Career Paths
As a Human Services and Community Justice Major you can expect to work:
With communities - social and human service assistants foster a rich appreciation for diverse human systems, community-based approaches to justice, advocacy, leadership, policy making, and administration.
With children and families - social and human service assistants ensure that the children live in safe homes. They help parents advocate for needed resources for their children, such as food stamps or childcare.
With the elderly - these workers help clients stay in their own homes and live under their own care whenever possible. Social and human service assistants may coordinate meal deliveries or locate and provide a range of services with the clients' day-to-day needs. In some cases, human service assistants help look for residential care facilities, such as nursing homes.
With people with disabilities - social and human service assistants help find rehabilitation services that aid their clients. They may work with employers to make a job more accessible to people with disabilities. Some workers find personal care services to help clients with daily living activities, such as bathing and making meals.
For people with addictions - human service assistants find rehabilitation centers that meet their clients' needs. They also may find support groups for people who are dependent on alcohol, drugs, gambling, or other substances or behaviors.
With veterans - assistants help people who have been discharged from the military adjust to civilian life. They help with practical needs, such as locating housing and finding ways to apply skills gained in the military to civilian jobs. They may also help their clients navigate the services available to veterans.
For people with mental illnesses - social and human service assistants help clients find the appropriate resources to help them cope with their illness. They find self-help and support groups to provide their clients with an assistance network. In addition, they may find personal care services or group housing to help those with more severe mental illnesses care for themselves.
With immigrants - workers help clients adjust to living in a new country. They help the clients locate jobs and housing. They may also help them find programs that teach English, or they may find legal assistance to help immigrants get administrative paperwork in order.
With former prison inmates - human service assistants find job training or placement programs to help clients reenter society. Human service assistants help former inmates find housing and connect with programs that help them start a new life for themselves.
With homeless people - assistants help clients meet their basic needs. They find temporary or permanent housing for their clients and locate places, such as soup kitchens, that provide meals. Human service assistants also help homeless people find resources to address other problems they may have, such as joblessness
Careers in Human Services and Community Justice
Human Services careers, which include clusters of occupations found within the described category of "community and social service employment”, is expected to be "very favorable" as the number of human services workers are projected to grow “faster than average” for all occupations through 2024 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015).
The rationale for this anticipated job growth is attributed to the mounting and intensifying need for services to help address problems related to mental illness, poverty, developmental disabilities, substance abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, and a host of other psycho- social-economic issues impacting contemporary society. The escalating need for childcare, elder home care and senior citizen services will further bolster the overall projected job growth in the Human Services field.
There also is a documented trend of deinstitutionalization leaving many who are chronically ill, especially those adjudicated in the criminal justice system, left to their own devices and in desperate need of community support services. Given prison overcrowding, budgetary considerations, and doubts about the effectiveness of programs for those incarcerated, sentencing guidelines have become increasingly flexible, favoring alternatives to prison sentencing programs rather than prison time. This shift has increased the need of community-based social service treatment programs and human service professionals trained to provide assistance and support for these targeted populations
HSCJ Careers
- Behavioral Management Aid
- Case Manager/Worker
- Community Organizer/Advocate
- Correction Treatment Counselor
- Family and Child Advocate
- Juvenile and Domestic Violence Counselor
- Juvenile Court Liaison
- Parole Officer
- Pre-Trial Service Officer
- Rehabilitation Case Worker
- Social and Community Service Manager
- Child Welfare Specialist
- Public Policy Advocate
- Social Work Assistant
With Advanced Educational Training
- Clinical/Counseling Psychologist
- Family Therapist
- Mental Health Counselor
- Social Worker
Areas of Employment
- Services Organizations
- Public and Private Child Welfare Agencies
- Probation and Parole Offices
- Mental Health Clinics
- Correctional Facilities
- Community Health Centers
- Substance Abuse Clinics
- Health Centers
- Educational Facilities
- Criminal Justice Agencies
- Social Services Agencies
- Business and Industry
- Half-Way Houses
- Hospitals
- Residential Treatment Centers
- Courts
- Senior Centers
- Adoption Centers
- Day Care Facilities
- Group Homes
- Hospital and Medical Facilities