Being a social worker in a state child welfare agency is not for everyone. It's for people who believe they can make a difference in a world of challenges and hard knocks.

To find out if a social work position with Family Services may be right for you:

1. Watch a video (from New Hampshire) about the day-to-day work of a child welfare professional.
   Click here to see the video, which was created by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (Division for Children Youth and Families) in partnership with Accompany Video Production of NH. While this video is not from Vermont, it will give you a realistic preview of what the work will be like.  
    

2. Ask yourself whether you have the characteristics of a successful Family Services social worker?

• Professional commitment to, and caring about, clients and the child welfare profession
• Personal resilience
• Strong self-efficacy beliefs about the ability to work with clients to produce positive client outcomes
• Efficient organization and time management skills
• Good oral and written communication skills
• Positive work morale
• Ability to be flexible in thinking and problem solving
• Realistic expectations about the difficulty and challenges of the work
• ability to handle an often unpredictable work environment
• High frustration tolerance
• Ability to balance the stresses in one’s personal and professional lives
• Willingness to be self reflective about one’s work and to learn from others
• Physical energy
• A sense of humor

You know who you are. Find a job that matters!