Profession social services policy officer

Social services policy officers research, analyse and develop social services policies and implement these policies and services to improve circumstances of disadvantaged and vulnerable members of society such as children and elderly people. They work in the administration of social services and stay in contact with organisations and other stakeholders and provide them with regular updates.

Personality Type

• Enterprising / Conventional

Knowledge

• Government social security programmes

  The different areas of social security provided by the government, the different rights which citizens have, which benefits are available, the rules which regulate social security and the different situations in which they apply.

• Impact of social contexts on health

  The social and cultural contexts of individuals` behaviours, and the impact on their health within their social and cultural context.

Skills

• Evaluate social work program's impact

  Gather data to allow the assessment of the impact of a program on a community.

• Advise on legislative acts

  Advise officials in a legislature on the propositioning of new bills and the consideration of items of legislation.

• Apply quality standards in social services

  Apply quality stardards in social services while upholding social work values and principles.

• Apply problem solving in social service

  Systematically apply a step-by-step problem-solving process in providing social services.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Develop social security programmes

  Develop programmes and policies which aim to protect citizens and grant them rights, such as unemployment and family benefits, as well as to prevent their misuse of government-provided aid.

• 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.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB