Social and Human Service Assistants

Working Schedule
 
Social and Human Service Assistants typically work 40 hour weeks, Monday through Friday, with occasional night or weekend commitments. Depending on your specific job, there is potential for unexpected or urgent calls requiring work after normal hours. Travel is required from time to time.

Typical Duties
 

• Working with individuals, families, and organizations in the local community
• Ensuring child welfare and safety, and enabling parents with resources they need
• Coordinating daily living assistance services for elderly or disabled customers, such as cooking, meal delivery, bathing, and general errands
• Helping military veterans transition into civilian routines again; finding suitable housing and employment opportunities, and directing them to veteran services
• Placing clients with substance abuse needs into support groups or rehab centers
• Connecting immigrated persons to job and housing resources, English language learning services, or free legal clinics who help prepare documents
• Aiding clients suffering from mental health issues to access support networks, counseling services, and housing if needed
• Working with former inmates struggling with daily life after periods of incarceration
• Helping homeless populations locate essential services offering food and shelter, as well as job training and other resources aimed at reducing homelessness
• Additional Responsibilities
• Collaborating with local employers, promoting equal access to job opportunities and accommodations for disabled persons 
• Potentially operating within in a variety of locations outside of the office, such as residences, medical clinics or hospitals, shelters, and other buildings

Soft Skills

• Ability to “troubleshoot” human problems and find realistic solutions
• Awareness of sociology issues and trends
• Basic counseling skills
• Understanding the rules of mandatory reporting
• Ability to safeguard sensitive information
• Commitment to diversity and respect for other ethnicities and cultures 
• Compassion and empathy, with the ability to be objective 
• Excellent communication skills, including active listening
• Good time management; highly organized
• Above-average interpersonal skills
• Comfortable operating independently 
• Patience, resilience, and composure under stress
• Good writing ability 
• Perceptiveness; ability to discern when customers may be hiding problems
• Resourcefulness and leadership
• Sound judgment and decision-making, sometimes under pressure
• Strong commitment to providing personal service 
• Understanding of human psychology 

Technical Skills

• General familiarity with computers (PC or Apple)
• Familiarity with databases and query software applications 
• Excellent email protocol and etiquette
• Spreadsheet and presentation apps 
• Use of electronic medical record software
• Potentially voice recognition software usage

• State and local government-managed human services offices    
• Nonprofit organizations
• For-profit social service agencies
• Residential care facilities    
• Rehabilitation centers

Social and Human Service Assistants may work with several cases each day. Often, any given case can require getting involved with serious or even life-threatening problems a client is coping with. This can take an emotional toll on the worker, who must be able to maintain their composure and objectivity throughout the day as they move from case to case. It is important to give every customer a high degree of attention and focus. This can be challenging at times if the worker finds themselves dwelling on a particular case that troubles them. 
 
Employees in this field are asked to write objective reports and evaluations. This can also be difficult when personal feelings are involved, so it is crucial to be aware of biases. Workers need to keep diligent records and stay organized, which requires methodical work practices. They must stay aware of continuous changes and updates to policies and resources. 
 
At times, they’re expected to venture out of the office and meet customers in homes or other areas. Social and Human Service Assistants collaborate with several other agencies, including law enforcement and legal professionals. Every day they are tasked to clearly articulate important messages, sometimes regarding volatile situations. There are times when public speaking engagements are needed to advertise services. 

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic altered the daily lives of most Americans. Many faced employment challenges; some were cut off from much-needed services. Others encountered health and substance abuse problems. Statistics revealed an alarming spike in domestic violence and suicide, as well. As states ease back on restrictions, Social and Human Service Assistants may count on influxes of new cases. People who are struggling to re-normalize their lives will need to seek out help, potentially putting a temporary strain on current workers. 
 
Longer-term, the US expects a rise in the number of older citizens as life expectancy increases. Social and human services agencies will need to prepare for extra demand on services. It’s also anticipated that governmental policy shifts will aim to divert substance abusers into treatment options versus sentences of incarceration. This, too, will require added help from the social services sector. 

Most people who enter these careers have always had a desire to help others. This could come from simply being raised in a family environment where such actions were the norm. It could also come from the opposite — from situations where a person didn’t grow up with that type of love or affection, spurring them to find ways to offer it themselves through service to people in their community.
 
It takes a strong commitment to social change and improvement to work with those in need. Many workers may have been politically active during high school, perhaps running for student offices. They could also have been exposed to social issues during college and may have enjoyed organizing activities and events. Multicultural projects and organizations are often a passion for those in this field. It’s also not uncommon for many Social and Human Service Assistants to have grown up in other countries or to have experienced discrimination or financial hardship in their lifetimes.