Many family law cases involving children have the involvement of a social worker. A social worker is a person who is professionally trained to evaluate a child’s quality of life at home and counsel families through difficult situations They are an important component to a family law case because they provide trusted testimony to a court which reveals the conditions in which a family operates. They also play a crucial role in helping your family reach a socially healthy functioning status that judges need to see before deciding a case.

How Many Social Workers Are There in the United States?

In 2016, there were 682,100 social workers in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 57.6 percent of these jobs were in healthcare and social assistance, while 26.8 percent were positions issued by government agencies. Most social workers practiced in suburban areas or cities. 317,600 of these social workers specialized in child, family, or school social work. The number of social workers in the United States is expected to rise by 16 percent within the next 10 years—a rate that is significantly higher than other occupations in the United States.

State and local governments, as well as family service agencies, schools, and hospitals each have their own social workers. Depending on your situation, you may be issued a state or local government social worker to aid your case. While regulations vary, all states require that a social worker have some sort of license, certification or registration, along with a bachelor's degree. In most states, future employees in this field are required to complete 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience to run their own clinic.

Types of Social Workers

Child Protective Services and Welfare Workers

There are several kinds of social workers. In most family law cases, you will be dealing with a child protective services or child welfare worker. Men and women in this field deal with any sort of child custody, neglect, or abuse case, and carefully monitor parents or guardians to confirm whether they are fit to be caretakers. These types of social workers also assess families to determine if it is wise for them to take on extra children in adoption and foster care situations. These employees also interact with cases regarding homelessness, domestic violence, child custody, abuse, or neglect. Additionally, they are an aid to single parents who are searching for quality day care and school facilities for their children. A new branch of these social workers deals specifically with same-sex couples who are looking to adopt.

Gerontological Workers

Some social workers, known as gerontological workers, specifically work with families caring for senior citizens. They typically run support groups for men and women who are the main caretakers of their aging parents and can help to assess whether or not the senior is receiving adequate treatment and surveillance. Due to the aging of the baby boomer generation, the amount of gerontological workers has risen along with the accumulating number of senior citizens in the US.

School Social Workers

A school-focused social worker serves as a mediator between parents, teachers, and children. These social workers can help the three parties work through issues such as academic success and social development.

Medical & Public Health Workers

Medical and public health social workers can provide psychosocial support to families to help them cope with terminal and chronic illnesses like Alzheimer's, cancer or AIDS. Mental health and substance abuse social workers give therapy, crisis intervention, and social rehabilitation to the men and women with mental instability. They can also aid family members who are dealing with the challenges presented by a relative involved in substance abuse.

Get to Know Your Social Worker

If a social worker has been assigned to your family law case, it is important that you get to know them. Make sure to be prepared for unexpected visits and ensure that you are on good terms with your children if a social worker will be interviewing them. If you can ensure an honest and positive rapport with your social worker, it will work in your favor in any sort of legal battle.