Social workers assess, counsel and aid individuals and families with problems relating to finances, employment, food, clothing, child care, housing, or other human needs and conditions. The focus is on action to help people effect positive change in their lives. They refer clients to community resources, arrange care for special needs people, investigate home conditions, work with applicants to determine their need for public assistance, and place children in foster or adoptive homes, institutions or medical treatment centers. Hawaii Pacific University offers the degrees of Bachelor of Social Work (B.S.W.) and Master of Social Work (M.S.W.). Both are fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. (Adapted from material prepared by The University of Alabama Career Center)
Possible Areas of Specialization
- Child or adult protective services
- Health care
- Child welfare or family services
- Mental health
- Clinical (individual and family counseling) –MSW required
- Criminal justice
- Social agency administration
Possible Employment Settings
- Adoption agencies
- Nursing homes
- Businesses and Corporations
- Police departments
- Child welfare agencies
- Prisons/correctional facilities
- Community mental health centers
- Private practice
- Probation offices
- Courts
- Psychiatric hospitals
- Family service agencies
- Public welfare agencies
- Foster care organizations
- Schools/school districts; colleges and universities
- Labor unions
- Senior centers
- Hospitals and clinics
- State and federal legislatures
Online Resources
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Dept of Labor
- National Association of Social Workers
- Council on Social Work Education
Job Openings
St. Francis Healthcare Full-Time Social Worker position
Posted May 17, 2012
Hawai'i Pacific University
