What Does a Caseworker Do?

In communities across the country, individuals and families encounter challenges and hardships on a number of fronts, from healthcare issues, to counseling, to domestic and social service needs.

While there are typically a range of services, organizations and programs available that are designed to provide assistance in these circumstances, understanding how to effectively access them isn’t always easy. This is where social caseworkers enter the picture, stepping in to bridge the gap between those in need and the resources available to them.

What is a Caseworker?

Caseworkers are dedicated professionals who work closely with individuals and families, managing their cases to successfully connect them with various forms of assistance and social services, according to Dr. Thomas MacCarty, associate dean of social sciences at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU).

“Caseworkers make sure their clients' needs are being met and will help clients access the resources and support necessary to improve their well-being and quality of life,” he said.

This assistance can range from long-term and temporary housing, to healthcare, to mental health and counseling, to employment and job training and many other points in between, said MacCarty.

What is the Purpose of Casework?

The field of social casework emerged to address the front-line need for personnel to help individuals and families navigate the often complex process for accessing services across a wide range of agencies and organizations.

The role of casework itself also has evolved over the years due to a number of reasons, MacCarty said, including:

• Changes in current societal problems and challenges
• Demand for services
• Legislation at all levels of government

While in its early form, casework was more about getting immediate help for families in crisis, the field today involves more comprehensive planning.

“It does seem the role has evolved from providing immediate services, such as when an individual or family is in crisis — though this does still happen — into a more client-centered and holistic approach that’s focused on encouraging individuals and families to become more self-sufficient and be able to recognize how to overcome the challenges they may face,” MacCarty said.

What Are the Duties and Responsibilities of a Caseworker?

Caseworkers assist individuals and families by connecting them with services and resources, according to Maria Brown MS, CSAC, HS-BCP, an adjunct faculty member of human services at SNHU. Brown is a Certified Substance Abuse Counselor and Board-Certified Human Services Practitioner with extensive experience in counseling and case management. Throughout her career, she said she's worked with unhoused and low-income individuals and families across public and nonprofit human services organizations.

"Effective caseworkers are ethical, culturally responsive and highly organized professionals who are dedicated to serving others," she said. "Their work is grounded in evidence-based practices, theoretical knowledge and an understanding of community resources."

As a caseworker, Brown said that you'll:

• Assess the client’s strengths, needs and goals
• Develop individualized service plans in collaboration with clients
• Monitor client progress and adjust their plans as needed

“They work to assess the needs of their clients, develop plans to meet those needs and collaborate with other professionals such as doctors, psychologists or counselors and organizations such as child welfare, social services, food banks, housing, etc., to make sure their clients receive the appropriate support they need,” MacCarty said.

Beyond this process, Brown said caseworkers also:

• Advocate for clients
• Educate clients on coping skills, goal-setting, navigating systems, self-advocacy and life skills
• Provide crisis intervention and support
• Refer clients to community services and resources
• Maintain accurate, timely records and documentation

"Casework is a dynamic and varied career because it blends administrative tasks, documentation, field work, and collaboration with a broad range of professionals and community stakeholders," Brown said. "Each client’s background and situation is different, keeping the work engaging."

What is the Difference Between a Caseworker and a Social Worker?

(Note: SNHU does not currently offer degrees for social work.)

In a broad sense, there are many similarities between caseworkers and social workers. They’re often employed within the same agencies and organizations, and both professions strive to provide social assistance and relief to underserved and vulnerable populations. But when you dig a little deeper you’ll find there are distinct differences between what caseworkers and social workers do.

“Social workers are oftentimes licensed professionals that can provide counseling, therapy and advocacy services,” MacCarty said. “They have received specialized training in the theoretical frameworks of social work, how to apply intervention strategies and professional ethics.”

In comparison, caseworkers don’t provide mental health counseling or therapy, and instead focus on working directly with individuals and families to ensure they have access to the appropriate support and services they need to survive.

“Both caseworkers and social workers are dedicated to helping those in need and moving ahead with the goal of promoting positive outcomes for their clients,” MacCarty said. “But how they do the work differs significantly.”

Learn more: How to Become a Social Worker

What is the Best Degree for Caseworkers?

Unlike many other professions, caseworkers represent a broad range of academic backgrounds, disciplines and degrees.

MacCarty said employers typically look for applicants with a bachelor’s degree in a field that’s relevant to the type of work caseworkers do, such as a:

• Bachelor of Arts in Human Services
• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
• Bachelor of Arts in Sociology

SNHU also offers other bachelor's programs with concentrations that may apply to casework, such as:

• Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Public Administration
• Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Human Services and Advocacy

However, you may find situations where entry-level caseworker positions are filled by applicants with an associate degree in a related field, MacCarty said.

What Skills Do Caseworkers Need?

Caseworkers should be resilient and possess strong communication, problem-solving and advocacy skills, Brown noted.

MacCarty said other relevant skills include:

• Ability to be a self-starter and an effective self-manager
• Computer savviness and the ability to multitask
• Excellent time management and organizational capabilities

“Caseworkers must be good at managing their time and cannot afford to put things off,” MacCarty said. “Most of the time, case loads are large and there is a strong need to stay on top of things.”

In addition to professional skills and abilities, MacCarty said there are also a variety of personal characteristics and traits that could make you a good fit for the field. Some of these include:

• Compassionate
• Empathetic
• Strong emotional intelligence
• Unbiased toward others

“Caseworkers also need to know how to set professional boundaries and realize the need to take care of themselves emotionally, psychologically and physically so they can help those in need,” MacCarty said.

Another important characteristic for caseworkers, MacCarty said, is being a good listener. “To truly understand what may be happening in an individual’s life is to truly listen without formulating responses,” he said.

Types of Caseworkers

A key benefit to pursuing a career as a caseworker is the breadth of employment opportunities across a spectrum of professional organizations, agencies, centers and facilities.

For, example, MacCarty said you might become a healthcare caseworker and work in environments like:

• Hospital and healthcare facilities
• Mental health clinics
• Substance abuse clinics
• Physical therapy facilities

There are also caseworkers in other settings, including:

• Adoption and foster care caseworkers
• Criminal justice caseworkers
• Government caseworkers
• Nonprofit caseworkers

Brown said you may also find caseworkers in schools, social service agencies, community centers and a variety of other settings.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), jobs for social and human service assistants like entry-level caseworkers are projected to grow 6% by 2034, twice as fast as the average projected growth rate for all occupations.*

With experience, you might also advance to a role as a social service manager and affect change from a leadership position. "With additional education and experience, caseworkers may move into supervisory roles, program management, clinical practice or teaching," Brown said.

Read more: A List of Helping Professions: Big Hearts, Big Opportunities

So, Should You Become a Caseworker?

Like all helping professions, Brown said casework can offer rewards and challenges.

"Casework entails managing high-stress, emotionally demanding situations, including poverty, domestic violence, behavioral health disorders, homelessness and trauma," she said. "High caseloads, scarce resources and inadequate funding add to the demands of this work."

To succeed in this role long-term, MacCarty said you'll need to be comfortable drawing emotional boundaries. “As a caseworker, you need to realize you can only do your best to help those in need,” he said. “But people also need to want to help themselves.”

If you have the right skills, mindset and passion, though, this path can help you make a difference. Caseworkers can have a significant, positive impact on the lives of their clients, both in terms of connecting them with immediate assistance and in empowering them to help themselves moving ahead, according to MacCarty.

"For many, the sense of purpose and ability to make meaningful impacts in people’s lives make a career in casework incredibly fulfilling," Brown said.

*Cited job growth projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth. Actual salaries and/or earning potential may be the result of a combination of factors including, but not limited to: years of experience, industry of employment, geographic location, and worker skill.

Cary Jordan is an Iowa-based writer with more than 20 years of writing and editing experience on a wide range of issues related to higher education. Jordan has held administrative and cabinet-level positions at multiple colleges and universities, and his writing has spanned topics related to undergraduate education as well as graduate education in the areas of business, law, medicine and engineering, among others. Connect with him on LinkedIn.