Social work is one of the most vital and rewarding types of employment. It requires a significant capacity for empathy, interpersonal skills, negotiation, and, in many cases, extensive knowledge of psychology and legal or human rights.
A large number of people rely on the hard work of social workers to ensure that they and their loved ones are well cared for and protected by the state, the law, their healthcare provider, their job, their place of education, or otherwise. However, few people realize quite how many different types of specialization there are within this field. There is more than one kind of social worker, and while the skills of most of these professionals do have some crossover, their various disciplines and specialties cover a huge number of areas.
In this article, we’ll explore just some of the different types of specialization in the field of social work, and explain why training for a career of this kind will open the door to a huge spectrum of meaningful and fulfilling opportunities.
First, we’ll introduce a few different fields of social work and the required duties and expertise of each.
Aging/elder care
As we get older, the priorities and challenges in life often change dramatically. From our healthcare needs to our social life, and from our rights to our financial situations, those in our society who are more advanced in years often require a specialized form of support.
Social workers in the field of elder care are trained to assist older citizens with matters related to independent living, quality of life, age-related healthcare matters such as dementia, and sometimes even certain issues relating to estate management.
As some older people can become isolated, social workers in this field may work to help their clients access social and participatory activities or community events. They often support and advise clients on how to access all of the psychological, healthcare-related, and financial support they require to live comfortably and happily.
Child welfare and families
This is one of the more well-known areas of social work. These specialists often have a good knowledge of child psychology, law, and finance.
The child welfare branch of social work focuses on the rights and the wellbeing of children, protecting the younger members of society (often those aged under 18 who cannot yet live independently) from harm and ensuring that they have the right access to all of the resources they need.
These social workers may support families in financial hardship who struggle to care for their children as a result. They also often intervene in cases of child neglect or abuse.
Pediatric mental health may also factor into the work of many specialists of this kind, as social workers are often tasked with ensuring that differently abled or neurodivergent youngsters have all of the help they need to enjoy life and excel in their studies.
There are many child welfare social workers operating within the care system, helping foster children and their carers/foster parents through vital transitions, developing relationships, and effectively handling psychological and interpersonal issues.
Social workers in this field are often thought of in association with child protective services, and many assume that their chief duty is to assess the safety and well-being of a child and to remove them from their current living situation, placing them in care should their parents and guardians appear to be failing them.
In reality, situations of this kind are relatively rare, and the work of professionals within this field extends to a plethora of different tasks and responsibilities.
Employee assistance
There are a great many different ways that social workers may be hired to support employees in a workplace.
Counseling and mediation, whether between workers or between workers and employers, is a common task – whether with a focus on pay disputes, working conditions, the treatment of employees, equal opportunities, or anything else.
There are social workers who work with unions to support employee rights, while others are hired by employers to ensure that their company’s structure is as effective as it can be to create a healthy balance of productivity, good employee welfare, and high morale. Some social workers also offer job counseling for individuals seeking work or reentering the workplace after illness, incarceration, or any other issue.
Healthcare/mental health
The healthcare sector is one of the biggest employers of social workers, as health and well-being issues have such a significant impact both on the individual and on wider society.
There is a range of specialisms within this sector, including roles with a focus on developmental disabilities in children and young people; individuals with chronic, lifelong, life-limiting, terminal, or regressive conditions; the rights of differently abled individuals; and medical malpractice and medical law.
Of course, due to the financial pressures suffered by many who must use the healthcare system extensively, there are also social workers who specialize in access to monetary aid and affordable treatment.
Professionals of this kind have many duties and responsibilities, but the chief areas of expertise required for social work related to healthcare include:
- An understanding of how medical care is paid for, and of the financial support available.
- A clear grasp of the personal and psychological challenges facing those with certain medical conditions.
- Interpersonal skills and the ability to provide psychological support – and help of other kinds – to families experiencing healthcare-related issues.
- Knowledge of the human and legal rights of disabled, differently abled, and neurodivergent people.
- Access to support resources for children and adults with healthcare challenges in education, or who wish to live independently or socialize easily.
- Medical law and malpractice.
Housing and homelessness
Individuals struggling with financial issues or mental health challenges are more likely than others to experience homelessness or problems relating to housing.
Certain kinds of social workers can help these individuals access personal and financial support; guide them to vital resources and temporary or long-term accommodation options; offer them advice and guidance to help them tackle financial, psychological, and employment issues; and help them get back on their feet.
According to homelessness charity Pine Street Inn, approximately one-third of adult homeless people in the US are veterans. Accordingly, there is a specialist branch of social work that exists to aid ex-military personnel in their smooth transition out of the service and back into society – and to support them in dealing with any possible social, mental health, and housing issues.
International/refugee
Asylum seekers, refugees, and residents from overseas require specialist support as they navigate the process of gaining citizenship, finding work, supporting their families, dealing with prejudice, navigating a new country – often in a new language – and understanding their rights.
Many struggle with homelessness or complex application, job-seeking, and housing systems, or find it difficult to access vital healthcare. This is where social workers come in. They support refugees and residents from overseas – along with their children – to tackle all of the challenges they face and guide them to both short-term and long-term solutions.
Substance abuse
This field of social work is often grouped in with healthcare, but in reality, it stretches far beyond this sphere into the areas of homelessness, education, the prison system, and more.
A reliance on substances is often the result of a turbulent home life, struggles at work or in relationships, or as a means of dealing with known or undiagnosed mental or physical health conditions. It often has a lasting negative effect on the user’s health, finances, social life, employability, and more.
Social workers who handle cases of substance abuse are there to help the individual reduce or stop their habit and, where possible, to re-engage with society and work in a manner that is healthy, manageable, and sustainable. There are a large number of social workers employed in the prison system to help tackle issues with substance abuse – and also to support inmates’ personal development, education, and rehabilitation.
Schools and education
The duties of social workers within the education system often have a significant crossover with child welfare, but they also have specialisms in other areas. They may provide counseling services, but can also serve as a go-between, linking children’s home life with their schooling and – where necessary – with the resources provided by social services.
They provide the emotional, and psychological support and practical advice required by young students as they navigate the education system, improve their performance, work on their interpersonal skills, and begin to look to their future. Social workers in this field require a strong grounding in child psychology, educational philosophy, and communications. Some social workers are employed by specialist educational institutions for children with additional needs or behavioral issues.
Beyond the frontline
The above role breakdowns mostly cover ‘frontline’ social work. However, there are plenty of other roles within social work organizations and related workplaces that require an entirely different – though related – set of skills.
Other areas of employment for professionals of this kind include social work administration, advocate social workers who specialize in the fields of human rights and social justice, social work researchers, and individuals with expertise in the areas of public welfare and social policy. There are even government roles and positions high up in leading organizations and authorities that include a strong element of social work at their core.
Becoming a social worker
Social work is one of the most rewarding and challenging types of employment. It opens the doors to a massive range of opportunities. The roles described above represent just a small proportion of the jobs available within this sector.
So, what are the next steps if you’re planning to seek employment as a social worker?
The best way to start is to get an undergraduate or bachelor’s degree. You can study a range of subjects for this purpose, including social work itself, social science, child psychology, child development, mental health, social justice, and more.
Once you have your degree, you can significantly improve your knowledge, skillset, and employability by studying for a specialist master’s. It’s even possible to study for a master’s degree in social work online – rendering the process accessible to anyone.
You can work toward this qualification from home, fitting it in with your other duties, responsibilities, and employment. There are even advanced master’s degrees in this subject, which will allow you to extend your expertise and open doors to further opportunities. To learn more about social work master’s courses, click here.
Moving forward
Social workers contribute significantly to our society. They work to uphold legal, workplace, and human rights, campaign for and provide access to vital resources, support those with both short-term and long-term additional needs and help clients to live comfortably and safely and to realize their full potential.
The highly valuable nature of social work, along with the sense of fulfillment it engenders and the exciting variety of opportunities it presents, makes this one of the most rewarding career paths that a person can follow.
Naturally, there are challenges. Due to its sensitive nature, jobs in the field of social work can be emotional at times and may see specialists having to exercise the full extent of their skills in the fields of diplomacy, negotiation, and empathy.
You may need to navigate complex situations and weigh up tough options – so the better the training you have received, the more prepared you will feel to tackle these matters.
For this reason, as well as seeking out the best qualifications, it’s important to take a personal interest in the field, staying up to date with news and new developments, whether in terms of technique, law, resources, and more, to fully equip yourself with a rich and varied toolkit.
It is worth noting that the majority of these roles are well-supported by teams of other specialists and their employers – so, as a social worker, you’ll never need to take on anything of this kind alone.
If you’re planning to start out in the field of social work – whatever your intended specialism – you have a very exciting time ahead of you!
