Working for Everyone: How Human Services Exists to Serve

The good work of helping those who are in need is never complete. While American society has produced great wealth and tremendous advances in health care, there remain many who struggle each and every day with poverty, illness, homelessness, and addiction. The good news is that there is an established network of organizations and funding intended to help these individuals and families navigate their environments and not only become self-sufficient but thriving!

What are Human Services?

Human services are strongly associated with non-profit and religious organizations that are greatly concerned with the well-being of the whole person. Typically, the term human services are used to refer to a multitude of disciplines that address everything from homelessness to addiction recovery. There are also numerous non-governmental organizations and state and federal agencies that work to provide human services.

History of Human Services

Academia began to see a need for a new field of study in the early 1960s that would provide definition and clarity to the professional roles commonly associated with helping those in need. The idea was build upon the fields of nursing, education, social work, law, and medicine to create a synergy and efficiency with all of those disciplines working in concert with one another.

Human services are strongly associated with non-profit and religious organizations that are greatly concerned with the well-being of the whole person. Over time, these organizations have become more and more developed and find themselves threaded into the fabric of our society. Their work has become invaluable as millions of individuals and families rely on their help each and every day.

What is the difference between Human Services and Social Work?

The terms human services and social work are often used interchangeably. They do share some similarities however there are some significant areas of focus that set them apart.

Both roles are focused on lifting up those who need help and giving them the tools to better their lives. Both roles seek to relieve barriers associated with financial stressors, illness, hunger, and homelessness. In essence, the overall goal of these two roles is one and the same.

Where they begin to diverge is in how they contribute to this goal. Social work is focused on working with specific, individual clients. Often, social workers are licensed and specially trained for teaching or research.

Human service professionals are often responsible for the more administrative and organizational roles in the non-profits and groups that support these activities. Individuals who specialize in human services are often in leadership positions and are responsible for equipping their staff to be successful in the field. Additionally, human service leaders are responsible for the viability of their organizations by way of finding and allocating funds, strategic planning, and maximizing efficiency.

What are the different types of Human Services?

The types of human services and positions within the field are as varied as the client base that is served. Human services workers often play support roles for doctors, psychologists, and social workers as they fill in gaps in client’s progress with counseling and support. Some examples of positions and types of work that are common in the human service field include:

• Case manager: The need for these professionals has been growing over the years and for good reason! Case managers act as advocates for the client by networking and collaborating with various points of care to ensure that their client is getting the whole care they need. These individuals are typically well-versed in many different areas of health care and social work.
• Substance abuse counselor: The important work that these individuals do often shapes the course of families. Substance abuse counselors help their clients overcome the struggles of addiction and be free from a disease that can overwhelm them if left unchecked. These professionals can work in non-profits, hospitals, clinics, and rehab facilities.
• Family court advocate: These individuals work for the betterment of children’s lives. They represent the best interests of children in family disputes that spill over into court. These court battles are often the result of an abusive, dangerous home situation. Family court advocates often work with abuse shelters, foster care, social service departments, and crisis intervention programs.
• Community outreach manager: There are countless community programs available to help those in need but often, the biggest barrier to getting help is not knowing where to start. That’s where community outreach managers come in to play. These individuals work with non-profits and community organizations to connect them with families who need their help.
• Child welfare counselor: These human service professionals work directly with children for their welfare. This often includes the decision to remove them from their home if needed and can act as their guardian, representing them in courts.
   

What is the Department of Health and Human Services?

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) is the agency of the government tasked with bettering the health and well-being of all Americans. This is a cabinet-level Federal agency that oversees a significant number of programs that Americans utilize each and every day. The federal-level health and human services department contributes to the state and local level health departments in two specific ways. First, they work to provide valuable research and provide high-level policy guidance. Secondly, they work to administer federal funds to state and local groups who are tasked with implementing the programs that ultimately impact the citizens they serve day today.

The funding that the DHS administers is a critical cog in the wheel of human service work. State and local organizations and agencies rely heavily on these resources to service their local populations.

Types of Human Services Organizations

There are well over 100,000 human services organizations in the United States that employ over 3 million professionals. These professionals work in a variety of human services organizations that help just about every group imaginable. Some of the most common types of human services organizations include:

• Lobbyist groups who work to advance the interests of a particular group of the underserved
• Patient advocacy groups who help patients find health care coverage through Medicaid and Medicare
• Private foundations who are largely funded by individual donations and work for specific causes often near and dear to the hearts of their founders
• Private sector mental health groups include professionals such as counselors in private schools, lobbyists for political action committees, and private foundations.
• Department of Health and Human Services the federal agency that has the primary responsibility for oversight of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Their influence directly impacts the funding of state and local government organizations and non-profits that do much of the heavy lifting in human service work.

What are Human Services Skills?

Human service professionals are required to have a diverse and deep set of skills in order to be successful. These individuals are tasked with being able to see the human elements of a situation while also looking after the financial and long-term viability of a project or organization. The list of desirable qualities could be quite lengthy but here are some of the most important qualities that human service professionals should strive for:

• Empathy: The ability to understand how others might be feeling is the core skill that anyone in human or social services must-have. This is the focus of that profession and one cannot be successful in that line of work if they can’t relate to what others are experiencing.
• Emotional Intelligence: Second only to empathy, being able to control emotions and be aware of their effect is of utmost importance. Emotional intelligence allows for human service professionals to manage their relationships and to help clients manage theirs.
• Organization: While it is certainly not specific to the field of human services, being organized pays great dividends in this line of work. There are immense amounts of paperwork, state and federal regulations, finances, and client data that have be to accumulated and organized in a way that it can be called upon at any moment.
• Active Listening: When working with a high volume of clients, human service professionals can easily fall into the trap of assuming what a client might be expressing or perhaps what the solution to their problem may be. This trap can be avoided by practicing active listening. Gaining a fine understanding of a client’s specific needs benefits everyone involved. No two situations are going to be exactly alike.
• Character: Being honest and respectful is essential in the field of human service. These go hand in hand with providing care and being empathetic toward those you’re trying to help.
• Self-care: Human service work can be emotionally and physically exhausting. The very act of being empathetic requires that a person tries to put themselves in another’s situation. The toll this takes can be considerable. For human service professionals to be successful, they need to work hard to take time for themselves to heal and rest.
• Communication: There are many parties involved in human service work. Peers, funders, government agencies, clients, etc… Facilitating good communication about needs, finances, and the status of projects is a prerequisite for conducting business in the field.
• Patience: Working with people and government agencies takes time. Being patient to avoid frustration and to allow for processes to move at the pace they need to is a valuable asset.

What is Human Service Management?

Oversight and implementation of the various support organizations that work with the community and individuals are what human service management encompasses. Managing these diverse organizations requires an equally diverse skill set.

Human service managers are able to oversee complex organizations that are often the nexus of public policy, federal funding, and community ethics. Management positions in the field of human services range anywhere from case managers to human resource managers. While there is diversity in the types of management positions, all managers in this field must be empathetic and focused on helping the individuals and communities that their respective organizations seek to help.

What is the role of a Human Service Worker?

Human service workers are the on-the-ground, in-person professionals who assist families, individuals, and communities in working through their problems with the ultimate goal of improving their lives. These professionals provide a litany of services including counseling for mental and physical problems, assistance with alcohol or substance abuse, conflict resolutions, and assisting immigrants with navigating life in a new environment.

At it’s core, human service is all about helping other people achieve the best quality of life they can.

How to become a Human Services Manager

Human service managers are always in demand. The need to help individuals with common struggles is a service that, unfortunately, is a constant. Becoming a human service manager requires specialized training in addition to social and human service education.

Universities and colleges offer a variety of programs that can prepare human service professionals for management careers. In addition to education, aspiring human service managers should spend as much time as possible shadowing those in the field so that they can learn what the day to expectations of the role is and how to navigate the complex field of state, local, and federal regulations.

Lets Conclude 

Human service work is some of the most important work in our modern society. The betterment of individual and families’ lives depend on the services that these industry professional provide. They are highly trained and empathetic individuals and we are fortunate to have them working to help others.