Social work is a vague term and cannot be expressed by words alone. Social workers are individuals who solve day to day problems of people living in society. Society needs people who are willing to get their hands dirty for the sake of others, and these people are strong-minded individuals who work on the frontline of a nation.

The importance of social workers cannot be described but can only be felt. They are considered to be significant community resources. But the question arises what do social workers do.

Can you imagine today’s world without the presence of social workers? It would disrupt the social situation of a nation, and chaos would reign. Social work is a very broad term and can be classified into many categories:

1. Healthcare Social Workers

These are individuals who can be classified as healthcare facilitators of a nation. Healthcare is a complex sector, and social workers are the pillars supporting this enormous sector.

Healthcare is one of the most important sectors for a country as it becomes the support of every other sector in existence. A country with poor healthcare is bound to fail in every growth aspect. These social workers typically are involved in:

Public Healthcare

Every country has a set of rules and policies concerning the public healthcare system. There are thousands of individuals working for public healthcare. It is concerned with improving public health on a general level by promoting a healthy diet, preventing diseases, and working on cures.

Public healthcare aims to promote the overall healthcare facilities across a country and work in favour public health. The government often employs social workers to achieve these goals.

Public Healthcare social workers are tasked with keeping their communities healthy, i.e. preventing the spread of diseases. These were the people who worked day and night amid the pandemic, tracking and resolving the spread of Covid-19.

Substance Abuse

When illegal drugs or prescription meds are used over the limit or for non-intended purposes, it is known as substance abuse. It is becoming a grave concern day by day as thousands of individuals become victims of substance abuse.

It’s not just about how dangerous substance abuse is for individuals and society. A professional organization like rehab are run to resolve such issues.

The job of substance abuse social workers is to support individuals indulged in or affected by mental health and substance abuse disorders. We often see people addicted to alcohol and how they have ruined their lives and the lives of their families, and further on, they disrupt society.

Mental Health

Mental health has evolved into a concerning issue for a couple of years. The clinical healthcare system deals with individuals and families plagued by mental illness and emotional disorders.

It has dire consequences, impacting not only individuals but also society. Mental health clinics are a growing requirement today as many individuals are prone to mental illnesses.

Licensed clinical social workers specialize in diagnosing, assessing, and preventing mental health issues of individuals through various approaches. These professionals work to treat the mental health issues of specified individuals.

A mental health social worker may work for government agencies or even hold their private clinical practice to provide mental health services.

2. Child Welfare Social Workers

We have always given importance to the safety and welfare of children, evidently because they are the country’s future. Countries have developed certain rules and regulations regarding children’s overall growth as independent individuals.

The child welfare services are intended to protect the vulnerable children from the social evils, as well as to ensure to prevent abuse, exploitation, and neglect.

Well qualified social workers interact with the concerned individuals and families to ensure that everything is fine and, in some cases, prevent harm to the children. Child welfare social workers are concerned with:

Child Mistreatment

Child abuse and exploitation is not something unheard of. The environment and conditions shape the mind of a child and ascertain the individuals they would become.

This fact alone determines whether they would become an asset or a liability to society. Social services play a significant role in safeguarding innocent children.

The role of the community social workers is to guide these young minds in the right direction along with resolving and preventing any social hindrance they might face. It’s a very noble yet complicated task to guide these young minds.

Foster Care

Children who lack proper families to support them or have lost their families are placed under the temporary guardianship of individuals who volunteer for foster care.

They might be strangers to children, but the social workers ensure that these families are capable of providing stable care for the children assigned to them. These agencies are created to support children who have nowhere to go.

Most of us have been fortunate enough to have a roof over our heads and a loving family supporting us. But what about the children who don’t have any such pillars of support in their lives.

That’s why social workers ensure that these children get proper care and support for a stable future. Family social workers assess the families or individuals who have volunteered to become a foster home, and their job is to assign these reliable homes to the children in need.

Adoption Agencies

Some people often confuse foster homes and adoption. Foster homes are individuals paid a certain amount of money to look after the children, whereas adoption is the process of families adopting a child without any monetary gain. Adopted children share a much deeper relationship with their parents compared to foster homes.

Adoption is a legal procedure of adopting a child out of love. The whole set of legal and social requirements is fulfilled under the supervision of social workers. Social workers’ job is to assess whether the people opting for adoption are fit to be parents and can fulfil a child’s basic and complex needs.

3. Criminal Social Workers

Have you ever imagined who deals with offenders and victims of society? Yes, the police and law do their job, but who are the middlemen dealing with all the transitions involved in the process.

Social workers typically end up dealing with offenders and victims personally. Often government might employ social workers for purposes such as these.

Social workers have a significant role in the criminal justice system, where they deal with a plethora of individuals daily. They make things easier for people by providing social services like criminal rehabilitation or victim support. Everyone knows that courts and police deal with the upfront issues, but social workers are the hidden heroes who deal with the aftermath.

Correctional Facilities

Correctional facilities, in simple terms, are places such as jails and prisons run by government agencies. These facilities are built for criminal rehabilitation. Now you wonder what purpose social workers might serve in such places?

Social workers are always working in favour of social welfare, and rehabilitation of offenders is a significant task. Life in prison can be hard, and social workers are the voice of these offenders.

They tend to their physical and emotional health. Rehabilitation is all about second chances, and for that, social workers help them provide opportunities like parole, probation, and education.

Probation

The individuals who play the role of probation officers are social workers. They help reinstate the offenders back to their normal lives by providing guidance and emotional support. Sometimes an offender is allowed to avoid prison if they accept to visit a probation officer for a certain period.

Criminal Justice System

The whole justice system is a complex set of rules, regulations, and policies. Offenders and victims are treated based on our justice system.

Social workers work to rehabilitate offenders in favour of victims to ensure justice. Sometimes they act as the advocate of human rights and sometimes as the pillars of support for the victims. No one can deny their valuable role in our criminal justice system.

4. Elderly Social Workers

Children need the support of their parents; similarly, elderly people need some support group in their lives. The human body is so fragile; as we get older, we become less and less capable, and then suddenly, one day, we might need someone’s support to carry on with life.

Social workers make these transitions easier by working in favour of elderly people. Working in nursing homes, hospitals, and assisted living facilities built explicitly for the needs of the sick and elderly. Some are appointed by the government, while some run their private practice. Elderly Social workers are involved in:

Nursing Homes

As people get old, they may need assistance in daily routine tasks like bathing, eating, and walking. Nursing homes also provide counselling services to individuals in need, along with helping the individuals plagued with chronic illness. These are typically small private or government facilities specializing in elderly care.

Social workers typically involved in elderly care are often concerned with administrative, legal, and routine tasks of the elderly. They are always working towards the welfare services and making their life easier in such facilities.

Hospitals

We have all visited the hospital some time or the other. But hospital services differ from situation to situation. Certain provisions are applicable for elderly people visiting hospitals.

Social workers’ job is to ensure that the elderly receive the highest quality of medical services with a gentle approach on account of their age.

Assisted Living Facilities

Nursing homes are suitable for people who may require emergency medical help because of their age and medical conditions. At the same time, assisted living facilities provide homely care with a personal touch to its members.

The social workers’ job remains quite similar to what they do in hospitals and nursing homes.

5. Political Social Workers

Politics is a very broad term and typically is used concerning a country. Politics is concerned with a country’s government, its laws, and power distribution.

Political and social workers advocate human rights and social justice and work to amend a country’s political structure. Their work is to develop strategies that entail the country as a whole.

These are people working in favour of a country’s overall growth, whether economy, justice, or social issues. Political Social workers are often involved in:

Social Awareness

Social Advocacy is concerned with raising awareness against exploitation and injustice. Amendments occur when someone raises their voice against the injustice to individuals, groups, organizations, and communities.

A social worker must advocate for people’s rights and bring about the changes in a flawed system. Even today, social workers are working towards spreading awareness about the concerns that the system does not hear.

Let’s consider the example of the bureau of labour statistics situated in the USA. Its main function is to create awareness about their working conditions and productivity which works in favour of social and economic aspects of the country.

Social Justice

Spreading awareness is not enough if the proper action is not taken. Social justice is all about taking appropriate measures to prevent or amend injustice. But often, these issues are sidetracked on account of our justice system being so complex.

The job of a social worker does not end with just spreading awareness, and they must ensure that proper action is taken. It’s not a simple task to persuade the government to amend their defective laws and can only be done by knowledgeable individuals who have a hunger for social justice.

6. School Social Workers

Education plays a very significant role in the development of a country. A social worker plays an important role in the amendment and promotion of educational rights.

You might be aware that girls were not allowed to be educated in the past. The school social workers have worked tirelessly to promote the right to education, and after many years of persuasion, the law was passed. School social workers are involved in:

School Boards

Every school located in a particular city automatically becomes a part of the local school board. Their main job is to look after the welfare of the children receiving education and develop the level of education as time progresses.

These boards comprise social workers who coordinate with the teachers to improve and resolve the issues in the education system on different levels.

Students

Educational laws and amendments are implemented for the sake of students so that they can evolve into better functioning adults for a country’s stable future. Social workers work in favour of students, nurturing their mental health, providing them financial assistance when needed, and many other services.

Educators

Social workers also have a responsibility toward the educators to bridge the gap between the students and education. They work to resolve the issues that educators might face from day to day in private and government settings.

7. Environment Social Workers

The environment is a significant concern, even more so when we are experiencing the wrath of nature. Global warming is off the charts, and the hole in the ozone layer is getting bigger due to greenhouse gas emissions.

The general public is not much concerned with the environment because they are unaware of the threats and risk factors that are much more prevalent in the 21st century.

Certain people would do anything to protect the environment from the world, and these types of people are known as environmental activists. They are social workers assigned by the government or have their private practices.

Environmental activists are the need of the hour because pollution levels are off the charts, and we are degrading the environment in our everyday lives.

Educational Qualification for Social Work

Social workers are educated and knowledgeable individuals who are involved in various sectors. An individual needs to be qualified academically to pursue this career. Education is important for this career because, without education, one cannot grasp the social issues disrupting a country’s progress.

One needs to be qualified from a recognized institute for social work. A bachelor’s degree in social work is preferred, followed by a social work master’s degree. Social workers are not paid exceptionally well. It also depends on the hierarchy level they belong to.

Conclusion

We have discussed several types of social workers here, and each of them is a valuable asset to a country. They are present at every level and every imaginable aspect of society. They deal with day-to-day conflicts in society and ensure the proper functioning of the government. Their work is not limited to the government and law but also encompasses the private sectors.

Social workers work in favour of the overall development of the various aspects of the society. They help and guide vulnerable segments of society and help them overcome the challenges they face in their day-to-day lives.

Not everyone is capable of significant tasks performed by them in favour of society. Films portray heroes wearing cool costumes and saving the day, but these social workers are the heroes working behind the curtain in real life.