Some important information about social worker

 About social worker

Social work is a rewarding career for those who are interested in working with people and wish to address social and community issues. Many people think that social work simply involves working with NGOs as a part-time job/activity. But in reality, social workers work with individual, communities, and families and deal with social issues such as unemployment, education, and poverty. Social workers contribute to the society by working for the upliftment of poor people, by working with children with special needs and promoting women empowerment.

Why Choose the Social Work Profession?

The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet basic and complex needs of all people, with a particular focus on those who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. If you’re looking for a career with meaning, action, diversity, satisfaction, and a variety of options, consider social work.

Social work is different from other professions, because we focus both on the person and their environment. Social workers deal with the external factors that impact a person's situation and outlook. 

What Do Social Workers Do?

Social workers help relieve people's suffering, fight for social justice, and improve lives and communities. Most people think of social workers when they think of poverty alleviation and child welfare.

Eligibility to become Social Worker

• For B.S.W / B.A (SW) programme: Candidates should have completed their class 12 in any discipline from a recognised board.

• For M.S.W / M.A (SW) programme: Candidates should have completed their graduation in any stream from a recognised university/ institute but graduates with social sciences or sociology are given more preference.

  • Candidates who have completed their M.Phil can also apply for the M.S.W programme.

• Candidates having M.Phil or M.S.W degree can pursue a Ph.D/doctorate in social work.

• Candidates are also required to qualify entrance exams such as TISSNET, AMU Entrance Test, JMI Entrance test , DUET etc. to take admission into Master's programme.

Types of Job Roles Social Worker

• Welfare Officer:

• Social Scientist: A social scientist is responsible for creating a relationship between society and human behaviour.

• Medical Social Worker: A medical social worker provides the necessary psychosocial support to help patients deal with terminal illnesses or conditions.

• Community Development Officer: The role of a community development officer is linked to urban planning, housing needs and evaluation of revival projects within a city or community.

• Probation Officer: The role of a probation officer is to arrange rehabilitation services, supervise the criminals and arrange job training.

• Rural Development Officer: The rural development officer is responsible for promoting integrated rural development and social upliftment with the aim of improving the standard of living of agricultural workers.

Top Recruiting Companies/NGOs for Social Workers

• Smile Foundation   

• Amnesty International

• UNICEF

• Green Peace

• Oxfam

• Helpage India

• CARE India

• Circle of Animal Lovers

• Human Rights Agencies

• Disaster Management Departments

• Old Age Homes

Pay Scale/Salary of Social Worker

Job Profile	Starting Salary per annum (in INR)	Mid Level Salary per annum (in INR)	Senior Level Salary per annum (INR)
Social Worker	120,159	244,245	609,967
Development Officer	178,547	384,932	722,404
Probation Officer	191,446	383,279	699,364
Medical Social Worker	121,356	234,220	510,000

Some challenges to become a social worker

• Working with different kind of people. 

• Unpredictable schedule. 

• Society is transforming. 

• Case loads are down but workloads are not.