Are you a hands-on and empathetic person? Do you want to help families, make a difference, and help children live productive lives?
You should consider working in child welfare.
"Child welfare specialists are often called caseworkers and typically work in the child welfare field,” explains Clark Benedict. “They monitor a family where there are concerns of abuse and neglect. The main goal is reunification and resolving the issue that led the family to be involved with the child welfare system.”
Becoming a child welfare specialist starts with a kind heart and a passion for helping struggling families and forgotten children. Child welfare specialists should also possess emotional strength, patience and resilience—these skilled social workers may find themselves in distressing, challenging and traumatic situations.
So, what does it take to become a child welfare social worker or specialist, and how do you know if you’re cut out for the job?
“If you are the kind of person who dislikes sitting in an office, this may be the job for you,” says Erin Clark Benedict, instructor in Rasmussen’s School of Justice Studies and Human Services department.1
“Child welfare specialists are often out in the community, visiting homes, foster placements, schools, parks, or children’s activities,” she explains. It’s a very out-and-about kind of career.
Responsibilities of a child welfare specialist
Child welfare professionals are key in protecting and providing resources for vulnerable children. They focus on and investigate child abuse and neglect claims and coordinate social services such as counseling, medical care and education.
A child welfare social worker's main job is to protect children from a house or shelter where their safety is in question.
If child protective services are called into a situation, it has often escalated to the point of crisis. This means conflict and high emotions for all family members involved, and it can create very tense situations.
“The biggest thing we can do is listen and remain calm,” explains Clark Benedict. Oftentimes when the floodgates break, clients will pour out everything happening, all at once in a way that can be hard to make sense of. But child welfare specialists need to make sense of it to best serve the family.
“Trauma and crisis overwhelm our brains, and our natural response is to go into fight or flight mode,” Clark Benedict says. “Being calm and listening are the biggest tools we bring to a situation.”
Visit homes
These family services professionals will stage interventions, assess the situation, remove the child if needed, and provide a safe space. They will also offer support and financial services for families facing poverty or eviction. All in all, these professionals want what’s best for the child and help them reach their full potential.
“Child welfare specialists are in homes of biological and foster parents, working to assure safety and that the children’s physical, social, emotional, and cognitive needs are met,” Clark Benedict explains.
While movie portrayals of this role often show child protective services (CPS) workers removing a child from their home environment, the career nowadays is very much oriented around keeping families together whenever possible.
Arrange interventions
“Child welfare specialists see the children on their caseload to assess needs, plan interventions, or link services to strengthen the child,” Clark Benedict explains.
Some of these professionals are social workers (this involves a master’s degree and licensure) and some of them are not licensed social workers, but instead have training in human services and child welfare.2
Connect families to resources
A child welfare specialist also partners with professional agencies across the country to provide foster care or adoption alternatives and mental health services.
“Depending on the child’s age and situation, this may look like a formal guardianship arrangement, a plan for independence, or adoption,” Clark Benedict explains.
When a child’s greatest danger is coming from poverty or a lack of mental health resources for the family, child welfare specialists will work to connect them to the right resources and make sure the connection results in a safe environment for the child.
A typical day for a child welfare social worker
“A day in the life of a child welfare specialist is rarely dull!” exclaims Clark Benedict. “They’re often out in the community, with laptops and cell phones, going from place to place.”
A child welfare social worker is always on the move! On a typical day, these frontline professionals may receive reports about children being neglected or abused from school social workers, teachers or concerned citizens.
Once a report has been submitted, dedicated social workers will start investigating the allegations and “working to assure safety and that the children’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive needs are met,” Clark Benedict says.
“They need to go and see the children on their caseload in the setting where they live and grow to assess needs, plan interventions, or link services to strengthen the child,” says Clark Benedict.
The case managers will then visit the home to interview the child, parents, guardians, and other parties involved. Suppose the child welfare workers discover that the child's needs aren't being met. In that case, they will develop a plan to provide resources for the children, low-income families and guardians, including mental health support, food assistance and medical care.
Inside a child welfare home visit
“How a home visit looks will depend on the type,” states Clark Benedict.
“If you are visiting a foster home, you will be meeting with the child and the caregiver. You would ask about school progress, behavior, concerns, medical appointments, and other scheduling needs.”
During a home visit, a caseworker assesses a child’s safety, well-being, and living conditions. The amount of time spent at the residence will vary depending on the type and severity of the case. Child welfare case management is a systematic approach to addressing children’s needs, and it involves a series of steps that include home visits, evaluation, and documentation.
“Assessments, screening tools, and other evaluations are all a part of ensuring children are safe,” says Clark Benedict.
Arrive and introduce yourself
The child welfare social worker will arrive at the residence, introduce themselves, and explain the reason for their visit. Depending on the case, these case managers may ask to speak to the children, guardians or families together or separately.
Observe the child and environment
Once you’ve entered the residence, you must note everyone present, including parents, families, residents and visitors. You’ll also assess the home’s cleanliness and safety and ensure it is suitable for children.
“You will view the child’s room and look for other licensing-related issues, Clark Benedict says. “If you are visiting an intact family or following up after reunification, you will be looking for safety issues, who is in the home, and check on the issues that led to the case opening.”
Interact and interview the child
Child welfare specialists and other professionals will interview and engage with the child and examine things like their physical health, hygiene and signs of neglect or abuse.
Case managers must also pay close attention to their emotional presentation, behavior and what they do while they’re there. Be sure to observe how the child interacts with their guardians or caretakers, the stage of child development, and their daily routine.
Meet with families and caregivers
Whether it’s parents, relatives, or other household residents, it’s important for social workers to meet with and question individuals residing in the household to better understand the child’s mental health, safety and well-being.
Child welfare social workers use these meetings to gather information about the child’s situation and evaluate the dynamics within the home. This creates an opportunity for caseworkers to document behaviors and conditions.
Document your interactions and findings
Caseworkers and social workers are responsible for documenting their findings in child welfare cases, including when they stage interventions. Documentation is critical and serves as evidence to support your claims and to ensure accountability.
This evidence helps you prove your side of the child’s story and shapes the final decision in court. Clark Benedict states, “Child welfare workers present their interventions before the court system so Judges can determine the next steps for a family.”
“Paperwork is one big aspect of the role of child welfare specialists,” Clark Benedict emphasizes. “If it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen!”
Case notes, treatment plans, and court reports are all vital components of a case, according to Clark Benedict. “Every time the worker sees the child, family, or other members of the team supporting the child, a note is written to help tell the story of what has happened.”
Regarding technologies and tools that help make a child welfare specialist’s job easier, Clark Benedict says, “Caseworkers are never far from their cellphones. Laptops have become another key tool, making documentation easier on the go.”
Building trust with children and families during crisis
Since children and families are facing trauma, it’s crucial to build trust and understanding. Using a strengths-based attitude and a trauma-informed approach, you can help build trust and foster relationships with families involved in the child welfare system.
This consists of recognizing their strengths, respecting and learning from their differences, maintaining open lines of communication, and, above all else, offering a listening ear in a judgment-free zone.
“Typically, when someone feels heard, they begin to calm down. When someone has experienced trauma, it is important to hear their story,” says Clark Benedict.
Being consistent and reliable in the child welfare world is also very important. When social workers have regular, honest interactions and follow through on commitments and their word, they’ll demonstrate respect and build confidence with the families.
Additionally, the child welfare specialist assigned to the case must provide families with up-to-date information about the processes and decisions made and involve them in all future planning.
“So often a crisis arises because of hurt feelings and misunderstandings,” she explains. “When people feel threatened, the critical thinking part of the brain is not working. Trying to challenge an individual while they are escalated will only make this situation worse.”
What resources will you offer to families?
Families and children involved in the child welfare system will have access to a wide range of resources, including foster care coordination, to help support and strengthen families while ensuring child safety.
Healthcare providers, social services and social workers join forces through nonprofits, community organizations, and state and local government agencies. These social services include:
- Counseling
- Substance abuse treatment
- Education support
- Skills building services
- Health evaluations
- Housing assistance
- Childcare
- Mental health support
- Foster care
- Financial assistance
- Case management
- Legal representation
Rewards and challenges of a career in child welfare
Every job has its ups and downs, but working with children and protecting, nurturing them, and bettering the lives of their families deliver next-level goals.
“Being a part of helping children succeed is amazing,” says Clark Benedict. “The more people cheering on a child in life, the better! When you build rapport with a child, they are excited to see you and tell you about their lives.”
Despite all the rewards, child welfare specialists also face serious challenges that can make you pause and think twice.
“Helping to keep kids safe is a challenge at times. It is heartbreaking to have to tell them they cannot go with a parent because the parent has made choices that place their family in danger," explains Clark Benedict.
“Explaining why a child cannot be with their parent is often difficult as mental health, substance abuse, crime, and abuse are difficult topics to explain to a child,” she adds. In these cases, your heart breaks for the child and the family, and it’s important to take care of your own well-being to avoid burnout.
For more on that, check out Vicarious Trauma vs. Secondary Trauma: A Guide for Professionals at Risk.
Preparing for a career in child welfare
This field of family services work can really tug at the heartstrings—after all, you’re witnessing some joyful reunions and heartbreaking separations. While many social workers are fulfilled by protecting children, the job can take a mental and emotional toll, especially when dealing with trauma, crises and the foster care system.
To prepare for the role, CPS workers will need to develop strong communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.
“It is not always the easiest job because we must make tough calls and look at the big picture,” Clark Benedict says. This career isn’t for people who want to check in, pull a paycheck and check out. It’s for people who believe in protecting and advocating for children and who intend to do their best for each family.
If that’s your passion, this field can be a powerful way to help save the world, one person at a time.
“It is rewarding to know that a child is not in danger because there are protections,” reiterates Clark Benedict.
Want to be one of those protections? Check out How to Become a Child Welfare Specialist (And Why It’s Worth It).
1The Human Services Associate’s degree and Human Services Bachelor’s degree programs at Rasmussen University are not designed to meet and do not meet, the educational requirements for professional licensure as a social worker in any state.
2Rasmussen University does not offer any master’s degree programs in Social Work. Rasmussen University’s Human Services Associate’s degree and Human Services Bachelor’s degree programs are not designed to prepare graduates for any state-issued professional license or certification, and have not been approved by any state professional licensing agency. For further information on professional licensing requirements, please contact the appropriate board or agency in your state of residence.
