Social service consultant

Description

Social service consultants aid in the development of policy and procedure for social service programs. They research social service programs and identify areas for improvement, as well as aid in the development of new programs. They fulfil advisory functions for social service organisations.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to social service consultant:

social service planning consultant
social services consultant
social services developer
social planning consultant
social services planner
community development consultant
welfare consultant
social services expert
social development consultant

Minimum qualifications

Master’s degree is generally required to work as social service consultant. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Social service consultant is a Skill level 4 occupation.

Social service consultant career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to social service consultant.

social security administrator
community development officer
social services policy officer
regional development policy officer
public health policy officer

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of social service consultant. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of social service consultant with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of social service consultant.

Government policy implementation: The procedures related to the application of government policies at all levels of public administration.
Legal requirements in the social sector: The prescribed legislative and regulatory requirements in the social sector.
Social justice: The development and principles of human rights and social justice and the way they should be applied on a case by case basis.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of social service consultant.

Maintain relations with local representatives: Maintain good relations with representatives of the local scientific, economic and civil society.
Monitor regulations in social services: Monitor and analyse regulations, policies and changes in these regulations in order to assess how they impact social work and services.
Liaise with local authorities: Maintain the liaison and exchange of information with regional or local authorities.
Evaluate social work program’s impact: Gather data to allow the assessment of the impact of a program on a community.
Maintain relationships with government agencies: Establish and maintain cordial working relationships with peers in different governmental agencies.
Advise on social service process: Advise social service organisations on the development and implementation of plans for the provision of social services, determining the objectives, and managing resources and facilities.
Report on social development: Report results and conclusions on society’s social development in an intelligible way, presenting these orally and in written form to a range of audiences from non-experts to experts.
Provide improvement strategies: Identify root causes of problems and submit proposals for effective and long-term solutions.
Advise on legislative acts: Advise officials in a legislature on the propositioning of new bills and the consideration of items of legislation.
Communicate with social service users: Use verbal, non-verbal, written, and electronic communication. Pay attention to the specific social service users’ needs, characteristics, abilities, preferences, age, developmental stage, and culture.
Influence policy makers on social service issues: Inform and advise policy makers by explaining and interpreting the needs of the citizens to enhance social service programs and policies.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of social service consultant. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of social service consultant. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Create solutions to problems: Solve problems which arise in planning, prioritising, organising, directing/facilitating action and evaluating performance. Use systematic processes of collecting, analysing, and synthesising information to evaluate current practice and generate new understandings about practice.
Work within communities: Establish social projects aimed at community development and active citizen participation.
Build community relations: Establish affectionate and long-lasting relationships with local communities, e.g. by organising special programms for kindergarden, schools and for dissabled and older people, raising awareness and receiving community appreciation in return.
Plan social service process: Plan the social service process, defining the objective and considering the methods of implementation, identifying and accessing available resources, such as time, budget, personnel and defining indicators to evaluate the outcome.
Promote social change: Promote changes in relationships between individuals, families, groups, organisations and communities by taking into consideration and coping with unpredictable changes, at the micro, macro and mezzo level.
Make legislation transparent for users of social services: Inform and explain the legislation for users of social services, in order to help them understand the implications it has on them and how to use it for their interest.
Assess social service users’ situation: Assess the social situation of service users situation balancing curiosity and respect in the dialogue, considering their families, organisations and communities and the associated risks and identifying the needs and resources, in order to meet physical, emotional and social needs.
Promote inclusion: Promote inclusion in health care and social services and respect diversity of beliefs, culture, values and preferences, keeping in mind the importance of equality and diversity issues.
Promote social awareness: Promote the understanding of dynamics of social relationships between individuals, groups, and communities. Promote the importance of human rights, and positive social interaction, and the inclusion of social awareness in education.
Present reports: Display results, statistics and conclusions to an audience in a transparent and straightforward way.
Manage government policy implementation: Manage the operations of the implementation of new government policies or changes in existing policies on a national or regional level as well as the staff involved in the implementation procedure.
Implement strategic planning: Take action on the goals and procedures defined at a strategic level in order to mobilise resources and pursue the established strategies.
Analyse community needs: Identify and respond to specific social problems in a community, delineating the extent of the problem and outline the level of resources required to address it and identifying the existing community assets and resources that are available to address the problem.

ISCO group and title

2422 – Policy administration professionals

 

 


 

 

References
  1. Social service consultant – ESCO
Last updated on August 8, 2022