What You Can Do With a Degree in Social Work

Social work, just like psychology, counseling, and other fields that actively work on helping others, is a rewarding career that works towards creating social change to benefit individuals who need assistance. 

Daily, social workers engage with people from many different backgrounds to provide support and develop processes and techniques to improve their everyday lives. Social workers can be employed across a broad range of settings, and will generally develop a socially conscious and globally-minded way of thinking about the community, and then work on how that community engages with the world around it. 

If social work sounds like a promising career choice for you, it is important to learn about the many different fields of social work an individual can enter to help you pursue the one that best aligns with your interests and goals. 

Starting a career in social work

There are many reasons you may consider starting a career in social work, not least that according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, social workers can expect employment growth of 12% leading up to 2030, giving qualified individuals a greater chance of finding and securing a role within the industry. Other reasons may include;

• You want to help underserved communities and work on behalf of vulnerable and marginalized communities.

• You have a desire to help others suffering from addiction, health issues, or poor mental health live better lives.

• You show an interest in research and improving patient health outcomes. 

• You wish to improve social work-focused initiatives within your community or political arena.

A Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) has for many years been considered the entry point into casework and direct practice positions. In more recent times, however, employers’ expectations have grown to the point a Master of Social Work (MSW) was listed as the preferred degree for 52% of job vacancies in 2021. Thankfully for budding students, online clinical MSW programs exist to help them gain the necessary qualifications without the need to attend in-person schooling. 

Types of social work career fields

After deciding social work is your ideal career and gaining the necessary qualifications, you can pursue a huge range of jobs within many different fields of social work.

School social worker

School social workers are employed within the confines of educational settings. They will often work alongside school administrators, parents, and students to identify and solve issues among the student body, and may develop treatment plans, conduct home visits, manage student health evaluations, write referrals, and provide training workshops for other staff.

Mental health and substance abuse social worker

Mental health and substance abuse social workers work with clients who have both mental health and substance abuse issues. These professionals may be found in hospitals, clinics, and rehabilitation centers, and may help diagnose disorders and ensure patients can gain access to the required support resources. 

Healthcare social worker

Healthcare social workers evaluate clients’ emotional, financial, and support needs while managing medical-related issues. They will often work with their client’s healthcare provider to develop specialized plans, in-home care services, or other arrangements, and can typically find employment in hospitals and clinics.

Child and family social worker

Child and family social workers generally work with parents, guardians, and children to ensure they live in a healthy environment while receiving the care they need. These professionals will often visit children in their homes to verify living conditions are safe, they may submit reports on any concerning events to the appropriate authorities and can offer counseling services to children and their families during times of hardship. Child and family social workers may also assess potential adoptive or foster families to determine whether a home is suitable for foster children. 

Child and family social workers work with family units to create better outcomes for all. Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash.

Health educator

A health educator focuses on developing programs for groups and communities that inform them about the importance of maintaining good health. They can also help train community health workers, research new methods of maintaining health, and teach health education at middle and high schools. Heath educators may work in hospitals, government agencies, outpatient care centers, and not-for-profits. 

Outreach worker

An outreach worker connects people in need with resources that can help them improve their lives. They facilitate communication between service organizations such as youth centers or rehab facilities with their clients and may specialize in particular areas of outreach such as community outreach, elderly assistant outreach, or youth outreach. 

Research assistant

A research assistant provides help to scientists and other formal researchers to complete projects. Research assistants with a background in social work in particular may have responsibilities such as conducting surveys to learn about specific populations, conducting experiments on different forms of human behavior, and organizing reports to share findings with the public.

Case manager

A case manager works with people who live with mental and physical health conditions that impede their daily life. Case managers develop care plans, identify and recommend care options, review and recommend treatment options, and maintain regular contact with their clients to track their progress. A case manager can also work with social services to secure care and treatment for patients who require additional resources.

Social services

Social services are a range of public services that provide support to particular groups, commonly those that are disadvantaged. Social services can consist of facilities or services such as public education, welfare, infrastructure, libraries, healthcare, and social work. 

Two roles for social workers within social services may be;

A social services assistant who offers help to those who experience homelessness and other similar challenges. They may help their clients find food and bathing resources, and guide clients through completing applications to assistance and welfare programs. 

A director of social services helps to develop programs for people in need. They service the community by assessing its members’ challenges and creating programs to address these challenges, securing funding via fundraisers or other routes for various programs, and facilitating between organizations and community members to ensure everyone receives the support they need.