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Job Definition
View MovieProvide 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 single 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 on how to deal with problem children.
Job Zone

Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed

A bachelor's degree is the minimum formal education required for these occupations. However, many also require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Interests
Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
Artistic - Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Knowledge
Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.
English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
Skills
Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Tasks
Work in child and adolescent residential institutions.
Administer welfare programs.
Evaluate personal characteristics and home conditions of foster home or adoption applicants.
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.
Place children in foster or adoptive homes, institutions, or medical treatment centers.
Supervise other social workers.
Recommend temporary foster care and advise foster or adoptive parents.
Determine clients' eligibility for financial assistance.
Conduct social research.
Lead group counseling sessions that provide support in such areas as grief, stress, or chemical dependency.
Serve on policymaking committees, assist in community development, and assist client groups by lobbying for solutions to problems.
Consult with parents, teachers, and other school personnel to determine causes of problems such as truancy and misbehavior, and to implement solutions.
Counsel parents with child rearing problems, interviewing the child and family to determine whether further action is required.
Develop and review service plans in consultation with clients, and perform follow-ups assessing the quantity and quality of services provided.
Collect supplementary information needed to assist client, such as employment records, medical records, or school reports.
Wages

In 2008, the California average annual wage was $50,420.00.

Most people employed in this occupation were paid between $28,300.00 and $78,740.00.

Outlook

During 2006, there were approximately 21,700 people employed in this field in California. It is projected that there will be 25,700 employed in 2016. This occupation will have about 400 openings due to growth and about 460 replacement openings for approximately 860 total annual openings. This occupation .

Colleges and Training
Below are college programs that are generally associated with this occupation. To view colleges that offer these programs, click on the titles below.
Social Work - A program that prepares individuals for the professional practice of social welfare administration and counseling, and that focus on the study of organized means of providing basic support services for vulnerable individuals and groups. Includes instruction in social welfare policy; case work planning; social counseling and intervention strategies; administrative procedures and regulations; and specific applications in areas such as child welfare and family services, probation, employment services, and disability counseling.
Similar Occupations
Educational, Vocational, and School Counselors - Counsel individuals and provide group educational and vocational guidance services.
Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists - Provide social services to assist in rehabilitation of law offenders in custody or on probation or parole. Make recommendations for actions involving formulation of rehabilitation plan and treatment of offender, including conditional release and education and employment stipulations.
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Job Openings
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