Institute for Career Research

Your Career as a Social Worker Institute for Career Research

CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILY SOCIAL WORKERS focus on working with individuals under the age of 18 as well as their family members, guardians, foster parents, and any other adults who are living in the same households. These social workers may provide all of the services their clients require in terms of counseling and guidance. They may also become the advocate for the client, representing their needs to various social service agencies that provide food, clothing, shelter, education, and a deeper level of therapy than the social worker can offer. School social workers are primarily concerned with the problems their young clients are having in school, but they will often have to reach into the student's home experience to understand where the problems are coming from. Youth and family social workers can deal directly with their clients' problems on their own, or they can advocate to social service agencies for further professional help. Social work in general is one of the most challenging professions. Whether working with troubled youths, families in crisis, the homeless, substance addiction, pregnant teenagers, abused elders - you are entering a world of trouble. It takes someone with a strong will, a sense of purpose, extreme dedication, a commitment to social justice and to serving others. The people you will be working for are only there because they have problems - often serious problems - and they are counting on you to help solve them. Sometimes there will be solutions but often, too often, there will not be any readily available. It is a profession that will often beat you down, bring you to tears, and push your self-control to the limit. It will also time and again reward you with overwhelming joy when you have succeeded in helping a child or a family escape from a terrible situation that has been wrecking their lives. If you are considering becoming a social worker specializing in working with children and families, it is worth noting that there will be a strong demand for your services for several years to come. You should also know that an important part of your undergraduate and graduate education will include being an intern in a social work agency - referred to as field placement - so you can get a very good idea of whether you want to continue pursuing social work as a career fairly early on in the process.