Five Important Attributes of a Family and Child Social Worker

Traits of Child and Family Social Workers

Creativity
Flexibility
Resilient
Commitment
Sympathy

The top five attributes of family and child social workers refer to the traits and characteristics they have that they use when working clients. Client is the preferred term that social workers use. The traits help them when it comes to working with victims of domestic abuse and other types of abuse. Students who want to work as family social workers should make sure that they have all these traits.

Creativity

Creativity is an attribute that many successful family and child social workers share in common. They need to know how to think about issues and topics in a creative way and come up with solutions that others would not. When dealing with a victim of abuse, a social worker might look for shelters that will take in a woman and her children as well as her pets. Creativity also applies to situations regarding small children who may not want to talk about their experiences. Social workers can use unique methods to get those kids to open up.

Flexibility

The best social workers are those who are flexible and can change as times and situations change. Social workers don’t always work in the same office day after day or with the same clients every day. They often head into the field and work with clients in their homes and in schools and other settings. Social workers who help kids and families must be flexible and capable of supporting them in different ways. They also need to be flexible with their schedules because they may need to work with clients outside of set office hours.

Resilient

Resilient people know how to bounce back and combat stress. They can handle most situations without breaking down and know how to take time for their thoughts and feelings. One attribute that family and child social workers share is that they are all resilient. They often learn coping mechanisms in college or graduate school that helps them cope with stressful situations at work. These social workers should also be resilient when it comes to the rules they set for how clients can contact them and what they can talk about or do with those clients.

Commitment

Commitment can refer to a few different things, including the commitment that social workers have to their clients and the one they have to the field. Colleges require that they take courses on social work ethics and professionalism to make sure that they know what they can do and what they should not do. The commitment they have to their clients shows them that the social workers care and will look after them. It’s equally important that they have a commitment to all the rules and regulations that social workers must follow.

Sympathy

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, social workers in all types of practices earn more than $23 an hour or $47,900 a year. Those who make the most money are those who are sympathetic but not empathetic. Sympathy refers to the thoughts they have about their clients and the way they can think about situations in the way that their clients do. Empathy means that they take this further and can feel the same way that their clients do. Social workers who work with kids and families and are too empathetic have a greater chance of burning out and changing careers in the future. Social workers who can sympathize with their clients but can also look at the situation from different perspectives have a greater chance of success.

Family social workers work with both small children such as babies and toddlers as well as teenagers and the parents and grandparents in a family. Those who achieve the most success when working as family and child social workers are those who share attributes such as sympathy, commitment and creativity.