Social and Human Service Assistants

Social and human service assistants provide client services, including support for families, in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work. They assist other workers, such as social workers, and they help clients find benefits or community services.

Duties

Social and human service assistants typically do the following:

• Help determine what type of aid their clients need
• Work with clients and other professionals, such as social workers, to develop a treatment plan
• Help clients find assistance with daily activities, such as eating and bathing
• Research services, such as food assistance programs and Medicaid, that are available to clients
• Coordinate services provided to clients
• Help clients to complete paperwork to apply for assistance programs
• Check in with clients to ensure that services are provided appropriately

Social and human service assistants have many job titles, including case work aide, clinical social work aide, family service assistant, social work assistant, addictions counselor assistant, and human service worker.

Social and human service assistants help clients identify and obtain benefits and services. In addition to initially connecting clients with benefits or services, social and human service assistants may follow up with clients to ensure that they are receiving the intended services and that the services are meeting their needs. They work under the direction of social workers, psychologists, or other community and social service workers.

With children and families, social and human service assistants ensure that children live in safe homes. They help parents get needed resources for their children, such as food assistance or childcare.

With the elderly, these workers help clients stay in their own homes and live independently whenever possible. Social and human service assistants may coordinate meal deliveries or find personal care aides to help with the clients’ day-to-day needs, such as running errands and bathing. In some cases, they might help look for residential care facilities, such as nursing homes.

For people with disabilities, social and human service assistants help find rehabilitation services that aid their clients. They may work with employers to make a job more accessible to people with disabilities. Some workers find personal care services to help clients with daily living activities, such as bathing and making meals.

For people with addictions, social and human service assistants find rehabilitation centers that meet their clients’ needs. They also may find support groups for people who are dependent on alcohol, drugs, gambling, or other substances or behaviors.

With veterans, assistants help people who have been discharged from the military adjust to civilian life. They help with practical needs, such as locating housing and finding ways to apply skills gained in the military to civilian jobs. They also may help their clients navigate the services available to veterans.

For people with mental illnesses, social and human service assistants help clients find the appropriate resources to help them cope with their illness. They find self-help and support groups to provide their clients with an assistance network. In addition, they may find personal care services or group housing to help those with more severe mental illnesses care for themselves.

With immigrants, workers help clients adjust to living in a new country. They help the clients locate jobs and housing. They also may help them find programs that teach English, or they may find legal assistance to help them get administrative paperwork in order.

With former prison inmates, social and human service assistants find job training or placement programs to help clients reenter society. They help former inmates find housing and connect with programs that help them start a new life for themselves.

With homeless people, social and human service assistants help clients meet their basic needs. They find temporary or permanent housing for their clients and locate places, such as soup kitchens, that provide meals. They also help homeless people find resources to address other problems they may have, such as joblessness.

Social and human service assistants held about 449,600 jobs in 2024. The largest employers of social and human service assistants were as follows:

Social and human service assistants work in offices, clinics, hospitals, group homes, and shelters. Some travel around their communities to see clients.

Work Schedules

Most social and human service assistants work full time. Some may work evenings and weekends.

Social and human service assistants typically need at least a high school diploma, although specific requirements may vary. Training is usually provided on the job.

The median annual wage for social and human service assistants was $45,120 in May 2024.

Employment of social and human service assistants is projected to grow 6 percent from 2024 to 2034, faster than the average for all occupations.

About 50,600 openings for social and human service assistants are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.