Role of Social Worker

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Role of Social Worker


While working with individual, group, community and organization, a social worker needs various skills and knowledge to play multifaceted roles in relation to specific situation and condition. Some of the major roles are;
Leader
A social worker needs to play a role of leader at several instances. Therefore he/she needs to know about leadership skills including envisioning, planning, speaking, coordinating and controlling. Knowledge of leadership style like democratic leadership style or laissez-faire leadership style helps a social worker while leading a group, organization or community.




Role and Skills Needed for Social Worker
While working individual, group and community, a social worker needs to play various roles and he/she needs different knowledge. Following are the roles and activities outlined by Federico While describing skills needed for social worker (as cited in Zastrow 2000 p. 105):
1.      Outreach Worker
Reaching out into the community to identify needs and follow up referrals to service contexts.
2.      Broker
Knowing services available and making sure those in need reach the appropriate services.
3.      Advocate
Helping specific clients obtain services whey they might help to expand services to cover more needy persons.
4.      Evaluation
Evaluating needs and resources, generating alternative for meeting needs, and making decisions between alternatives.
5.      Teacher
Teaching facts and skills.
6.      Mobilizer
Helping to develop new services
7.      Behavior Changer
Changing specific part of a client’s behavior.
8.      Consultant
Working with other professionals to help them for a more effective in providing services.
9.      Community Planner
Helping community groups plan effectively for the community’s social welfare needs.
10.  Care Giver
Providing supportive services to those who cannot fully solve their problems and meet their own needs.
11.  Data Manager
Collecting and analyzing data for decision making purposes.
12.  Administrator

Performing the activities necessary to plan and implement a program of services. 

Source: Zastrow, C.(2000).Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare (7th ed). US: Wadsworth Publishing Company. 

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