The Study Of The Community Social Worker’s Career Identity Problem

The progress of social worker team building has been running slow, which is believed tobe related with the career identity of social workers. Taking community social workers asresearch objectives, this thesis studies their career identity problems and related influencingfactors. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are utilized in the study. Wherein a surveyhas been conducted among151qualified community social workers within F area of Beijing,and in-depth interviews have been performed on9of them to get a panoramic understandingof their status of career identity, three basic fields of the career identity and related influencingfactors.According to the investigation, it turns out that community social workers have arelatively low career identity level. The characteristics of three supporting system of careeridentity are low career welfare, altruistic meaning system and imperfect organization.Analysis shows that the major factor affecting the career identity of community socialworkers is the mismatch among the welfare system, the meaning system and organization.More specifically, the conception behind organization and career welfare does not match withthe meaning system, organization cannot fulfill the requirement of the meaning system, andorganization does not target at realizing career welfare. To solve the career identity problemof social workers, suggestions have been given from three aspects including raising salary andwelfare of social workers, perfecting policies such as social management, evaluation,utilization, insurance, and improving career status.Discussion has been made from different perspectives. On individual level, it is requiredto understand the developing history of social work and specific operating logic, and try toserve residents by using conception and methods of professional social work. On communitylevel, sufficient developing and acting space should be provided to community social workers,thus making them play their roles. On social level, more public advertising is needed, whichwill make more people know about social work and increase their willingness to receive helpfrom social workers, lead to more public participation and promote the reputation ofcommunity social workers. With all these efforts, the career welfare system, organization andthe meaning system could be highly matched. In addition to this, the career identity of social workers will get enhanced and function of social workers will be fully exploited, thus servingthe ultimate goal of social harmony.