Difference Between Social Worker and Human Services

With the many careers available, people align themselves to their careers based on different While many are motivated by a good salary and affluent lives, others are motivated by the need to help others, hence end up choosing what we may call ‘helping careers’. These involve working with the sole aim of improving and helping others. Among these careers include social workers and human services. Although both are in the same line of career and work in similar settings, the two vary in several ways.

Who is a Social Worker?

This is a person who works towards enabling and empowering people, more-so those affected by societal inequities in various sectors of life. All social workers must be licensed to work in the areas of their expertise.

Types of social workers include:

• Clinical social workers- These are social workers tasked with diagnosing, treating and managing behavioral, mental and emotional illnesses.
• Family and child social services- These work hand in hand with families in the provision of basic needs, substance abuse rehabilitation and counseling as well as child abuse prevention and control.
• Healthcare social workers- These work with families and patients in healthcare diagnosis as well as lifestyle changes.
• School social workers- Work with parents, students as well as teachers in the improvement of academic performances.

Social workers are tasked with duties such as;

• Accessing clients situations and working towards improving them
• Respond to crisis needs such as health and child abuse emergencies
• Refer clients to other service provision channels

What does Human Services mean?

This is a field that aims to fulfill basic human needs by addressing and preventing problems that arise in the provision of quality life for clients as well as patients.  With the need to make a difference in the societies, human service workers are often involved in big projects as well as managerial positions.

Careers under human services include:

• Substance abuse counselor and rehabilitation
• Child protection services
• Life skills counselor
• Community workers

Some duties of a human services worker include:

• Improvement of social and human services by liaising with upper management
• Ensure financial efficiency by analyzing expenditures and budgets
• Create and implement human services policies
• Survey conditions in the society through direct interaction with the public
• Acting as an intermediary between lower and higher-level employees

Similarities between Social worker and Human services

• Both aim at helping people by improving and solving problems
• Both work in similar settings such as hospitals and social service agencies in the communities

Differences between Social worker and Human services

Definition

A social worker is a person who works towards enabling and empowering people, more-so those affected by societal inequities in various sectors of life. On the other hand, human service is a field that aims to fulfill basic human needs by addressing and preventing problems that arise in the provision of quality life for clients as well as patients.

Scope

While social workers work directly with the clients, human services are involved in large projects, administrative as well as managerial tasks.

Roles

Social workers carry out roles such as; accessing clients’ situations and working towards improving them, respond to the crisis needs such as health and child abuse emergencies and referring clients to other service provision channels. On the other hand, human services carry out roles such as; improvement of social and human services by liaising with upper management, ensure financial efficiency by analyzing expenditures and budgets, create and implement human services policies, survey conditions in the society through direct interaction with the public and acting as an intermediary between lower and higher-level employees.

Aim

While social workers aim at enabling and empowering people, human services aim at fulfilling basic human needs by addressing and preventing problems that arise in the provision of quality life.

Social worker vs. Human services: Comparison Table

Summary of Social Worker vs. Human Services

A social worker is a person who works towards enabling and empowering people, more-so those affected by societal inequities in various sectors of life, and works directly with the clients. On the other hand, human service is a field that aims to fulfill basic human needs by addressing and preventing problems that arise in the provision of quality life for clients as well as patients. Human service providers are involved in large projects, administrative as well as managerial tasks. Despite the differences between social workers and human services, both aim at helping people by improving and solving problems and their importance in societies cannot be ignored.

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