Health and safety in all aspects of a community are critical to its development, and its levels of advancement and economic vibrance depend on its public services’ effectiveness. Social services play a crucial role in improving the status of society. This is achieved through the efforts of social workers who are dedicated to creating awareness and employment opportunities in their attempt to foster a sustainable community.
Today, the influence of social workers on community development has become widespread, especially when it comes to some of the more vulnerable sections. With social work becoming an increasingly appealing career path, let’s explore the roles and skills required of social workers for community development.
Who are social workers?
Social workers are trained professionals dedicated to assisting vulnerable people and communities in overcoming some of the daily challenges they face. Social workers engage in a wide range of settings, but the basic premise remains the same: advocating for and improving the standard of living for individuals, families, and groups in a community. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the primary responsibilities of a social worker include;
- Identifying individuals, groups, or communities in need of help
- Assisting people in adjusting to challenges they may be facing
- Conducting extensive research and advocating for community welfare
- Responding to urgent crises
- Developing and assessing programs and services to ensure the basic needs of a community are met
- Checking up on members of the community regularly to measure the level of improvement.
Top skills required of social workers
When considering the responsibilities of social workers, it’s evident how competent these professionals have to be to effectively act as advocates, facilitators, counselors, and organizers of the community they serve. They need an encompassing set of skills to be successful, and while some of these skills are inherent, most are learned.
For individuals looking to break into the field of social work or transition into a new career, several platforms can prepare them for this career path. One practical option is a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW degree) from a reputable institution such as Spring Arbor University. Programs that exist in both traditional institutions and online platforms serve as effective ways of developing professional practice as a social worker.
Aspiring social workers rely on diverse technical skills and emotional competencies, and while professionals can obtain most skills from BSW programs, building competency in them comes with extensive practice and experience. Here are some critical skills every successful social worker possesses.
Communication
All forms of social work incorporate extensive communication as the primary daily task. Verbal and non-verbal communication are essential skills for every social worker. The ability to interact effectively with a wide range of people is needed, especially considering the fact that they must understand an individual’s point of view before advocating for them.
Alongside understanding a client’s needs, behavior and viewpoint, social workers are also skilled in recognizing other non-verbal cues and addressing them appropriately. Effective communication should be done without regard for a person’s age, gender, cultural background, sexual orientation, literacy level or disability. Quality interaction should also pass down to care providers, colleagues and social agencies.
Empathy
When it comes to social work, empathy refers to a social worker’s ability to understand and share the feelings of individuals or the community they are advocating for. Showing compassion to an individual helps to recognize their needs, present circumstances and emotions, making it a hugely beneficial competency to have as a social worker.
Prior to becoming a social worker, you should be skilled at emotionally and intellectually understanding people’s experiences and devising a way to help. Empathy is typically considered an inherent trait, but social workers can develop the skill further through practice, experience, training and development exercises.
Leadership
A significant aspect of advocating for individuals is exhibiting quality leadership competency. To effectively represent a person or community, you need to obtain relevant resources about the client or essential services required by the community. These responsibilities cover many problems, and social professionals must exhibit leadership skills to handle the situation and be competent representatives.
Leadership is recognized as an enabler of well-functioning organizations. Therefore, social workers can employ this skill to create new initiatives, eliminate outdated programs, and suggest processes and policies that help everyone. It also fosters professionalism, confidence, and credibility in the daily activities of workers.
Critical thinking
Social work is a challenging career path, and a significant reason for this is the wide range of circumstances each person or group deals with. Most of the issues social workers seek to address require tailored solutions, which highlights the need for critical thinking competency.
Developing an effective solution to a problem requires two stages: identifying the root cause of the issue and developing solutions that address the particular situation. Both stages involve critical thinking. Social workers must employ logic, analysis, and creativity in identifying problems and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of a particular solution.
Organization
Attempting to engage in community development by improving the standard of living can require a lot of work. Social workers often deal with hectic schedules, heavy caseloads and redundant paperwork. Other responsibilities include reporting, documentation, collaboration and billing.
Therefore, the ability to keep an organized work schedule can determine a social worker’s level of productivity. For these professionals, organizational skills are useful for effectively managing and prioritizing certain aspects of the job and maximizing time for greater effectiveness and productivity with significantly less stress.
Flexibility
An average social worker’s caseload ranges from 14 to 75, and the scope of these caseloads varies dramatically. Furthermore, circumstances change rapidly, and social workers must adjust and react accordingly. To handle this aspect of social work, professionals must exhibit their ability to be flexible.
The ability to think on your feet is essential, mainly when professionals are pushed to be more time-efficient. Another important aspect of flexibility in social work is being multilingual. There are clear benefits to learning a second language, and social workers can be more effective when working with diverse clients when they have the right language skills.
Professional commitment
Excelling in something requires commitment, and professional commitment to social work shows in a professional’s acceptance of lifelong learning. Social workers must demonstrate dedication to the values and ethics of the profession and constantly seek opportunities to improve themselves and their quality of service.
Commitment is essential for achieving the profession’s underlying premise: developing a community by improving the standard of living. Personal improvement also serves as a strategy to help empower vulnerable people and groups. The scope and nature of social work make it ideal for people who are passionate about helping others, and with that passion comes the zeal to adhere to professional commitments.
Cultural competence
Social workers interact with people from diverse backgrounds, and with these different backgrounds come varying cultural beliefs, viewpoints, and practices. Therefore, professionals should be sensitive, respectful, and responsive to diverse cultural ideas, regardless of their personal opinions.
Cultural competence involves assessing different cultural backgrounds and identities while probing for relevant skills, knowledge and values that can help improve the delivery of services to a specific group. Professionals must exhibit a non-judgmental attitude and recognize the value and diversity of each person or group they advocate for.
Time management
Earlier, we highlighted flexibility and organization as critical skills for every social worker. They also hold prominence in maintaining excellent time management skills. The nature of social work makes it essential for professionals to manage their time more efficiently, so social workers need to learn how to utilize time productively.
The social sphere offers different propositions daily, especially for professionals who work with many people. This is a challenging aspect of the profession because social professionals must engage in all responsibilities as effectively as possible. Good social workers always strive to be dependable by allocating time for specific duties effectively.
Collaboration
Social work is a massive sector that incorporates a wide selection of professionals, and it is unlikely that a social worker will work alone. Typically, professionals are expected to collaborate and devise the best possible outcome for any situation. For example, mental health services incorporate different mental healthcare providers, from nurses to psychiatrists and psychologists, in an attempt to provide the best level of care.
Social workers must show collaboration and enthusiasm for working as part of a team toward a common objective. At times, collaboration skills also apply to vulnerable individuals and groups. The ability to negotiate, compromise, and work well with others is vital to the coordination of efforts required for social work.
Social work takes different forms and incorporates various technical prowess and responsibilities. As an aspiring professional, you might be tasked with improving a diversified community or a selected group of vulnerable individuals. Regardless of the role you choose to play, all aspects have their uncertainties and challenges.
Nevertheless, it can still be a highly rewarding and fulfilling career path, especially for professionals who have the technical competency to engage in their responsibilities effectively. All it takes is passion, dedication, and flexibility to adapt to the ups and downs of the profession.