Careers in Justice > Social Worker
Profession at a Glance
Do you find yourself wanting to help people in difficult situations? Ever thought about becoming a social worker?
Social workers help individuals and families experiencing difficulties linked to poverty, domestic violence, drug or alcohol abuse, youth crime, etc. Sometimes their clients also have legal problems and the social worker helps them to deal with emotional issues related to their case. Social workers also get called on occasion to give expert opinions in court. A social worker called to appear in court explains to the judge and lawyers what they know about a person’s mental and emotional state.
To learn more about a social worker’s work, click through the tabs above.
Social workers help individuals and families experiencing difficulties linked to poverty, domestic violence, drug or alcohol abuse, youth crime, etc. Sometimes their clients also have legal problems and the social worker helps them to deal with emotional issues related to their case. Social workers also get called on occasion to give expert opinions in court. A social worker called to appear in court explains to the judge and lawyers what they know about a person’s mental and emotional state.
To learn more about a social worker’s work, click through the tabs above.
Job Description
A social worker’s tasks are divided into 4 main areas: counselling, investigation and expert testimony, community program development and family mediation.
Social workers work in hospitals, schools, community centres, shelters, workplaces, courthouses, and detention centres, among other places. Social workers sometimes work in teams with doctors, teachers, lawyers, and psychologists, etc., to help people dealing with emotional conflicts or difficulties.
Counselling
Social workers often set up one-on-one or group sessions with clients to hear about the difficulties their clients are facing. During these sessions they “counsel” or give advice to their clients on how to deal with what is happening in their lives. One of the social worker’s goals is to help clients develop the skills necessary so that they can solve their problems themselves.
For example, Mark, the social worker at the local CLSC, has set up counselling sessions to help Maria and her parents. Maria has been hanging out with a street gang and skips almost all of her classes. She even tried to run away last month (although she came home pretty quickly when she realized she didn’t even have enough money to pay for a meal at the local fast food restaurant). Maria and her parents are getting family counselling so they can speak about what is going on and try and find a way to move past this turn of events.
For example, Mark, the social worker at the local CLSC, has set up counselling sessions to help Maria and her parents. Maria has been hanging out with a street gang and skips almost all of her classes. She even tried to run away last month (although she came home pretty quickly when she realized she didn’t even have enough money to pay for a meal at the local fast food restaurant). Maria and her parents are getting family counselling so they can speak about what is going on and try and find a way to move past this turn of events.
Investigation and Expert Testimony
A part of a social worker’s job is to investigate reports about people who are being mistreated or are in danger. If a report comes in, a social worker looks into what is happening and may report it to the police, or appear in court to describe the details. It is important for social workers to be very careful when documenting their observations, since decisions about an individual or family could be based on what they report. For this reason, they must make sure they consider the different issues at play in the cases they investigate.
Community Program Development
While some social workers prefer working directly with clients, others like doing research and developing programs.
Social workers who develop programs search for long term, effective solutions to problems. For example, they might design activities for a youth centre to inform young people about the consequences of drug use. A social worker might also create a program to improve conditions for teen mothers in difficult situations.
Social workers who develop programs search for long term, effective solutions to problems. For example, they might design activities for a youth centre to inform young people about the consequences of drug use. A social worker might also create a program to improve conditions for teen mothers in difficult situations.
Family Mediation
Where do social workers work?
As you can imagine, when a couple separates, the situation can be tense and emotional, and sometimes the people involved have difficulty communicating with each other. A social worker is one of several professionals who can act as a family mediator. The mediator’s role is to help couples reach a compromise that considers the needs of each person and the best interests of their children.
Social workers work in hospitals, schools, community centres, shelters, workplaces, courthouses, and detention centres, among other places. Social workers sometimes work in teams with doctors, teachers, lawyers, and psychologists, etc., to help people dealing with emotional conflicts or difficulties.
Training
To become a social worker you must first complete a university degree in social work or social services, and then become a member of the professional order of social workers of Quebec, called l’Ordre professionnel des travailleurs sociaux du Québec. A list of universities that offer these programs is available on the website of the Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work.
Some people might opt to do a college diploma (a DEC) in Social Service in CÉGEP. With a DEC you can perform tasks similar to what a social worker does, but you cannot be considered a “social worker” unless you have a university degree and are a member of the professional order of social workers. A list of professional training centres and other institutions that offer this specialty in English is available on the Inforoute FPT website.
If you are interested in becoming an expert witness or creating and administering programs, it is important to complete a master’s degree in social work.
To learn more about the job prospects (salary, rate of growth in the profession, etc.) of social workers, take a look at the Job Futures website.
Useful High School Courses:
The following courses could help you prepare for a future as a social worker:
Speak to your guidance counsellor to see if there are other courses offered at your school that could prepare for this career.
Some people might opt to do a college diploma (a DEC) in Social Service in CÉGEP. With a DEC you can perform tasks similar to what a social worker does, but you cannot be considered a “social worker” unless you have a university degree and are a member of the professional order of social workers. A list of professional training centres and other institutions that offer this specialty in English is available on the Inforoute FPT website.
If you are interested in becoming an expert witness or creating and administering programs, it is important to complete a master’s degree in social work.
To learn more about the job prospects (salary, rate of growth in the profession, etc.) of social workers, take a look at the Job Futures website.
Useful High School Courses:
The following courses could help you prepare for a future as a social worker:
- English Language Arts
- French as a Second Language
- History and Citizenship Education
- Ethics and Religious Culture
Speak to your guidance counsellor to see if there are other courses offered at your school that could prepare for this career.
Are you right for the job?
Thinking of a career as a social worker? Check out this list of skills and learn how to develop them.
Ability to Interact with Others
A social worker must be able to go to unfamiliar places and quickly earn the trust of those they are working with. This is why a strong ability to meet and work with new people is required.You have what you need to succeed if:
- You know how to make friends easily.
- You adapt quickly to people from different cultures, backgrounds and ages.
- You can negotiate with friends to solve problems.
To develop these skills, you can:
- Register in an extra-curricular activity where you don’t know anyone else.
- Become a youth mediator to help other kids in your school resolve their differences.
- Get in the habit of introducing yourself first to people you don’t know and start conversations with them.
Analytical Skills
As you have already seen, a social worker creates programs to help people get out of difficult situations. A social worker must have excellent analytical skills to be able to consider all possible solutions to problems and then come up with programs that will work.You have what you need to succeed if:
- You often guess the ending to a suspense movie or crime novel.
- You find it easy to understand new material at school.
- You are curious and like to work on complex problems, such as Sudoku.
To develop these skills, you can:
- Read interesting books and tell your friends about them in your own words.
- Watch informative TV shows and documentaries on a variety of subjects, such as politics, technology or sciences.
- Play games that require logic and strategy, such as chess, checkers or Risk.
Listening skills
Social workers must be excellent communicators and listeners. They must be able to pay close attention to what their clients are saying and be able to explain potential solutions in a simple and clear manner.You have what you need to succeed if:
- You attentively listen to your friend’s private stories (and don’t share them with others).
- You listen to, but never interrupt, conversations between friends.
- You can easily remember the details of a story someone has told you.
To develop these skills, you can:
- Learn how to become an active listener (use techniques that help you remember what people tell you).
- Become a member of a support group to show that you can handle confidential information.
- Make a habit of mentally repeating key words when studying for exams.
Neutrality
Social workers need to be able to look at the facts without taking sides. So, for example, even though a social worker might be personally convinced that mothers make better parents than fathers, she cannot let this belief affect the way she determines whether a woman’s children are being mistreated by their father in a certain case.You have what you need to succeed if:
- You are fair-minded during an argument between two people, even if your best friend is involved.
- You help people resolve conflicts without being controlled by your emotions.
- You can find solutions to issues involving your parents and your teachers.
To develop these skills, you can:
- Put yourself in the shoes of someone who does not share your opinions.
- Play the role of a mediator during a heated discussion between your friends and reconcile their points of view.
- Before giving your opinion on a topic that you don’t know much about, learn more about it so you can weigh the pros and cons.
Did you know?
- In 1920, McGill University was the first in Canada to open a Faculty of Social Work under the name Montreal School of Social Work.
- The professional order of social workers of Quebec (l’Ordre professionnel des travailleurs sociaux du Québec) was created in 1960.
- Social workers are one of only a few groups of professionals that can work as family mediators, especially in cases of separation and divorce.