Social Worker (NOC 4152)

Description of the profession

Social workers help individuals, couples, families, groups, communities and organizations gain the skills and resources needed to improve their social functioning. They provide counselling, therapy and referral services to other social support services. Social workers also meet other societal needs related to unemployment, racism and poverty. They are employed by hospitals, school boards, social service agencies, child welfare services, correctional facilities, community agencies, employee assistance programs and Aboriginal band councils, or they may practise in private settings.

Social workers perform some or all of the following duties.

• Meet with clients individually, as a family or as a group to assess their situation and problems and determine the nature of the services they require;
• Provide counselling and therapy to clients to help them develop the skills needed to address their social and personal problems.
• Set up client-focused support programs that refer clients to organizations that provide financial assistance, legal aid, shelter, medical care and other services;
• Investigate cases of child abuse or neglect and take appropriate protective measures, if necessary;
• Be part of a multidisciplinary team of specialists working with client groups;
• Advocate on behalf of client groups in the community, lobby for solutions to issues that directly affect client groups, and develop prevention and intervention programs to meet community needs; 
• Develop or advise on social policies, conduct social research and support community development;
• Provide mediation and psychosocial assessment services;
• Evaluate the effectiveness of counselling and social service programs;
• Provide, as required, public information and consultation services to professionals or groups on counselling services, issues and methods;
• Supervise other social workers, as needed.