Job Skills
To be a family social worker, you’ll need to be trustworthy, stable, and mature to deal calmly and responsibly with people and families in crisis. You should be able to work independently or as a team member, and to get along with a variety of people.

Income
In 2008, the median annual salary for child, family, and school workers was $39,530. The median earnings of the lowest 10 percent of workers were $25,870, and the top 10 percent’s median earnings were $66,430. The highest numbers of child, school, and family social workers were employed by elementary and secondary schools (mean annual salary $56,570) and local government agencies (mean annual salary $48,440).

Training and Education
There are three levels of social work training and education: the bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW), the master’s degree (MSW), and the doctorate (DSW or PhD).
• BSW. To be a family social worker, you’ll need at least a BSW, which requires at least 400 hours of supervised fieldwork in addition to 4 years of classroom courses.
• MSW. You’ll need an MSW to work in health settings or to do clinical or private work. An MSW takes about 2 years of classes beyond your BSW and requires at least 900 hours of supervised internship.
• DSW or PhD. To teach social work in a college or university, you’ll need a DSW or PhD in social work. A DSW of PhD also allows you conduct research into problems or questions relating to family social work.
All states have license, certificate, or registration requirements, although requirements vary from state to state. As of 2006, there were 458 BSW and 181 MSW programs in the U.S. accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. There were also 74 doctoral programs accredited by the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education.

Employment
Child, school, and family social workers held about 282,000 jobs in 2006.

Job Outlook
Between 2006 and 2016, the number of jobs for child, school, and family social workers is predicted to increase by 19 percent, which is higher than the average growth for all jobs. Your opportunities will be greatest in rural areas, where it’s often difficult to attract and retain qualified social workers. Social workers who specialize in helping those with disabilities or want to work in public schools may have the best employment opportunities.
With the right education and certification, you can become a supervisor, manage a program, or direct a family social work agency or department.

What happens to a city neighborhood when houses are torn down and absentee landlords leave behind abandoned lots? In a dense urban neighborhood of row houses, it creates an eyesore, is a hazard for residents, and dramatically reduces property values.

Finding Lots for Vacant Lot Project
In 2009, after having success creating the Youth Organics Garden in an unused open field at the Creighton Story Housing Project, the Director of Grand Street Community Arts, Tom McPheeters, approached the city about vacant lots in the Mansion Neighborhood and adjoining South End Neighborhood.

Properties were researched to determine ownership and the master plan for the South End revitalization was studied by volunteer Rebecca Platel, who has a background in community organizing and planning. It was found that a number of the vacant lots were now taken over by the city and available.

Employing Teens from City Summer Work Program
The city of Albany Youth Employment Program (YEP) hires, pays, and assigns teens to work at various not-for-profit organizations or at city sites during the summer vacation.

Four teens from YEP were assigned to Grand Street Community Arts to work on the Vacant Lot Project with three volunteers – a community organizer and planner; an architect and University at Albany MFA student; and an artist/educator – to design and implement the transformation of a vacant lot for public use.

The YEP teens meet 4 hours daily during the week with the goal to understand the issues surrounding abandoned urban vacant lots, to learn about art in public places, and to visit local salvage warehouses where unusual materials are available.

The teen’s work is a combination of facilitated dialogue, creative design, and hands-on work:
• designing a logo for the Vacant Lot Project
• drafting a plan for potential use of the lot
• talking with neighbors about their ideas
• establishing a working plan for lot transformation
• physically building or finding ways to obtain necessary materials

Without current operating funds for this project, work is being done on a shoestring encouraging the teens to think “out of the box” about discarded materials that can be found, gathered and used…like tires, doors, or wrought iron railings.

Making a Difference
The Vacant Lot Project will make a difference in Albany New York – one lot at a time. Public interest is mounting as the teens are out in the community and as residents become engaged in the process. Interest and community engagement will continue to grow as the abandoned lot begins to change. Vacant lots can go from being an eyesore to a useful public space with a lot of hard work from organizations and individuals dedicated to making a difference.

One subset of the homeless population includes former foster youth. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, within two to four years of exiting foster care, 25 percent of foster children experience homelessness. As several of the research articles listed below indicates, another subset of homeless individuals is those with mental health needs. There are also a large number of former veterans who become homeless. It is estimated that between 23 percent and 40 percent of homeless adults are veterans (National Alliance to End Homelessness). Finally, many of those who face homelessness are families—women and children. Of those children who are homeless, 43 percent are younger than six (National Alliance to End Homelessness).

Social workers in a variety of positions will likely provide services to this diverse population at some point in time. It is therefore important to be equipped with the information necessary to understand and address the needs of these individuals. To that end, this Web site provides resources on research pertinent to issues faced by social workers. These include journal articles, papers presented at a national symposium, and descriptions of organizations that provide research findings and further information.