4212 – Social and community service workers

Social and community service workers administer and implement a variety of social assistance programs and community services, and assist clients to deal with personal and social problems. They are employed by social service and government agencies, mental health agencies, group homes, shelters, substance abuse centres, school boards, correctional facilities and other establishments.

Profile

Index of titles

Example titles

• Aboriginal centre co-ordinator
• Aboriginal outreach officer – social services
• Aboriginal outreach worker
• Addictions worker
• Addictions worker – compulsive gambling
• Case aide – social services
• Certified return-to-work co-ordinator – disability management
• Certified return-to-work facilitator – disability management
• Child and youth worker
• Child life specialist
• Child welfare worker
• Child-care worker (except day care)
• Community and social services worker
• Community centre co-ordinator
• Community centre worker
• Community counsellor – social services
• Community development worker
• Community liaison worker
• Community mental health worker
• Community organization worker
• Community rehabilitation worker
• Community service worker
• Community services officer – social services
• Community worker
• Crisis intervention worker
• Detention home worker
• Development service worker
• Developmental service worker
• Disability management worker
• Drop-in centre worker
• Drug addiction worker
• Eligibility co-ordinator – social assistance
• Eligibility co-ordinator – welfare
• Exceptional-child-care worker (except day care)
• Family service worker
• Financial assistance officer – social assistance
• Financial assistance worker – social services
• Group home operator
• Group home worker
• Halfway house supervisor
• Halfway house worker
• Help centre supervisor – social services
• Hostel co-ordinator
• Hostel outreach worker
• Income maintenance officer – social services
• Independent living instructor
• Intellectual disabilities worker
• Itinerant support service worker
• Life skills coach
• Life skills instructor
• Meals-on-wheels worker
• Mental health proctor
• Mental health support worker
• Mental health worker
• Native centre co-ordinator
• Native community worker
• Native outreach officer – social services
• Native outreach worker
• Neighbourhood worker – social services
• Peer support worker
• Personal skills development instructor – social services
• Psychological assistant
• Registered social service worker
• Rehabilitation officer – social services
• Rehabilitation service worker
• Rehabilitation worker – social services
• Residence co-ordinator – group home
• Residential counsellor – group home
• Return-to-work co-ordinator – disability management
• Return-to-work facilitator – disability management
• Settlement worker – community services
• Shelter supervisor – social services
• Shelter workshop supervisor
• Social aid officer
• Social animator
• Social assistance officer
• Social rehabilitation officer
• Social rehabilitation technician
• Social rehabilitation worker
• Social services assistant
• Social services volunteer co-ordinator
• Social services worker
• Social welfare officer
• Special education technician – social and community services
• Street outreach worker
• Streetworker – social services
• Substance abuse worker
• Supervised access worker
• Transition home worker – social services
• Transition house worker – social services
• Veteran services officer
• Veterans’ affairs field officer
• Welfare and compensation officer
• Welfare organization supervisor
• Welfare worker
• Women’s centre co-ordinator – social services
• Women’s centre program supervisor – social services
• Women’s centre supervisor – social services
• Women’s shelter supervisor
• Women’s shelter supervisor – social services
• Youth development co-ordinator
• Youth hostel co-ordinator
• Youth services worker
• Youth worker
• Youth worker – social services

Main duties

This group performs some or all of the following duties:

• Review client background information, interview clients to obtain case history and prepare intake reports
• Assess clients’ relevant skill strengths and needs
• Assist clients to sort out options and develop plans of action while providing necessary support and assistance
• Assess and investigate eligibility for social benefits
• Refer clients to other social services or assist clients in locating and utilizing community resources including legal, medical and financial assistance, housing, employment, transportation, day care and other services
• Counsel clients living in group homes and halfway houses, supervise their activities and assist in pre-release and release planning
• Participate in the selection and admission of clients to appropriate programs
• Implement life skills workshops, substance abuse treatment programs, behaviour management programs, youth services programs and other community and social service programs under the supervision of social services or health care professionals
• Meet with clients to assess their progress, give support and discuss any difficulties or problems
• Assist in evaluating the effectiveness of treatment programs by tracking clients’ behavioural changes and responses to interventions
• Advise and aid recipients of social assistance and pensions
• Provide crisis intervention and emergency shelter services
• Implement and organize the delivery of specific services within the community
• Maintain contact with other social service agencies and health care providers involved with clients to provide information and obtain feedback on clients’ overall progress
• Co-ordinate the volunteer activities of human service agencies, health care facilities and arts and sports organizations
• May maintain program statistics for purposes of evaluation and research
• May supervise social service support workers and volunteers.

Employment requirements

• Completion of a college or university program in social work, child and youth care, psychology or other social science or health-related discipline is usually required.
• Previous work experience in a social service environment as a volunteer or in a support capacity may replace formal education requirements for some occupations in this unit group.
• Social service workers may be required to be a member of a provincial regulatory body in some provinces.

Additional information

• Progression to professional occupations in social services, such as family and marriage counsellors, social workers, and probation and parole officers, is possible with additional training and experience.

Exclusions

• Activities leaders – seniors (in 5254 Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport and fitness)
• Educational counsellors (4033)
• Family, marriage and other related counsellors (4153)
• Instructors of persons with disabilities (4215)
• Managers in social, community and correctional services (0423)
• Social workers (4152)