What is a Child Social Worker?

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What is a child social worker? Well, a child social worker (also known as a “child welfare social worker”) is a person who works to ensure the well-being and welfare of children and their families as well. The United States’ Bureau of Labor Statistics classified child social workers under the “Child and Family Social Workers” category. According to statistics, the demand for the services of child social workers is expected to rise by twenty percent (20%) through the year 2020.

Responsibilities: What is a Child Social Worker Expected to do on the Job?

The major responsibility of child social workers is to protect children from situations of neglect, abuse, and other types of maltreatment. A child social worker focuses on ensuring the physical, social, emotional and psychological well-being of his or her clients. The social worker does this by:

•Making home visits in order to investigate accusations of neglect or abuse
•Offer assessments to decide whether a guardian or parent is fit to raise a child
•Providing assessments as to whether a child should permanently or temporarily be removed from his or her present living situation.
•Placing a child with adoptive families or foster care.

In addition to the aforementioned responsibilities, a child social worker maintains case files, completes extensive documentation, and performs other kinds of administrative responsibilities. They are also required to have a valid driver’s license – in some cases; social workers will need to use their own car to make home visits.

Required Skills

The job of a child social worker can be quite demanding and stressful, so what is a social worker supposed to do in situations when the job gets really demanding? According to the National Association of Social Workers, a social worker will need to be resilient and must have the capacity to effectively handle difficult or volatile situations, and should also be able to handle high levels of stress. At times (in addition to assessing the safety of the children) the social worker may also need to make smart judgment calls regarding his or her safety – such as, whether they should enter the house or apartment of a reportedly violent or abusive person.

Education & Training

A child social worker is required to have a bachelor’s degree in social work; though sometimes, these social workers may have earned degrees in related fields such as sociology or psychology. A considerable number of child social workers have earned Master’s degrees in social work; however, very few candidates have earned doctoral degrees. Child social workers are typically not required to have a license, though this greatly depends on the hiring agency’s requirements.

Work Environment

A child social worker usually works for a government-run agency that focuses on child welfare. Name of these agencies typically vary state by state and may be called Child Protective Services, Department of Family & Protective Services, or Department of Child & Family Services. A lot of child social workers also fill positions in non-profit organizations, child advocacy, adoption and foster care agencies.

Salary

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2010, child social workers earned about $40,210 per annum.

Although the job of a child social worker poses a couple of challenges, but it does help you make a significant and meaningful difference in the lives of your clients.