Here is the project that i did to help me learn more about the field of social work.

1. Career
Exploration:
Social Work
By Rose Reed

2. Social and Community Service
Managers
 Generalized Work Activities:
• Evaluate the work of staff and volunteers to ensure that programs are of appropriate
quality and that resources are used effectively.
• Provide direct service and support to individuals or clients, such as handling a
referral for child advocacy issues, conducting a needs evaluation, or resolving
complaints.
• Recruit, interview, and hire or sign up volunteers and staff.
• Establish and maintain relationships with other agencies and organizations in
community to meet community needs and to ensure that services are not duplicated.
• Establish and oversee administrative procedures to meet objectives set by boards of
directors or senior management.
• Direct activities of professional and technical staff members and volunteers.
• Plan and administer budgets for programs, equipment and support services.
• Participate in the determination of organizational policies regarding such issues as
participant eligibility, program requirements, and program benefits.
• Prepare and maintain records and reports, such as budgets, personnel records, or
training manuals.
• Research and analyze member or community needs to determine program directions
and goals.
• A bachelors degree is all that is needed
 Availability of these jobs is increasing:
Federally-21% over 10 years
Vermont-12% over 10 years
Reference: http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/11-9151.00

3. Social and Community Service
Managers Average Wages
Reference: http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/11-
9151.00

4. Child, Family and School Social
Worker
 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.
 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.
 Counsel students whose behavior, school progress, or mental or physical impairment
indicate a need for assistance, diagnosing students' problems and arranging for needed
services.
 Address legal issues, such as child abuse and discipline, assisting with hearings and
providing testimony to inform custody arrangements.
 Develop and review service plans in consultation with clients, and perform follow-ups
assessing the quantity and quality of services provided.
Reference: http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/21-1021.00

5. Child, Family and School Social
Worker
Info cont. Median Wages
 Education required is
a bachelors degree in
social work
 Availability is
anywhere from 15%
to 21%
 Hourly-$20.25
 Annually-$42,120
Reference: http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/21-
1021.00

6. The Informational Interview
With “C”, a vocational rehabilitation worker
Questions Answers
 What is your job title?
 Do you have a set schedule
or are your hours flexible?
 What types of technology are
used and how are they used?
 What are the most satisfying
parts of your job?
 What are the greatest
pressures, strains or
anxieties that come with
your job?
 “I am a voc rehab case manager.”
 “For the most part it is a set schedule
because we are open when the rest of the
state offices are open, although if there
were a reason that I needed to change my
hours around a little I do have a little
freedom.”
 “The technology I use is computers, multi-
line phones, printers, scanners, copiers,
faxes, ttd phones for the hearing impaired
and so many other things that help people
with disabilities.”
 “The most rewarding part of my job is
helping people get through the tough times
in life.”
 “The greatest strain is doing it well and
staying within the budget all the time.”

7. Reflection
1. Before doing this assignment,
what did you know about the
types of jobs that existed in
the field of social work?
2. Has doing this project changed
your mind about the direction
you may take in the field of
human services generally or
social work more specifically?
If so, how? If not, how did this
project help solidify your
thinking about the direction
you may take in the field?
3. What challenges did you
encounter through the
completion of this project?
What went well? What would
you have done differently were
you to do this again? What
additional resources or
supports might be helpful in
the future?
1. Before doing this assignment I knew that there were
many jobs in the social work field such as: in
hospitals, schools, state agencies and even mental
health facilities that ranged from case management
to helping with little things.
2. Doing this project has not changes my mind about
working in the field. It has not even solidified this for
me. I always knew that this was what I wanted to
do due to life experience. What this project did do
for me was show me which parts of my degree could
potentially earn me more money in the long run.
3. The challenges I encountered were things such as
time management, and trying to determine which
websites to use. What went well was the interview.
If I were to do this again I would try to do each
section on the weeks that we had less reading
material, rather than each section on the last 4
weeks of class. In the future the only resource that
would be helpful would be another checkpoint on the
project. I felt lost after I got past the research part,
even though I think I ultimately managed to make it
through it.

8. Resources
 http://www.onetonline.org/
 http://labor.vermont.gov/
 http://www.dol.gov/
 Vocational Rehabilitation