Social work lecturer

Description

Social work lecturers are professionals who exercise dual roles, on one hand they practice the academic discipline that provides social services, such as counselling, therapy or advocacy, to individuals or groups of people and on the other hand they are part of the academic world providing professional education, engaging also in research and knowledge development, contributing to solutions concerning complex social problems and innovative approaches to ameliorate those problems. They teach social work knowledge, skills and values for preparing students to engage in culturally competent social work practice with diverse populations and communities.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to social work lecturer:

university lecturer in social work and social policy
professor of social work
senior lecturer in social work
higher education social work teacher
lecturer in social work and social policy
lector in social work
university social work and social policy lecturer
lecturer in social work
social work docent
social work instructor
social work teacher
professor of social policy
university social work lecturer
social work professor
professor of social work and social policy
university social work teacher
academic social work educator
university lecturer in social work
social work lector

Minimum qualifications

Doctoral or equivalent level is generally required to work as social work lecturer. 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 work lecturer is a Skill level 4 occupation.

Social work lecturer career path

Similar occupations

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

social work supervisor
social work practice educator
social work researcher
enterprise development worker
mathematics lecturer

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of social work lecturer. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of social work lecturer 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 work lecturer.

Social work theory: The development and characteristics of social work theories underpinned by social sciences and humanities.
Counselling methods: Counselling techniques used in different settings and with various groups and individuals, especially concerning methods of supervision and mediation in the counselling process.
Legal requirements in the social sector: The prescribed legislative and regulatory requirements in the social sector.
Social sciences: The development and characteristics of sociological, anthropological, psychological, political, and social policy theories.
Pedagogy: The discipline that concerns the theory and practice of education including the various instructional methods for educating individuals or groups.
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.
Curriculum objectives: The goals identified in curricula and defined learning outcomes.
Company policies: The set of rules that govern the activity of a company.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of social work lecturer.

Apply anti-oppressive practices: Identify oppression in societies, economies, cultures, and groups, acting as a professional in an non-oppressive way, enabling service users to take action to improve their lives and enabling citizens to change their environment in accordance with their own interests.
Provide social counselling: Assist and guide social service users to resolve personal, social or psychological problems and difficulties.
Guarantee students’ safety: Ensure all students falling under an instructor or other person’s supervision are safe and accounted for. Follow safety precautions in the learning situation.
Prepare lesson content: Prepare content to be taught in class in accordance with curriculum objectives by drafting exercises, researching up-to-date examples etc.
Monitor developments in field of expertise: Keep up with new research, regulations, and other significant changes, labour market related or otherwise, occurring within the field of specialisation.
Involve service users and carers in care planning: Evaluate the needs of individuals in relation to their care, involve families or carers in supporting the development and implementation of support plans. Ensure review and monitoring of these plans.
Work within communities: Establish social projects aimed at community development and active citizen participation.
Meet standards of practice in social services: Practice social care and social work in a lawful, safe and effective way according to standards.
Empower social service users: Enable individuals, families, groups and communities to gain more control over their lives and environment, either by themselves or with the help of others.
Compile course material: Write, select or recommend a syllabus of learning material for the students enrolled in the course.
Apply quality standards in social services: Apply quality stardards in social services while upholding social work values and principles.
Apply case management: Assess, plan, facilitate, coordinate, and advocate for options and services on behalf of a person.
Apply problem solving in social service: Systematically apply a step-by-step problem-solving process in providing social services.
Liaise with educational support staff: Communicate with education management, such as the school principal and board members, and with the education support team such as the teaching assistant, school counsellor or academic advisor on issues relating the students’ well-being.
Apply crisis intervention: Respond methodologically to a disruption or breakdown in the normal or usual function of a person, family, group or community.
Protect vulnerable social service users: Intervene to provide physical, moral and psychological support to people in dangerous or difficult situations and to remove to a place of safety where appropriate.
Contribute to protecting individuals from harm: Use established processes and procedures to challenge and report dangerous, abusive, discriminatory or exploitative behaviour and practice, bringing any such behaviour to the attention of the employer or the appropriate authority.
Develop professional identity in social work: Strive to provide the appropriate services to social work clients while staying within a professional framework, understanding what the work means in relation to other professionals and taking into account the specific needs of your clients.
Work in partnership with social services users: Help social service users identify and express their expectations and strengths, providing them with information and advice to make informed decisions about their circumstances. Work with individuals, families, groups, communities to achieve change and improve life opportunities.
Deliver social services in diverse cultural communities: Deliver services which are mindful of different cultural and language traditions, showing respect and validation for communities and being consistent with policies regarding human rights and equality and diversity.
Conduct interview in social service: Induce clients, colleagues, executives, or public officials to talk fully, freely, and truthfully, so as to explore the interviewee`s experiences, attitudes, and opinions.
Demonstrate leadership in social service cases: Take the lead in the practical handling of social work cases and activities.
Communicate professionally with colleagues in other fields: Communicate professionally and cooperate with members of the other professions in the health and social services sector.
Apply teaching strategies: Employ various approaches, learning styles, and channels to instruct students, such as communicating content in terms they can understand, organising talking points for clarity, and repeating arguments when necessary. Use a wide range of teaching devices and methodologies appropriate to the class content, the learners’ level, goals, and priorities.
Follow health and safety precautions in social care practices: Ensure hygienic work practice, respecting the safety of the environment at day care, residential care settings and care at home.
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.
Advocate for social service users: Speak for and on behalf of service users, using communicative skills and knowledge of relevant fields to assist those less advantaged.
Prevent social problems: Develop, define and implement actions that can prevent social problems, striving for the enhancement of the quality of life for all citizens.
Assess students: Evaluate the students’ (academic) progress, achievements, course knowledge and skills through assignments, tests, and examinations. Diagnose their needs and track their progress, strengths, and weaknesses. Formulate a summative statement of the goals the student achieved.
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.
Negotiate with social service users: Discuss with your client to establish fair conditions, building on a bond of trust, reminding the client that the work is in their favour and encouraging their cooperation.
Promote service users’ rights: Supporting client`s rights to control his or her life, making informed choices about the services they receive, respecting and, where appropriate, promoting the individual views and wishes of both the client and his or her caregivers.
Apply person-centred care: Treat individuals as partners in planning, developing and assessing care, to make sure it is appropriate for their needs. Put them and their caregivers at the heart of all decisions.
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.
Write work-related reports: Compose work-related reports that support effective relationship management and a high standard of documentation and record keeping. Write and present results and conclusions in a clear and intelligible way so they are comprehensible to a non-expert audience.
Handle conflicts: Mediate in conflicts and tense situations by acting between parties, such as service users, important others like families, and institutions, striving to effect an agreement, reconciliate, and resolve problems.
Relate empathetically: Recognise, understand and share emotions and insights experienced by another.
Listen actively: Give attention to what other people say, patiently understand points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times; able to listen carefully the needs of customers, clients, passengers, service users or others, and provide solutions accordingly.
Manage social crisis: Identify, respond and motivate individuals in social crisis situations, in a timely manner, making use of all resources.
Manage ethical issues within social services: Apply social work ethical principles to guide practice and manage complex ethical issues, dilemmas and conflicts in accordance to occupational conduct, the ontology and the code of ethics of the social services occupations, engaging in ethical decision making by applying standards of national and – as applicable – international codes of ethics or statements of principles.
Review social service plan: Review social service plans, taking service users’ views and preferences into account. Follow up on the plan, assessing the quantity and quality of services provided.
Apply decision making within social work: Take decisions when called for, staying within the limits of granted authority and considering the input from the service user and other caregivers.
Adhere to organisational guidelines: Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.
Apply holistic approach within social services: Consider the social service user in any situation, recognising the connections between micro-dimension, meso-dimension, and macro-dimension of social problems, social development and social policies.
Delegate activities: Delegate activities and tasks to others according to the ability, level of preparation, competence and legal scope of practice. Make sure that people understand what they should do and when they should do it.
Demonstrate when teaching: Present to others examples of your experience, skills, and competences that are appropriate to specific learning content to help students in their learning.
Work in a multicultural environment in health care: Interact, relate and communicate with individuals from a variety of different cultures, when working in a healthcare environment.
Give constructive feedback: Provide founded feedback through both criticism and praise in a respectful, clear, and consistent manner. Highlight achievements as well as mistakes and set up methods of formative assessment to evaluate work.
Address problems critically: Identify the strengths and weaknesses of various abstract, rational concepts, such as issues, opinions, and approaches related to a specific problematic situation in order to formulate solutions and alternative methods of tackling the situation.
Apply socially just working principles: Work in accordance with management and organisational principles and values focusing on human rights and social justice.
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.
Maintain records of work with service users: Maintain accurate, concise, up-to-date and timely records of the work with service users while complying with legislation and policies related to privacy and security.
Develop professional network: Reach out to and meet up with people in a professional context. Find common ground and use your contacts for mutual benefit. Keep track of the people in your personal professional network and stay up to date on their activities.
Reflect on practice: Routinely evaluate own practice, critically evaluating and monitoring the practice methods and outcomes in consistent, coherent and appropriate ways, being aware of relevant methodologies and utilising feedback from managers, supervisors, other professionals, and patients/clients, in order to adapt the practice accordingly.
Negotiate with social service stakeholders: Negotiate with government institutions, other social workers, family and caregivers, employers, landlords, or landladies to obtain the most suitable result for your client.
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.
Teach principles of social work: Instruct students in the theory and practice of social work including social work knowledge, skills, and values to prepare them in engaging in culturally competent social work with diverse populations and communities.
Undertake continuous professional development in social work: Undertake continuous professional development (CPD) to continuously update and develop knowledge, skills and competences within one`s scope of practice in social work.
Perform classroom management: Maintain discipline and engage students during instruction.
Have computer literacy: Utilise computers, IT equipment and modern day technology in an efficient way.
Tolerate stress: Maintain a temperate mental state and effective performance under pressure or adverse circumstances.
Apply organisational techniques: Employ a set of organisational techniques and procedures which facilitate the achievement of the goals set. Use these resources efficiently and sustainably, and show flexibility when required.
Refer social service users: Make referrals to other professionals and other organisations, based on the social service users’ requirements and needs.
Apply intercultural teaching strategies: Ensure that the content, methods, materials and the general learning experience is inclusive for all students and takes into account the expectations and experiences of learners from diverse cultural backgrounds. Explore individual and social stereotypes and develop cross-cultural teaching strategies.
Organise social work packages: Create a package of social support services according to the service user’s needs and in line with specified standards, regulations and timescales.
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.
Liaise with educational staff: Communicate with the school staff such as teachers, teaching assistants, academic advisors, and the principal on issues relating to students’ well-being. In the context of a university, liaise with the technical and research staff to discuss research projects and courses-related matters.
Consider social impact of actions on service users: Act according to the political, social and cultural contexts of social service users, considering the impact of certain actions on their social well being.
Develop course outline: Research and establish an outline of the course to be taught and calculate a time frame for the instructional plan in accordance with school regulations and curriculum objectives.
Cooperate at inter-professional level: Cooperate with people in other sectors in relation to social service work.
Accept own accountability: Accept accountability for one`s own professional activities and recognise the limits of one`s own scope of practice and competencies.
Manage stress in organisation: Cope with sources of stress and cross-pressure in one’s own professional life, such as occupational, managerial, institutional and personal stress, and help others do the same so as to promote the well-being of your colleagues and avoid burn-out.
Build helping relationship with social service users: Develop a collaborative helping relationship, addressing any ruptures or strains in the relationship, fostering bonding and gaining service users` trust and cooperation through empathic listening, caring, warmth and authenticity.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

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

Assessment processes: Various evaluation techniques, theories, and tools applicable in the assessment of students, participants in a programme, and employees. Different assessment strategies such as initial, formative, summative and self- assessment are used for varying purposes.
Funding methods: The financial possibilities for funding projects such as the traditional ones, namely loans, venture capital, public or private grants up to alternative methods such as crowdfunding.
Community education: Programs targeting the social development and learning of individuals in their own community, through a variety of formal or informal education methods.
Learning difficulties: The learning disorders some students face in an academic context, especially Specific Learning Difficulties such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, and concentration deficit disorders.
Crisis intervention: Coping strategies in crisis cases which allow individuals to overcome their problems or fears and avoid psychological distress and breakdown.
University procedures: The inner workings of a university, such as the structure of the relevant education support and management, the policies, and the regulations.
Scientific research methodology: The theoretical methodology used in scientific research involving doing background research, constructing an hypothesis, testing it, analysing data and concluding the results.

Optional skills and competences

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

Assist in the organisation of school events: Provide assistance in the planning and organisation of school events, such as the school’s open house day, a sports game or a talent show.
Supervise educational staff: Monitor and evaluate the actions of the educational staff such as teaching or research assistants and teachers and their methods. Mentor, train, and give advice to them if necessary.
Serve on academic committee: Contribute to university or college managerial decisions, such as budgetary issues, school policy reviews and recommendations, department promotions, and hiring of new staff members. This may also include participation in discussions around educational policy reforms.
Facilitate teamwork between students: Encourage students to cooperate with others in their learning by working in teams, for example through group activities.
Establish collaborative relations: Establish a connection between organisations or individuals which may benefit from communicating with one another in order to facilitate an enduring positive collaborative relationship between both parties.
Conduct scholarly research: Plan scholarly research by formulating the research question and conducting empirical or literature research in order to investigate the truth of the research question.
Discuss research proposals: Discuss proposals and projects with researchers, decide on resources to allocate and whether to move forward with the study.
Monitor educational developments: Monitor the changes in educational policies, methodologies and research by reviewing relevant literature and liaising with education officials and institutions.
Participate in scientific colloquia: Take part in symposia, international experts’ conferences, and congresses to present research projects, methods, and results and to gather information on developments in academic research.
Assist students with equipment: Provide assistance to students when working with (technical) equipment used in practice-based lessons and solve operational problems when necessary.
Develop curriculum: Develop and plan the learning goals and outcomes for education institutions, as well as the required teaching methods and potential education resources.
Plan learning curriculum: Organise content, form, methods and technologies for delivery of study experiences that occur during educational effort which leads to gaining learning outcomes.
Assess social work students: Assess the appropriate evaluation of students undergoing social work practice.
Conduct quantitative research: Execute a systematic empirical investigation of observable phenomena via statistical, mathematical or computational techniques.
Manage resources for educational purposes: Identify the necessary resources needed for learning purposes, such as materials in class or arranged transportation for a field trip. Apply for the corresponding budget and follow up on the orders.
Assist students with their dissertation: Support university students with the writing of their paper or theses. Advise on research methods or additions to certain parts of their dissertations. Report different types of errors, such as research or methodological errors, to the student.
Publish academic research: Conduct academic research, at a university or college or on a personal account, publish it in books or academic journals with the aim of contributing to a field of expertise and achieving personal academic accreditation.
Keep records of attendance: Keep track of the pupils who are absent by recording their names on a list of absentees.
Supervise students in social services: Supervise social work students while they are on social work placement. Share expertise and train them to execute their responsibilities well.
Work with virtual learning environments: Incorporate the use of online learning environments and platforms into the process of instruction.
Conduct field work: Conduct field work or research which is the collection of information outside of a laboratory or workplace setting. Visit places in order to collect specific information about the field.
Provide technical expertise: Provide expert knowledge in a particular field, especially concerning mechanical or scientific subjects, to decision makers, engineers, technical staff or journalists.
Carry out social work research: Initiate and design research to assess social problems and evaluate social work interventions. Use statistical sources to connect the individual data with more aggregated categories and interpret data relating to the social context.
Present reports: Display results, statistics and conclusions to an audience in a transparent and straightforward way.
Provide lesson materials: Ensure that the necessary materials for teaching a class, such as visual aids, are prepared, up-to-date, and present in the instruction space.
Assist students in their learning: Support and coach students in their work, give learners practical support and encouragement.
Supervise doctoral students: Assist students working on a doctorate in specifying their research question and deciding on a methodology. Monitor their progress and conduct quality reviews of their work.
Conduct qualitative research: Gather relevant information by applying systematic methods, such as interviews, focus groups, text analysis, observations and case studies.
Provide career counselling: Advise beneficiaries on future career options through counselling and, potentially, through career testing and evaluation.

ISCO group and title

2310 – University and higher education teachers

 

 


 

 

References
  1. Social work lecturer – ESCO
Last updated on August 8, 2022