Community Worker

Job Duties

Community workers work with clients to help them find the community services they need. You may work for a government agency, group home, school board, prison or other organization. You may also be called a youth worker, addictions worker, family service worker, mental health worker or developmental service worker.

Another related job is "social service worker" but to use this title in Ontario, you must be registered with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. This profile does not have information about becoming a social service worker.

Generally, community workers:

• Collect information about your clients' backgrounds.
• Help people find the community services they need, such as legal help, medical attention, financial assistance, housing, employment, transportation, and more.
• Give clients information about social assistance programs.
• Meet clients and review progress, give support and talk about challenges.
• Help people in crisis and find emergency shelter services, if needed.
• Lead programs or workshops on life skills, substance abuse treatment, behaviour management, youth services or other issues.
• Gather information for statistics.
• May supervise other staff and volunteers.
• Maintain contact with other social service agencies and health care providers involved with clients to provide information and obtain feedback on client's overall progress.
• Implement and organize the delivery of specific services within the community.
• Participate in the selection and admission of clients to appropriate programs.

Source: HRSDC

Job Requirements

Education

This job requires: College or University

Comparison with other jobs in this profession

Job	Level of Education Required
Employment Counsellor	College or University
Community Worker	College or University
Early Childhood Educator Assistant	College or University
Program Coordinator	College or University
Settlement Worker	College or University

Experience

This job requires 0 - 2 years of work experience.

Comparison with other jobs in this profession

Job	Years of Work Experience Required
Employment Counsellor	0 - 2
Community Worker	0 - 2
Early Childhood Educator Assistant	0 - 2
Program Coordinator	0 - 2
Settlement Worker	0 - 2

Source: HRSDC

Essential Skills

As a community worker, you need to:

• Speak, write and read English.
• Know about the needs and issues of different social groups, such as newcomers, the elderly or women, or know about a particular issue such as sexual assault or addiction.
• Prepare notes, case documents and reports.
• Be well-organized.
• Find information quickly, often using the internet.
• Use word processing, presentation and email software.
• Be culturally sensitive and communicate well with people from different backgrounds.
• Work well with other people and on your own.

Source: Ontario Skills Passport

Language Skills

You need to communicate in person, on the phone and in writing with the public and other staff. You also need to take notes, write reports and give presentations. It can be helpful to know 2 or more languages.

Labour Market Information

Trends

In Canada, the population is aging – many people are above age 65. With more people needing health and social-services, the number of jobs in this area could increase. However, restraint in social services government budgets may limit the creation of additional community and social service positions.

Prospects

The work prospects for this job are: GOOD

Comparison with other jobs in this profession

Job	Work Prospects
Employment Counsellor	Fair
Community Worker	Good
Early Childhood Educator Assistant	Good
Program Coordinator	Good
Settlement Worker	Good

Wages

The average hourly wage for this job is: C$21.75/hour.

Comparison with other jobs in this profession

Job	Average Wage/Hour
Employment Counsellor	$25.00
Community Worker	$21.75
Early Childhood Educator Assistant	$16.41
Program Coordinator	$21.75
Settlement Worker	$21.75

Source: HRSDC

Retraining

Educational Programs

These links will give you a list of related educational programs or where you can search for them. There may be other schools that have similar programs, such as private career colleges. You may be able to get advanced standing.

• Related programs at Ontario colleges
• Search for related programs at Canadian universities

Bridging Programs

Here is a list of some bridging programs. These programs can help you assess your education and skills, get practical training or improve your language skills so that you can work in your field.

• Internationally Educated Social Work Professionals - Ryerson University
• See bridging programs for social workers

Language Training

Here is an example of a language training program:

• Workplace Communication Skills for Child and Youth Worker

Work Experience Programs

Many college programs and bridging programs in this field include co-operative (co-op) work experience.

Voluntary Membership Opportunities

• Ontario Association of Social Workers

Helpful Links

• Career Map for Social Workers
• Information for Internationally-Trained Social Workers
• Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers
• Canadian Association for Social Work Education
• Association of Social Work Boards
• HireIEHPs.com

The data in this profile is provided for informational purposes only. Some of the information may have changed since this profile was written. Please check the source for the most up-to-date information.