Career: Child, Family, and School Social Workers
In an ideal world, every family would be stable and supportive. Every child would be happy at home and at school. Every elderly person would have a carefree retirement.
Yet in reality, many children and families face daunting challenges. For example, single parents struggle to raise kids while working. Teens may become parents before they're ready. Elderly people face problems that range from losing spouses to losing memories. Child, family, and school social workers help kids and families get back on track so they can lead healthy, happy lives.
Child, family, and school social workers help children and families cope with social and psychological problems that may arise at school, at home, at work, or in the larger community.
Did You Know?
- Social workers often work in offices, talking with clients, making phone calls, and doing paperwork. But they also get out and about, visiting clients at other locations and attending meetings.
Are You Ready To...?
- Counsel people with various backgrounds and problems
- Refer people to services and programs
- Keep records and complete lots of paperwork
- Work with other professionals
- Take good care of yourself to avoid burnout
It Helps to Be...
Someone who enjoys listening without judgment as other people describe their problems. You'll also need to be able to go to bat for your clients, helping them get the services they need.
Make High School Count
- Sign up to be a peer counselor at your school.
- If your school has a social worker, talk to that person about his or her career.
- Volunteer or work as an aide at a home for elderly people.
- Take psychology to learn about human development and emotions.
- Read about famous social workers such as Jane Addams, Frances Perkins, or Whitney M. Young Jr.
Did You Know?
- Social workers need to have healthy lifestyles so they can handle the stress of caring for lots of other people, many of whom face very difficult problems.
Outlook
Government economists expect job growth for child, family, and school social workers to be faster than the average for all careers through 2016.
Social workers with master's degrees will find jobs more easily in rural areas than in cities. Those who specialize in gerontology (the problems of the elderly) will find the most jobs. School social workers will also have good job opportunities.
Many of the job openings in social work are due to high turnover; people often leave the field because of low pay and high stress.
Compensation
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, child, family, and school social workers earned an average yearly income of $43,120 in 2008. Those employed in elementary and secondary schools earned an average income of $56,750 in 2008.
