Social and Community Service Workers

Formal Description

“Social and community service workers administer and implement a variety of social assistance programs and community services, and assist clients to deal with personal and social problems. They are employed by social service and government agencies, mental health agencies, group homes, shelters, substance abuse centres, school boards, correctional facilities and other establishments.” (NOC 2021)

Sample Job Titles

This category includes a variety of job titles that may not necessarily be reflected by the category title. For a full index of job titles, see the category entry on the ESDC site. Example job titles include:

Aboriginal Outreach Worker

Addictions Worker

Case Aide

Child and Youth Worker

Child Life Specialist

Child Welfare Worker

Community and Social Services Worker

Community Rehabilitation Worker

Correctional Program Officer

Crisis Intervention Worker

Disability Management Worker

Eligibility Coordinator - Social Assistance

Neuro-linguistic Programming Coach

Residential Counsellor - group home

Veterans' Affairs Field Officer

Volunteer Manager

Typical Employment and Education Requirements

The requirements listed for each occupational category will tend to vary across particular roles, job titles, and contexts.

The following typical requirements are listed on the ESDC’s 2021 entry for this occupational category:

“Completion of a college or university program in social work, child and youth care, psychology or other social science or health-related discipline is usually required.”
“Previous work experience in a social service environment as a volunteer or in a support capacity may replace formal education requirements for some occupations in this unit group.”
“Social service workers may be required to be a member of a provincial regulatory body in some provinces.”

Success with a Social Sciences Undergraduate Degree and Beyond

When reviewing typical requirements, please remember:

Degree and diploma listings often end with a purposefully open-ended phrase (“or a related field”, “or a similar discipline”) that acknowledges the variety and applicability of social sciences and liberal arts degrees.
Employers often focus less on the name or title of a candidate’s degree, and more on how they articulate their transferable skills and experiences.
Many qualifications and certifications are available as post-graduate certificates aimed at recent university graduates; these can make an excellent further education option for a social sciences or liberal arts degree.

Explore related Graduate Certificates, Master's Programs or other relevant avenues for further education.

Learn More

Related Categories

Here are a few other categories that might interest you:

Professional Social Scientists

Related Sectors

Whereas Economic and Social Development Canada’s ‘occupational’ categories tend to focus more on the duties and functions that people play in specific roles, exploring careers by ‘sectors’ helps us to sort by employer type, industry, or general field of work. Here are just a few of the sectors that may be relevant to this category:

Careers In Municipalities

Careers in Cultural Resources Management

Careers in Organizations

Browse More Options by Sector

Academic Program Connections

As you select your program of study and the courses you will take, you can chart a path towards success in this sector from any one of our social sciences departments and programs. Here are just a few examples of academic disciplines that have connections with this sector: