Social Worker Interview Essay Example
A., the social worker who I have chosen, gave me great points and explanations on her job as a social worker. In our interview, she began telling me that her field of practice is the Division of Child Protection and Permanency. Within the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, Child Protection and Permanency is the state's child protection and welfare agency. Its goal is to help all citizens of New Jersey feel safe, healthy, and connected. Child Protection and Permanency (CP&P) is in charge of investigating accusations and allegations of child abuse and neglect, as well as arranging for the child's protection and treatment if necessary.
A. explains that although this is very unusual, she always knew she wanted to be a social worker and find new ways to help kids everyday. She was so invested in helping people that she helped runaways, from all different states, sleep in her attic because they had nowhere else to stay. She also fed the homeless because being so young in high school, you have to start somewhere, anything helps homeless people. Being so young and still finding ways to help people amazes me. Her love for helping people never changed because she changes peoples lives everyday for the better, for the most part.
Many social workers are drawn to the field because of personal experiences. A large majority of social workers have suffered their own difficulties, such as poverty, violence, and discrimination, and they choose the field because they want to use their personal experiences to help others, but not A.. A.s strive and determination through helping people really made an impact on her life and who she is today. Since obligating her degree, A. has worked in the same field for fourteen years. She started off her field work in Newark, New Jersey and is now transferred to Bergen County. Her life is crazy busy but she explains that she wouldn't have it any other way.
In A.s current field, Division of Child Protection and Permanency, her job is to investigate allegations of child abuse and neglect. She also gets referrals sent out to her which then means she has to go out and determine if any allegations occurred and if it did, implement ways it will not happen again. Her team can implement these situations will never happen again by pursuing them with different services in their areas that can help them as best as they can. In the interview, she explains that each day is different in this field of work because since you are dealing with people's everyday lives, there are no off hours.
Since social work is a very hard and tiring job for most, finding joy in what you do everyday is important. A. began to explain that the most rewarding part of her job is her clients, without a doubt. Although you are not always lucky with how your clients treat you and your work, the thankful and nice clients can make your day. When first entering this line of work, she reminded herself everyday that even though it is impossible to be able to help everyone, there is always that one family or person that is grateful for what you do for them and their family, and that is what helps you sleep at night.
The most stressful part of her job in social work is that there aren't enough resources or services for everyone. All counties in New Jersey all have the same services linked to the same people in the system, but some services provided do not work for everyone so here lies the problem. She also talked about the lack of funding that does not help any of the schools in these counties. The most pressing social problems when confronting their clients would have to be gender rational abuse because of the social economic structure in this county. A. spoke about how the whole welfare system is practically to shoot people down, instead of helping them get back on their feet to be stable, from a social economic standpoint. For example, if someone gets a job, their benefits are immediately cut off which is not fair.
The ethical challenges that A. has had to face in her job usually lie within her role. Since they are CPS workers, people within that community will often disclose their own challenges and possible concerns. They are faced with violating their confidentiality by calling or making a referral if necessary. They also deal with concerns pertaining to other works and their handling of certain cases and or families.
When asking A. for advice for a new social worker considering going into this field of practice, she followed with many interesting answers. She explained that choosing what you want to do in the social work field is very important, so when you make your decision make sure you actually can put 100% of your time into it, and make sure your heart is in the right place regarding these families. A. said that a school social worker is more ideal for someone to choose as their field of practice because this job is less of a demand on you, because you work during school hours. If you choose to have the same field as A. does, you will not only work school hours but much more, because you are dealing with people's lives at risk. Interning is also very important to figure out which field you actually want because the more experience the better. Interning helped A. pick her field, because she got hands-on experience with each field she was interested in, and found the one that was meant for her.
Interviewing A. taught me many things I was unaware of in the social work field and now more interested in seeing myself. I learned that you should not be in this job if you are doing it for the money, you have to love what you do. Being a social worker entails a lot of emotional labor and going above and beyond to assist patients with frequently limited resources. Along with the stress that this job entails, you can overcome it with the correct training, support, and vital skills and discover how rewarding a career in social work can be.
Ever since I was a little girl I always dreamt of being a teacher and being in a classroom setting for the rest of my life. During the coronavirus outbreak, it gave me time to think about what I actually want to do for a job in the future. I realized that I did not enjoy teaching as much as I did being surrounded by children. So, since finding the social work field, I have been interested in many different fields and although I am not sure which one suits me, I am looking forward to finding out when I get more experience with hands-on projects and field work.
