Workforce Structure Op-Ed

The success of welfare reform depends on good social workers

Poverty is a social problem that is the result of a host of complex reasons and a problem that cannot be cured with a welfare check or a scolding from the government to get a job. Many families face complicated barriers to self-sufficiency that frontline caseworkers may not understand, and they may not have the training to guide families to appropriate resources.

During the 1960s, with the War on Poverty, welfare offices cut the number of social workers serving clients. This created a career path for frontline workers that involved eligibility verification and fraud detection. With the changes in the welfare system since 1996, these same low-level clerks—the majority hold only a high school education or an unrelated college degree—are expected to be mentors, coaches, enforcers, and trainers.

Many caseworkers would welcome more training to understand the issues their clients bring to the table, but they need more time and smaller caseloads. These staff, who were primarily gatekeepers of eligibility, now must conduct client assessments, assist in job searches, identify barriers to employment, track participants’ progress, and make referrals to related programs and services.

Many needy families slip through the cracks; an estimated one-third to one-half of all families leaving welfare for work do not receive the medical assistance, food stamps, or child care for which they are eligible. Many people who have moved from welfare to work are still in poverty, but they do not know that they are eligible for other assistance.

The low-income families still receiving welfare benefits today are going to need more help reaching the ladder of opportunity. Many face multiple barriers to employment, such as domestic violence, mental illness, and substance abuse. More than half of the states have adopted strategies to screen participants for substance abuse, but they are still not referring clients to treatment programs. Many families with barriers have gone unrecognized and untreated. Many women still in the system have been victims of childhood physical or sexual abuse, are victims of domestic violence, or are struggling with serious health problems.

The Bush administration’s simplistic view of "jobs first" ignores policies that contribute to long-term success in alleviating poverty. Families need supports. A professional social worker may be just that support.

Professional social workers are trained to do precisely what frontline welfare caseworkers have not been doing—identify clients’ problems and link them to available services. Social workers should be part of the training team; helping frontline caseworkers link the clients and the system, making sure that people get the supports to keep them off welfare permanently.