Social Work Careers: Justice Services


Flag behind barbed wire jail fencing

School Social Work Stats

9%
growth overall in social workers from 2021 to 2031
8%
growth of child, family and school social workers from 2021 to 2031
11%
growth of mental health social workers from 2021 to 2031

Corrections

Sharon Brown, Johnson County Department of Corrections, KU MSW, gravitated towards corrections as she felt there was a strong need for social workers in this setting.

Justice & Victim Services

Social work skills support critical individual and family needs in this arena.

There are numerous job opportunities in this area of social work. Family or juvenile courts, public defenders offices, corrections facilities, victim services, and crisis shelters hire social workers to work in a range of positions. These position could include advocates for victims, counseling with families, supervisors of family visits, children’s program coordinators, program and executive directors for shelters, and deputy juvenile officers. Social work skills support critical individual and family needs in this arena.   

Field Practicum site examples:

  • Jackson County Family Court
  • Lenexa Municipal Court
  • The Willow Domestic Violence Shelter

Substance Abuse

Social workers support individuals and their families dealing with chemical dependency by providing a variety of services.

ALCOHOL, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY

Alcohol, substance abuse and chemical dependency are diseases that affect not only the person suffering from the disease but also the family or people that interact with the person. Social workers support individuals and their families dealing with chemical dependency by providing a variety of services such as counseling, coordinating treatment plans and meeting with patients to make sure they are following these plans. 

In this field, social workers are employed primarily by outpatient treatment programs of hospitals and specialty treatment centers. Social workers in dual diagnosis units work with patients with both mental illness and substance abuse issues. 

Field Practicum site examples:

  • DCCCA, Inc.
  • Heartland Regional Alcohol and Drug Assessment
  • Johnson County Mental Health Center
  • Adolescent Center for Treatment

Homeless Services

Social workers have an opportunity to advocate for social change on behalf of the homeless in many agencies.  

Individuals and families who have unstable housing live in a variety of settings, both urban and rural, range in age, face health issues, and find themselves homeless for a variety of reasons that require a wide range of social work services. Many of them may be runaway youth, people with severe mental health needs, veterans, individuals with addiction, and women and children.

Case managers, crisis and intervention workers, and group and individual counselors often are employed by government, and non-profit agencies that provide these services. Social workers have an opportunity to advocate for social change on behalf of the homeless in many agencies.  

Field Practicum site examples:

  • Lawrence Community Shelter
  • Salvation Army
  • Community LINC
  • KCK School District-Homeless Children & Youth

Mental Health

Mental health social workers may work in inpatient or outpatient settings and help people with mental illnesses deal with problems or issues that they face in their daily lives providing counseling, therapy and support. 

An area of social work that is growing across the country is mental health social work. Mental health social workers may work in inpatient or outpatient settings and help people with mental illnesses deal with problems or issues that they face in their daily lives providing counseling, therapy and support. 

In inpatient settings, the mental health social worker counsels patients who live in a supervised facility. When a person suffering from a mental illness is getting ready to be discharged, the social worker will help them succeed in the community by doing things like, finding a home, a job, the appropriate education to secure a job, and/or community support groups.  

In outpatient settings, mental health social workers work with people with mental illness who are living in their own home. The social worker will help these people with issues they face daily, such as work related issues, personal issues that may be affecting their work responsibilities, relationships, or school work and provide therapy.  

Employment of mental health and substance abuse social workers is projected to grow 17 percent from 2019 to 2029.

Field Practicum site examples:

  • Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center
  • Rainbow Mental Health Facility
  • The Family Conservancy
  • Valeo Behavioral Health Care
  • Counseling and Psychological Services

School Social Work

Social workers in schools help to identify and address the social and emotional difficulties that students face that can interfere with their success in school.

School social work is a very popular field. Social workers in schools help to identify and address the social and emotional difficulties that students face that can interfere with their success in school. Besides helping all students with academic issues, school social workers may also help specific students who have social, psychological, emotional or physical difficulties that can impact their performance in school. These may include housing, poverty, sexuality and physical/mental disabilities. School social workers also help parents learn more about the programs and services of the school and community. 

Usually Master of Social Work degrees are required for positions in school settings.  

Field Practicum site examples:

  • KCK School District-Special Education Cooperative
  • Independence School District
  • Lawrence School District
  • Topeka School District

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