Nature of the Work
The Social Work Assistant is an integral part of one of the fastest growing and most versatile careers in the United States, Social Work. They make significant contributions to the social work profession’s mission of “enhancing wellbeing and helping improve quality of life for all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty” (NASW). They may work in-field after earning their credential, the Associate of Applied Science in Social Work Assistant, and/or after graduation, may choose to articulate to a four-year college to earn their bachelor’s degree.
Social Work Assistants help people with difficult circumstances, natural life transitions, and/or unexpected life situations or crisis by providing direct services and assisting them with identifying and connecting to critical resources and services. They advocate for change to improve individual and social conditions and help make certain clients reach their maximum level of independent functioning.
Social Work Assistants have multiple options for employment and serve in a wide variety of roles in both urban and rural settings. They serve on the frontlines and behind the scenes in non-profit, private-for-profit social service agencies, and state and local governments. Social Work Assistants may work in schools, medical facilities, offices, residential facilities, recovery communities, criminal justice settings, shelters, directly in homes and communities, and more. Because of the skills, knowledge, ethics, and sensitivity to human needs they possess, Social Work Assistants may also work in businesses, and other non-social service agencies.
Social Work Assistants work with a variety of technologies and virtual forums. They work during the day, evenings, and/or weekends depending upon the population and setting. The populations to which Social Work Assistants provide services are quite varied. They may work with individuals, families, groups, and/or communities, depending on their area of interest and may focus on a specific practice area such as children and families, older adults, people with mental illnesses, substance misuse, addiction, prevention, and recovery, chronic health conditions, disabilities, multicultural issues, suicide prevention, domestic and family violence, homelessness, or the unemployed, to name a few.
Social Work Assistants have many job titles, such as, but not limited to, case work aide, clinical social work aide, family service assistant, addictions counselor assistant, behavior technicians, and human service worker. They provide direct and/or indirect services either as case managers or through work under the direction of social workers, psychologists, or others who have advanced education or experience. They help people meet basic needs such as food, safety, and housing.
Their responsibilities may include assessing clients’ needs, helping them access resources, managing case files, facilitating group activities, and advocating for resources and policy changes. They not only maintain an awareness of available resources, but also make referrals, assist with applying for those services, and conduct follow-ups to ensure clients are receiving needed services. Social Work Assistants may assist clients in need of counseling or crisis intervention. Often, they work with other professional care providers to provide emotional support and training to empower people to become involved in their own well-being. They may help clients master everyday living skills, improve communication skills, or learn how to get along better with others.
Effective Social Work Assistant are empathic, active listeners, good communicators, problem solvers, critical thinkers, collaborators, and advocates, organized, patient, culturally competent, and committed. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics and values guide the Social Work Assistant’s work. Social Work Assistants uphold the profession’s core values: Importance of human relationships, dignity and worth of the person, social justice, competence, integrity, and service. Their work is based on the person-in-environment framework and strengths-based, empowerment, diversity perspectives. The nature of social work requires Social Work Assistants be open-minded and self-aware, and engage in self-care, and safe, and ethical, and research informed, competent practice.
The mission of the Social Work Assistant program is to develop students with the entry-level, generalist social work skills, professional competencies, and interpersonal qualities needed to assist and support BSW/MSW-level social workers in a range of services that address the challenges experienced in our multicultural society.
The Social Work Assistant Program prepares students to obtain entry-level employment in public and private social services agencies. The Social Worker Assistant is equipped with the skills, knowledge, values, and sensitivity to effectively serve human needs in a variety of community settings. Students have the option to select courses that will prepare them to provide client services, as well as support for individuals, families, and groups in a variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work. They may assist clients in identifying social and community services that will best assist them. They may assist the social worker in developing, organizing, and conducting programs to resolve problems relevant to human relations, substance abuse, adult daycare, and rehabilitation. Learning opportunities develop academic, occupational, and professional knowledge required for job acquisition, employment retention, and career advancement.