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Casework specialist skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Amy Pearce Ph.D.,

Michelle Kelley Shuler Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical casework specialist skills. We ranked the top skills for casework specialists based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 46.5% of casework specialist resumes contained social work as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a casework specialist needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 casework specialist skills for your resume and career

2. Vulnerable Adults

Here's how casework specialists use vulnerable adults:

Performed investigations, protective services assessments and interventions pertaining to reports of abuse, exploitation and neglect of vulnerable adults.
Complete investigations within 72-hours of reports of abuse, neglect, and/or exploitation regarding incapacitated and vulnerable adults.

4. Protective Services

Protective services are services offered to vulnerable individuals or legal representatives to protect them against potential abuse, violence, or negligence. Protective services are offered to ensure that an individual's safety stays intact and they don't fall victim to crime or exploitation. Such services include, social casework, stated appointed witness protection, home care, legal assistance, day-care etc.

Here's how casework specialists use protective services:

Review records for Adult Protective Services and HEESU.
Abuse investigator with experience completing approximately 600 investigations and assessments based upon the regulations of the Pennsylvania Child Protective Services Law.

5. Child Abuse

When a child who is under 18 is mistreated by an adult, it is considered child abuse. There are many forms of intentional harm and mistreatment for example physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, medical abuse, and neglect in providing adequate basic life necessities.

Here's how casework specialists use child abuse:

Conduct risk and assessment for children involved in cases of alleged child abuse or neglect.
Assess and investigate suspected cases of child abuse and neglect.

6. Mental Health

Mental health is the state of wellbeing in which an individual can cope with the regular stresses and tensions of life, and can work productively without having any emotional or psychological breakdown. Mental health is essential for a person of any age and helps them make the right decisions in their life.

Here's how casework specialists use mental health:

Worked on Mental Health, family preservation, and SED cases.
Worked collaboratively with psychologists and mental health workers to develop treatment programs for victims and strategies for reunification of families.

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7. Crisis Intervention

Here's how casework specialists use crisis intervention:

Provided nonclinical crisis intervention services.
DART format PN Service Goals and Objectives and/or Crisis intervention and skills training for educational ARD and/or employment opportunity.

8. Financial Assistance

Financial assistance refers to governmental assistance one may receive for a variety of reasons. This help is typically in the form of money, whether a loan, scholarship, grant, or reduced taxes provided to an individual or organization. One of the more common forms of financial assistance is student loans, which offer many prospective students a chance for higher education.

Here's how casework specialists use financial assistance:

Determine eligibility for temporary financial assistance and develop plans to assist applicants and recipients in becoming self-sufficient.
Determined financial assistance through verbal communication by interviewing customers along with conducting Family Assessment Plans.

9. Court Reports

Here's how casework specialists use court reports:

Prepare and submit written court reports and recommendations and carry out the orders of the court.
Develop and submit court reports, case plans, and service plans.

10. Financial Aid

Financial aid refers to cash released to an educational institution to help a student pay the school fee. The issuance of financial aid, whether scholarships, grants, or loans, aims to make access to education affordable to all students irrespective of their backgrounds.

Here's how casework specialists use financial aid:

Provided financial aid to military members and their families on behalf of military aid societies
Provide emergency communication, casework, and financial aid to service men and women in the Armed Forces.

11. Foster Care

Here's how casework specialists use foster care:

Operated under Code of Maryland Regulations in application to foster care
Communicate with school authorities, medical professionals, attorneys, and therapist on the progress of the child/teenager in foster care.

12. Law Enforcement

Law enforcement is the task of certain members of the community who work together to uphold the law by identifying, preventing, rehabilitating, or prosecuting others who break society's laws and norms. The phrase refers to the police, the judiciary, and the correctional system.

Here's how casework specialists use law enforcement:

Worked with professionals, law enforcement, and attorney's regarding the safety and wellbeing of children.
Program in court hearings and other Law Enforcement agencies Monitor and update O.R.

13. Substance Abuse

Here's how casework specialists use substance abuse:

Communicated with other professional agencies in the community regarding therapy, substance abuse and other services ordered by the Courts.
Provided substance abuse counseling to families and monitored caseloads after completing intake assessments, screenings and enrolling families in treatment programs.

14. Risk Assessments

The process of analyzing and identifying the acts or events that have the potential to negatively affect an individual, asset, or business is called risk assessment. Risk assessments are important because they form an integral part of an organization as well as occupational safety plans

Here's how casework specialists use risk assessments:

Provided thorough and timely safety and risk assessments to families referred for child maltreatment allegations.
Implemented services identified by risk assessments completed during investigation phase to help families overcome social challenges.

15. Child Safety

Here's how casework specialists use child safety:

Responded to emergency situations on several occasions and immediately interviewed children and/or parents to assure child safety and nurturing placements.
Entered information gathered during investigations in Access in an effort to assess child safety and validity of allegations.

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What skills help Casework Specialists find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on casework specialist resumes?

Dr. Amy Pearce Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology, Arkansas State University

Typically, I recommend that all psychology majors gain research experience and communicate their findings via conference presentations, or peer-reviewed publications. Highlighting analytical and quantitative skills, plus software training is recommended. Graduates who know how to collect, enter, analyze, interpret, and report data will be desired. If a student plans to directly enter the workforce in a psychology-related field, then picking up courses to complete undergraduate certificate programs, such as neuropsychological testing or statistics, will be beneficial. As will be any internships or applicable job experiences.

What soft skills should all casework specialists possess?

Michelle Kelley Shuler Ph.D.

Department Chair: Human Services, Austin Community College

I would refer to this skill set as "essential" and consist of compassion, empathy, teamwork, the ability to listen, a sense of humor, and most importantly, the ability to practice self-care. I include self-care in this list because working in the human service field can be exhausting and emotionally overwhelming. Taking care of ourselves helps to prevent burnout and possibly leaving the profession.

What hard/technical skills are most important for casework specialists?

Michelle Kelley Shuler Ph.D.

Department Chair: Human Services, Austin Community College

a. Must have strong basic computer skills and knowledge of software such as excel spreadsheets, google docs, etc. Most, if not all, agencies use electronic health records and treatment planning, so it is necessary to be competent in this area.
b. A degree and additional certifications will assist you in seeking employment. It will also increase your level of competency and diversify the communities you serve. For example, at Austin Community College, we offer our students a chance to complete a certification in Mental Health First Aid Training. This increases their marketability and skill level.

What casework specialist skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Lynann “Annie” Butler

Chair and Professor, Metropolitan State University of Denver

Gap years are good opportunities to get a job in the field of interest. Having some professional experience helps people decide in what field, exactly, they want to earn a master's degree, or can help students to save money and focus their energies if returning to complete their bachelor's degree.

What type of skills will young casework specialists need?

M Elizabeth Bowman Ph.D.

Instructor, Gallaudet University

Social work graduates will need an ongoing understanding of cultural competence, explicitly incorporating a global perspective of the social work field and systems of oppression domestically and internationally. Students should be prepared by emphasizing cultural competency training within BSW and MSW programs, with exposure to varying cultures through the international school of social work partnerships. Additionally, social workers are expected to be aware of and competent in using technology, both for record-keeping and internal agency process, and for supporting case management (i.e., internet searches for resources, research for evidence-based practice, technology education, and support of clients).

What technical skills for a casework specialist stand out to employers?

Dr. Abby Templer Rodrigues Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Sociology, Missouri State University

Employers look for oral and written communication skills, the ability to work effectively in diverse teams, analytical and quantitative reasoning, and the ability to adapt to new technologies (Ciabattari et al. 2018). Employers specifically prefer college graduates who have experience applying these skills through internships, service learning, senior projects or collaborative research, field projects, or study abroad (Ciabattari et al. 2018).

References

Ciabattari Teresa, Lowney Kathleen S., Monson Renee A., Senter Mary Scheuer, and Chin
Jeffrey. 2018. "Linking Sociology Majors to Labor Market Success." Teaching Sociology 46 (3): 191-207.
Handwerker, Elizabeth Weber, Peter B. Meyer, and Joseph Piacentini. 2020. "Employment
Recovery in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic." Monthly Labor Review, December, 1-24.
Langin, Katie. 2020. "U.S. faculty job market tanks." Science 370(6514): 272-273.

Do you want to know more?

List of casework specialist skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a casework specialist resume and required skills for a casework specialist to have include:

Social Work
Vulnerable Adults
Social Services
Protective Services
Child Abuse
Mental Health
Crisis Intervention
Financial Assistance
Court Reports
Financial Aid
Foster Care
Law Enforcement

Substance Abuse
Risk Assessments
Child Safety
Child Protective
Medical Professionals
Court Orders
Emergency Messages
CPS
Independent Living
Court Hearings
Service Delivery
Management System

Community Agencies
Assess Client
Juvenile Court
Domestic Violence
Sexual Abuse
Administer Programs
Child Care
Discharge Planning
Court System
Comprehensive Assessments

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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