Occupation information for

Provide social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families and to maximize the family well-being and the academic functioning of children. May assist parents, arrange adoptions, and find foster homes for abandoned or abused children. In schools, they address such problems as teenage pregnancy, misbehavior, and truancy. May also advise teachers.

Currently Employed: 1,793

Yearly Projected Openings: 80

Typical Hourly Wage: $18.22 - $33.34

Typical Annual Salary: $37,900 - $69,400

• Counsel individuals, groups, families, or communities regarding issues including mental health, poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, physical abuse, rehabilitation, social adjustment, child care, or medical care.
• Interview clients individually, in families, or in groups, assessing their situations, capabilities, and problems, to determine what services are required to meet their needs.
• Serve as liaisons between students, homes, schools, family services, child guidance clinics, courts, protective services, doctors, and other contacts, to help children who face problems such as disabilities, abuse, or poverty.
• Maintain case history records and prepare reports.
• Counsel parents with child rearing problems, interviewing the child and family to determine whether further action is required.
• Administer welfare programs.
• Refer clients to community resources for services such as job placement, debt counseling, legal aid, housing, medical treatment, or financial assistance, and provide concrete information, such as where to go and how to apply.
• Consult with parents, teachers, and other school personnel to determine causes of problems such as truancy and misbehavior, and to implement solutions.
• Recommend temporary foster care and advise foster or adoptive parents.
• Supervise other social workers.

• Desktop computers
• Laser printers
• Notebook computers
• Personal computers
• Special purpose telephones

• Data base user interface and query software
• Internet browser software
• Office suite software
• Spreadsheet software
• Word processing software