On any given day you can turn on your T.V to the news or to an episode of Law &
Order:Special Victims Unit and see a negative light on social workers. These people are seen to be
horrible people who wake up in the morning and think “hmm. Whose family can I tear apart today?”
which is absolutely false.Society has this idea that social workers are the people who enjoy taking
children away from their families and that’s all they do.
By definition the social work profession promotes social change,problem solving in human
relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance wellbeing.(http://ifsw.org) Now
to me that doesn't sound like someone who enjoys “tearing families apart.” So then what exactly do they
do? Well there’s dozens of jobs you can hold with a degree in Social Work. A few examples can be
working to help people fight against substance abuse,work in child protective services,you could work
in a hospital,in schools and even in federal government agencies. So as you can see this is a very
“intense” job,as some would say.They work with victims of abuse, rape, human trafficking, people who
have been homeless,etc.
One common misconception about social workers is that they all remove children from families.
This is false. There is one specific job under the umbrella of social work which involves a
caseworker.Their job is to remove a child from their home if there is any suspicion that the child is in
danger.These workers have the most negative reputation and these are the ones that you typically see
on the T.V screen.Caseworks are assigned various cases in which they deal with individuals or families
in crisis.They’re looked down upon because they take children away and put them in an alternative
home such as foster care or another family member’s custody. The major point that people miss is that
they do it for the well being of the child. If a child is getting beaten at home and has obvious signs of
malnutrition would it be best for the child stay at their “home?” As a caseworker your job is just like any
other social worker, to ensure safety of others and improve to the quality of life.
As you can see it’s easy for your emotions to get in the way of the job at hand which can
sometimes be a problem if someone isn’t careful. Not very many people want to work with addicts or
the mentally ill.This is why there are certain ethics involved.The National Association of Social
Workers(NASW) compiled a list of things every social worker should follow on a daily basis to ensure
that every worker lives up to these standards and doesn’t cross a certain line. Some of the topics
discussed in the book are confidentiality,discrimination,respect,competence and training. On
competence the Code of Ethics states the following:
“Social workers should strive to become and remain proficient in professional practice and the
performance of professional functions. Social workers should critically examine and keep current with
emerging knowledge relevant to social work. Social workers should routinely review the professional
literature and participate in continuing education relevant to social work practice and social work.”
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The College of Social Work (or CSW) here at Florida State University states that it is their
mission statement to "prepare professional social workers to enhance human wellbeing and help meet
the basic needs of diverse populations with particular attention to the empowerment of people who are
vulnerable,oppressed or living in poverty.”
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In order to be a licensed social worker in the state of Florida there are certain classes such as
Introduction to Social Work Research, Social Justice and Diversity, and Human Behavior in the Social
Environment. There are also tests that you must pass like the ASWB (Association of Social Workers
Board) .FSU ensures that every person who is in the process of being a social worker has met all the
1
http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp
2
http://csw.fsu.edu/aboutcsw/overview/
necessary requirements.FSU offers bachelor's (BSW), Masters (MSW) and even doctoral degrees
(Ph.D). Florida State was actually the first in the world to offer a MSW through an accredited online
program. The CSW is also accredited by the Council of Social Work Education (CSWE)
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Aside from taking the tests and passing the classes there are other essential skills that you need
in order to be a social worker. You have to be a good listener,attentive,caring,compassionate,patient
and rational. If I had witnessed a terrible car accident which left me traumatized for months and I
decided to see a social worker I wouldn’t want someone to just sit there on their phone or to tell me
that I’m “overreacting.” When you meet with an individual you have to be able to work through their
problems,not try to completely dismiss them. There’s a huge difference. Talking through problems is the
key to recovery for relatively anything. So if you talk more than you listen there’s going to be a problem.
In order for a victim to feel comfortable they must first feel like someone actually cares about what they
are saying,this is where compassion and attentiveness comes in. If we’re having a conversation and the
person who I’m talking to is just replying with “mhm and yeah” responses it’s going to make them feel
like they’re not being about. If the person is engaged in conversation and is showing compassion there’s
a greater chance that the victim will feel better.
While in the process of obtaining a degree in social work many people volunteer and do
internships,some of which are paid and some are not.Working in an environment that gives a person
hands on experience in the field which will increase their chances of getting a job.The Department of
Children and Families (DCF) is a great place to start. Surrounding yourself by people in the field who
have a similar passion for helping others is a great way to make connections and get experience. Their
mission statement claims to
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http://csw.fsu.edu/aboutcsw/overview/
“Protect the Vulnerable,Promote strong and economically selfsufficient families, and advance person
and family recovery resiliency.”
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FSU’s CSW field education works closely with DCF,specifically with their child protection
investigation services. Students who are interested must already have their BSW. Students who are
participating will participate in supportive counseling,written work and case management.They may also
have the chance to do home visits. Assignments will vary depending on the students skill level.
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Social Workers dedicate countless hours of their lives to help people who they have never seen
and people who they may never see again.They do all of this out of the goodness of their heart. When
most people look for a job they choose one based on the amount of pay. For those who are in the field
know that you can’t put a price on helping others.
Speaking of money, according to U.S News the average annual salary for a social worker is
$45,300. Now let’s compare that to a more common job such as a physical therapist. Their average
annual salary is $81,110. That’s a $35,800 difference.According to another article written by U.S
News, “100 Best Jobs of 2014” a child and family social worker was ranked #58 and was said to have
high levels of stress. On the Top 100 list, a physical therapist was ranked #7 and was said to have
below average levels of stress .So why would someone want a job that involves low pay and high stress
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levels? A paycheck is always nice but it isn’t always about the amount of zeros you see,sometimes its
about the number of lives you impact.
The compassion for others wellbeing doesn't just stop in their hometown or state or even
country.A lot of people in this field believe in global awareness and helping any and everyone that they
can.This means traveling. Here at FSU the social work program also has study abroad opportunities.
4
http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/admin/publications/policies/p0601.pdf
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.(http://csw.fsu.edu/fieldsettings/dcfchildprotectiveinvestigativeservices/
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http://money.usnews.com/careers/bestjobs/rankings/the100bestjobs?int=d97792
Students may have the chance to study abroad in various locations across the globe such as
Vietnam,Prague,Valencia,South Africa, London and many more.There they will learn about international
social work and social welfare and other areas of the field. What’s so attractive about their international
program is that it gives its participants the chance to explore areas of the world with the most at risk
individuals and gives them hands on experience.
“Social welfare,social justice, and human rights take many forms worldwide. The FSU College
of Social Work actively engages in building an understanding of our place in the global community and
learning how we can respond to those in need.”
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Every year the CSWE presents one social work program from around the country to receive
the Partners in Advancing International Education award. This award was presented to Florida State
University two years in a row.
It wasn’t until two years ago that I decided that I wanted to be a social worker. At first I was a
part of that group of society who believed in the negative image that the media portrays social workers
to be. I’ve never been athletic and I wasn’t born with a voice like Beyonce and I am definitely not good
at math or science so I was lost. I knew I liked to help people and people always came to me with their
problems. In school whenever we had an activity where we had to describe our classmates I always got
things like good listener,helpful,kind and patient.It’s just something that’s inside of me that lives to help
people. After doing some research I came across what social workers actually do and what they stand
for and from that moment I knew that this was my calling.I plan on getting my MSW and either
becoming a caseworker,guidance counselor or work in child protective services.
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http://csw.fsu.edu/academics/internationalprograms/studyabroad/
As you can see social workers aren’t the monsters that the media portrays them to be.They
spend their lives trying to better the lives of others.Whenever I would tell people that I wanted to be a
social worker they would give me a repulsive look. If they truly knew what it meant to have a degree in
Social Work then they would see that it’s the bests job in the world. All the negative stereotypes
around their profession is ridiculous.In my eyes the people who work in this field have the some of the
hardest jobs in the world and they don’t get enough recognition for their deeds. Social workers are the
voice of the people who need it the most.