Qualities of an Effective Social Worker

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Many times when I tell people about the type of work which me and my team is doing in Bihar (India), they get excited and show interest in supporting the similar cause.

Social Work is broadly done in four areas- Disaster, Education, Healthcare, and Livelihood. Though all of the four things are different from each other, but the qualities required, to do these types of work, are almost similar.

There are many qualities which are required to get things done in a social sector, but I have chosen top 4 qualities of an Effective Social Worker. Those qualities are-

1.       Range of Communication- You should know when to speak, write, and listen while dealing with someone, for instance, a person from public sector needs something in writing like report, letter, etc. to pay attention towards you, whereas a person from Corporate Sector wants PowerPoint Presentation, photographs, statistics, etc. to understand the depth of the situation. While working with drug abusers, criminals, molesters, etc. you have to listen more than talking and in tribes, you have to do more talking to bring out the information.
To be an effective Social Worker, you should know the different ranges of communication.

2.       Have Patience- Always remember, Change is slow.  A social worker is someone who wants to bring change in the behaviour of the community; therefore you have to be patient because change is slow. From past 150 years, people are trying to end Child Marriage, but have we achieved that goal- No- we haven’t. From past 1000 years, people are trying to bring 100% Sanitation, but have we achieved our goal-No-we haven’t. Still, I have met many young hot-blooded people, who have put their lives in dealing with these problems. Have patience because, in social sector, you can see the results of your work only in long term. Sometimes, you may even die without seeing any result of your work. But, don’t worry, because work done by you would be enjoyed by someone else. We all enjoy someone else’s hard work.

3.       Positive Mental Attitude- The philosophy of Social Sector is- Best Person At Worst Place. Being a social worker means that you’ll find yourself working in some difficult area or situation. You’ll find yourself dealing with difficult people with whom no one wants to work. You’ll be working with trans-genders, who have been ignored by the society. You’ll be working with indolent and egoist bureaucrats, to get things done in the public system. You’ll be working with tribes, who have poorest of poor living standard. Without a positive mental attitude, you can get mad, and find some other social worker doing counseling for you. You have to be tough and persistent else you’ll lose hope from everything, around you.

4.       See the Big Picture- To be an effective Social Worker, you should have a broad mindset. You should have ability to see the whole system, and not just the small segment of it. You might be working in a small segment, but you should have understanding of the whole system. You can easily connect the dots when you understand the broad picture of your work e.g. you want to increase the nutritional level in a particular area, then see- Is community willing to accept your idea? What are the obstacles in achieving your goals? Is healthy food available to the community? Can community afford healthy food? Is nutritious food accessible to the community? These questions are needed to be answered before propogating awareness and adoption.