Social workers?

Question

I have a couple of questions for social workers or anyone that knows the answers:
1. What sort of training do staff members need in order to work at a social agency (for example, a shelter for abused women or abused children) ?
2. What might prevent your agency from reaching its goals?
3. What made you want to become a social worker?
4. Do you get emotionally attached to the people you srve?
5. How long have you been a social worker?
6. Are there ever times you feel like quitting?
Thank you!

Answer 1

1. What sort of training do staff members need in order to work at a social agency (for example, a shelter for abused women or abused children) ? I preferred ongoing training and seminars. I don't feel masters are necessary and sometimes I felt like people used them to brag about how intelligent they were, but when it came down to the nitty gritty they weren't great social workers.

Add on: If you are thinking of working in social work, you would need a bachelors or an associates with related experience and volunteerism and a sincere desire to help. Bachelors is good. Masters is easiest, but is it worth it? The income for social work is not good. If you are going into a field of work, try marketing. Most social workers would be good at marketing. gl.


2. What might prevent your agency from reaching its goals? Non-cooperation between co-workers. Nasty hostile work environments. I worked at 5 agencies in all and noticed it every single time. I had to focus on my work to distract myself from the office, which I found more stressful than the people I was helping.


3. What made you want to become a social worker? I wanted to help people, but also it was the only job in the rural area in which I lived that had a nice title of respect as well as better satisfaction. It paid the same however.


4. Do you get emotionally attached to the people you srve? No.


5. How long have you been a social worker? I was a social worker for 7 years, not anymore.


6. Are there ever times you feel like quitting? Eventually I did. I found the work environment too hostile. I also was not paid well.

Answer 2

Graduating from an accredited program helps you with this because you are required to do an internship with an agency. Hopefully you choose an agency you would be interested in.

Honestly, It's a host of things. The government cutting funding for social programs, incompetent supervisor that loose focus with the basic goal and principles that the agency was founded upon. Next is overworked, underpaid, stressed out, poorly trained and frustrated workers. This will lead to a high rate of turnover in an agency.

One of the only jobs that is recession proof and like a diamond it has many facets to keep you from getting frustrated with the profession.

You can't not do any job that serves people and not get attached, I call it the "stray puppy syndrome." You see a kid that is living in a bad situation and it makes you want to adopt that kid and take him or her home. You can really tell how long a person will last in this profession by their attitude and the way they carry themselves.

Too Long
between 3-10 years

If you are in this profession you will always think about quitting. The emotional aspect of the job is very difficult, that is where you really learn how much you significant other really loves you, because you will put them through pure hell with your mood swings and for the record if you serve a certain population long enough you will start to exhibit some of their habits.