Occupation Profile

Social and Human Service Assistants

(SOC Code : 21-1093)

in California

Assist professionals from a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, or social work, to provide client services, as well as support for families. May assist clients in identifying available benefits and social and community services and help clients obtain them. May assist social workers with developing, organizing, and conducting programs to prevent and resolve problems relevant to substance abuse, human relationships, rehabilitation, or adult daycare. Exclude "Rehabilitation Counselors" (21-1015), "Personal and Home Care Aides" (39-9021), "Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs" (43-4061), and "Psychiatric Technicians" (29-2053).

Employers usually expect an employee in this occupation to be able to do the job after Moderate-term on-the-job training (1-12 months) .

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Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$17.35	$12.65	$16.55	$21.03

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	34,600	42,200	7,600	22.0	1,500

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Within miles of Zip Code.

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

Individual and Family Services

18,414

23.3%

Vocational Rehabilitation Services

1,806

7.8%

Emergency and Other Relief Services

649

6.7%

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals

1,393

5.8%

Nursing Care Facilities

2,386

3.9%

Social Advocacy Organizations

7,971

3.2%

Outpatient Care Centers

6,487

2.9%

Residential Mental Health Facilities

2.1%

Grantmaking and Giving Services

813

1.7%

Child Day Care Services

11,003

1.6%

Offices of Physicians

62,928

1.5%

Religious Organizations

25,283

1.4%

Civic and Social Organizations

6,083

1.2%

Elementary and Secondary Schools

17,985

1.1%

About Staffing Patterns

Training Programs (click on title for more information)

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Program Title

Human Services, General

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Keep records or prepare reports for owner or management concerning visits with clients.

Submit reports and review reports or problems with superior.

Interview individuals or family members to compile information on social, educational, criminal, institutional, or drug history.

Provide information or refer individuals to public or private agencies or community services for assistance.

Consult with supervisor concerning programs for individual families.

Advise clients regarding food stamps, child care, food, money management, sanitation, or housekeeping.

Oversee day-to-day group activities of residents in institution.

Visit individuals in homes or attend group meetings to provide information on agency services, requirements, or procedures.

Monitor free, supplementary meal program to ensure cleanliness of facility and that eligibility guidelines are met for persons receiving meals.

Meet with youth groups to acquaint them with consequences of delinquent acts.

More Tasks for Social and Human Service Assistants

Top Skills used in this Job

Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others` reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others` actions.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

More Skills for Social and Human Service Assistants

Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Relationships - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.

More Interests for Social and Human Service Assistants

Alternate Titles

Advocates; Human Services Program Specialists; Mental Health Technicians; Addictions Counselor Assistants; Caseworkers; Independent Living Specialists; Activities of Daily Living Specialists; Case Managers; Family Development Specialists; Family Self-Sufficiency Specialists; Case Aides; Home Visitors; and Human Services Workers.