What does a social worker assistant do?
A social worker assistant is in charge of performing support tasks for social workers in the joint effort to assist disadvantaged families in communities. Their responsibilities include preparing and processing documentation, managing schedules, arranging appointments with clients and external parties, handling calls and correspondence, maintaining records, and running errands on behalf of staff. Furthermore, a social worker assistant may reach out to families to identify their needs, conduct interviews and assessments, facilitate activities, and monitor the progress of families or individuals, referring them to other agencies as needed.
Social worker assistant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real social worker assistant resumes:
- Manage the clinic's Medicaid enrollment process and assist clients with their application process under proper guidance.
- Assist patients in coping with their lifestyle changes and overall help patients achieve optimum independence and reduce re-hospitalizations.
- Case manage in-district and out-of-district students with emotional disabilities, autism, other health impair and physical disabilities.
- Refer patients and their families to relevant community resources and coordinate with social services at other community agencies.
- Maintain accurate records to comply with ESRD and CMS regulations.
- Participate in monthly interdisciplinary team meetings regarding patient care.
- Coordinate patient Medicare and/or Medicaid assistance entitlements and all appropriate documents.
- Assist MSW with client medication monitoring.
- Recruit and interview second year MSW students for placement.
- Provide all clients/families with information regarding the expectations and goals of DHS.
- Apply hand or foot brakes and move levers to lock hoists or winches.
- Maintain compliance with HIPAA, CMS, and DaVita's policies and procedures.
- Clean and prepare sites of excavations, erect scaffolding, clean up hazardous waste materials from site.
- Maintain records in accordance with facility policy and ESRD regulations, including the completion of progress notes, at least quarterly.
- Facilitate transplant referral process in collaboration with patient, their families and the interdisciplinary team.
Social worker assistant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 22% of Social Workers Assistant are proficient in Social Work, Patients, and Public Assistance. They’re also known for soft skills such as Compassion, Time-management skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Social Workers Assistant that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Social Work, 22%
Developed and updated a Social Work Resource Directory by utilizing telephone and Email correspondence to contact Social Service providers throughout Arkansas.
- Patients, 14%
Answered questions for several departments at the hospital regarding the Medicaid program and patients eligibility status.
- Public Assistance, 11%
Ensured that each person/family that applied for public assistance received the type and level of assistance that they were eligible for.
- Community Resources, 5%
Connected patient/families to community resources including appropriate MLTC in the community and provided assistance with entitlements such as Medicaid.
- Mental Health, 5%
Attended Provide appropriately referrals to Mental Health professionals and Medical professionals e.g.
- Social Services, 5%
Prepared monthly statistical service reports, semi-annual narrative reports as are necessary for specific activities in the social services.
Most social workers assistant use their skills in "social work," "patients," and "public assistance" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential social worker assistant responsibilities here:
Compassion. One of the key soft skills for a social worker assistant to have is compassion. You can see how this relates to what social workers assistant do because "social and human service assistants often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations." Additionally, a social worker assistant resume shows how social workers assistant use compassion: "show compassion and empathy to an ethnically diverse population. "
Time-management skills. Many social worker assistant duties rely on time-management skills. "social and human service assistants often work with many clients," so a social worker assistant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways social worker assistant responsibilities rely on time-management skills: "assist faculty, students, and general public by providing information about the school of social work events and deadlines. "
Communication skills. social workers assistant are also known for communication skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to social worker assistant responsibilities, because "social and human service assistants talk with clients about the challenges in their lives and assist them in getting help." A social worker assistant resume example shows how communication skills is used in the workplace: "discharge planning activities are integrated and coordinated within the faculty by effective communication at all levels. "
Interpersonal skills. A big part of what social workers assistant do relies on "interpersonal skills." You can see how essential it is to social worker assistant responsibilities because "social and human service assistants must make their clients feel comfortable discussing sensitive issues." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical social worker assistant tasks: "provide individual and group counseling sessions to address interpersonal or family issues that interfere with school performance, including crisis intervention. "
Organizational skills. A commonly-found skill in social worker assistant job descriptions, "organizational skills" is essential to what social workers assistant do. Social worker assistant responsibilities rely on this skill because "social and human service assistants must often complete lots of paperwork and work with many different clients." You can also see how social worker assistant duties rely on organizational skills in this resume example: "managed facebook, instagram and twitter accounts * researched and developed social media campaigns around key artists and organizational ideals. "
Problem-solving skills. While "problem-solving skills" is last on this skills list, don't underestimate its importance to social worker assistant responsibilities. Much of what a social worker assistant does relies on this skill, seeing as "social and human service assistants help clients find solutions to their problems." Here is a resume example of how this skill is used in the everyday duties of social workers assistant: "provided individual therapy & group therapy provided behavior support & intervention provided crisis intervention & conflict resolution participated in multi-disciplinary team meetings"
The three companies that hire the most social worker assistants are:
- State Bar of Michigan41 social workers assistant jobs
- Liberty University
10 social workers assistant jobs
- Watermark Retirement Communities5 social workers assistant jobs
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Compare different social workers assistant
Social worker assistant vs. Family support worker
A family service worker is a social service agent who assesses the needs of family and promotes wellbeing, social justice, and human rights through governmental and social service agencies. Family service workers offer services that can include counseling and mediation to families that will help them navigate the protocols of the social system. They act as liaisons between families facing problems and different government organizations. Family service workers also ensure that families in need are getting the benefits they are entitled to, as well as help them access various community resources.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a social worker assistant are more likely to require skills like "patients," "social services," "dhs," and "patient care." On the other hand, a job as a family support worker requires skills like "foster care," "family support," "family services," and "behavior management." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Family support workers really shine in the government industry with an average salary of $40,316. Comparatively, social workers assistant tend to make the most money in the finance industry with an average salary of $49,756.The education levels that family support workers earn slightly differ from social workers assistant. In particular, family support workers are 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a social worker assistant. Additionally, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Social worker assistant vs. Outreach worker
An outreach worker is responsible for supporting community events and relief efforts to assist citizens with their needs, providing them resources, and facilitating lifestyle programs. Outreach workers coordinate with participants, suppliers, and sponsors for funding and promotions. They also manage the budgeting and allocation of resources for the programs, ensuring that the activities adhere to the state regulations and community benefits. An outreach worker must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in writing progress reports and transactions.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real social worker assistant resumes. While social worker assistant responsibilities can utilize skills like "public assistance," "social services," "dhs," and "patient care," outreach workers use skills like "autism," "outreach services," "community outreach," and "referral services."
Outreach workers may earn a higher salary than social workers assistant, but outreach workers earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $53,625. On the other hand, social workers assistant receive higher pay in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $49,756.outreach workers earn similar levels of education than social workers assistant in general. They're 1.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for social worker assistants in the next 3-5 years?
Virginia Schwindt
MSW Field Director/Associate Professor, Union University
Social worker assistant vs. Case worker
Caseworkers are social workers who watch over the welfare of underprivileged individuals and at-risk families by counseling and providing them with assistance. Usually employed under the government or a local non-profit organization, a caseworker must conduct a thorough interview and house visits to determine the needs of the family. They then refer them to any programs or agencies that can give them the specific care and help needed. Furthermore, it is crucial to identify neglect and abuse signs, reporting them to the authorities right away.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a social worker assistant is likely to be skilled in "social services," "patient care," "discharge planning," and "financial assistance programs," while a typical case worker is skilled in "customer service," "foster care," "intake assessments," and "medicaid."
Case workers earn the best pay in the education industry, where they command an average salary of $40,730. Social workers assistant earn the highest pay from the finance industry, with an average salary of $49,756.When it comes to education, case workers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to social workers assistant. In fact, they're 0.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Social worker assistant vs. Service worker
A service worker is responsible for assisting the community welfare development by providing social services to an organization or specific individual groups, supporting their needs, and addressing their community concerns. Service workers also offer counseling services to their clients to guide them on how they manage their life crises, developing community activities and job opportunities to help citizens with their financial needs by consulting local organizations. A service worker must have strong leadership and communication skills, as well as deep engagement with the community to assess the client's situation properly.
Types of social worker assistant
Updated January 8, 2025
