.
( Salary Source: Ambitionbox)
There are different types of social work that focus on different aspects of social issues. Some of the examples of different social work practices include,
Child welfare social worker
Mental Health and Clinical Social Work
Mental Health and Substance Use Social Work
Developmental disabilities
International social work
Justice and Corrections
Occupational and Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Social Work
Public Welfare and more
You can find social worker jobs in NGOs, Government agencies, hospitals and clinics, schools and CSR departments.
A social worker can work as a counsellor, social worker, community social worker, human rights advocate, Corporate social responsibility manager or CSR executive and more.