Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession that concerns itself with individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole in an effort to meet basic needs and enhance social functioning, self-determination, collective responsibility, and overall well-being. Social functioning is defined as the ability of an individual to perform their social roles within their own self, their immediate social environment, and the society at large. Social work applies theories from the social sciences, such as sociology, psychology, political science, public health, community development, law, and economics, to engage with client systems, conduct assessments, and develop interventions to solve social problems, personal problems, and bring about social change. Social work practice is often divided into micro-work, which involves working directly with individuals or small groups; and macro-work, which involves working with communities, and fostering change on a larger scale through social policy.
To learn more, please visit the National Association of Social Workers.
The field of Human Services is broadly defined, uniquely approaching the objective of meeting human needs through an interdisciplinary knowledge base, focusing on prevention as well as remediation of problems, and maintaining a commitment to improving the overall quality of life of service populations. The Human Services profession is one which promotes improved service delivery systems by addressing not only the quality of direct services, but also by seeking to improve accessibility, accountability, and coordination among professionals and agencies in service delivery.
To learn more, please visit the National Organization for Human Services.
At the certificate and associate degree level of education, there is little difference between the fields of Social Work and Human Services. The broad generalist approach at this level of higher education helps to prepare students to enter the workforce at the paraprofessional* level of practice. It also prepares students to transfer to 4-year colleges/universities to continue their education in Social Work, Human Services, or other helping professions (e.g. Psychology, Sociology, Public Health, etc.).
*A paraprofessional is person to whom a particular aspect of a professional task is delegated but who is not licensed to practice as a fully qualified professional.
Social work, psychology and sociology are all related fields that deal with human relationships and human problems and how they all relate to their environments. However, the career paths of the three are quite different and require different types of education, field experience/internship, and license.
For more information, please visit the HealthGrad.
Our SWHS Department is strongly committed to supporting students who are justice-impacted. We currently offer our SWHS programs and courses to students who are currently incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison and Folsom Men’s Prison. We also work closely with the FLC Re-entry Program to support justice-involved students on campus. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the SWHS Department Chair to discuss any questions or concerns about accessing higher education or employment related to your status as a justice-impacted person.
For more information, please visit the FLC Prison and Reentry Education Program.
There are many pathways for persons who are justice-impacted to work in the helping professions. There will be some barriers in finding internships and jobs, depending on the regulations of the social service agencies and depending on the nature of your criminal record. But there are agencies who are actively seeking persons with lived experience in receiving social services supports to work in peer mentor roles, and those employers are often very supportive of hiring and promoting justice-impacted persons.
For additional information, please visit JobsForFelsonsHub.
The time needed to complete a degree or certificate depends on how many units you take each term.
Associate Degrees are 60 units:
- 2 years if full time (15 units per term)
- 3 or more years for part-time students
Certificates in SWHS are 33 units or 12 units:
- 1-2 years depending on unit load
There is a recommended course sequence/pathway for each award. The degree pathways are designed for full-time students taking 15 units. If you are planning to take less than 15 units, please feel free to reach out to the SWHS Department Chair and/or your Academic Counselor for advice on a recommended course sequence.
You can learn more about the curriculum/content for each course by viewing the course outline in the FLC Course Catalog or SWHS Department Courses.
- Case Worker
- Family Support Worker
- Youth Worker
- Social Service Liaison
- Residential Counselor
- Behavioral Management Aide
- Case Management Aide
- Eligibility/Intake Worker
- Adult Day Care Worker
- Life Skills Instructor
- Client Advocate
- Social Service Aide
- Group Activities Aide
- Social Service Technician
- Therapeutic Assistant
- Gerontology Aide
- Juvenile Court Liaison
- Home Health Aide
- Group Home Worker
- Crisis Intervention Counselor
- Mental Health Aide
- Community Outreach Worker
- Community Action Worker
- Psychological Aide
- Assistant Case Manager
- Rehabilitation Case Worker