Community Worker

Also known as:

Community Educator
Youth and Community Worker

Introduction

Community workers work with groups of people to improve their lives and solve problems in the community. They work in communities that experience disadvantage. They enable people within these communities to identify their needs and rights, clarify their aims and take action to meet these in a way that respects the needs and rights of others.

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Work Activities

Community workers work with groups and individuals. They give people advice and support, and may arrange services and facilities for them. Their aim is to enable people to act for themselves, for example, by giving them the support and confidence they need to set up community education groups, organise social, educational and recreational activities, deal with discrimination and racism, and generally celebrate and encourage their culture and local community education.

Some community workers support and enable people who live in socially disadvantaged areas, where people may face problems such as inadequate housing, unemployment, lack of council facilities, under-achievement in schools and other inequalities.

Community workers get to know people in the community. They need to find out what people are good at, what they are passionate about and what resources are available. Their aim is to let people act for themselves. This involves being a go-between. They will spend some of the time visiting people, in their homes, in community buildings, meeting people in the streets and phoning people up.

There are many different types of community worker working in different communities and situations. For example, they may help to run community centres. This could involve helping to plan a wide range of educational courses or recreational activities, either for the community as a whole or for specific groups, for example women, unemployed people, lone parents, elderly people, or an ethnic minority group. The community worker may be responsible for recruiting, training and co-ordinating volunteers or paid staff at the centre.

Depending on the needs of the community, the community worker may prepare leaflets in ethnic minority languages to publicise courses, and work closely with the local authority to obtain funding or resources. They may arrange for artists, dramatists or musicians to visit the centre for the entertainment of local people.

Making sure that people's rights, opinions and special needs are respected is an important part of community work. Some community workers have a race-relations role, working towards social justice for everyone in the community. This could include taking up individual cases of discrimination or racism, working on a multi-racial committee to combat discriminatory policies, or helping to promote greater understanding, co-operation and trust between the police and ethnic minorities.

Community workers are there to support everyone in the community, so they could be involved with people from all sorts of backgrounds. For example, they may help to develop or protect children's play areas, or organise tenants' committees to meet with local authority housing representatives. In rural areas, they may represent people's views on threatened services and facilities, such as bus routes and post offices.

Community workers may help people who have physical disabilities, learning difficulties or mental health problems. They help them arrange care services, support groups or the services of a social worker.

Some community workers carry out research, or help community groups to do research, to build a picture of community social problems, the position of disadvantaged groups and the need for services and facilities. This work involves interviewing people, talking to groups and writing up results and observations in a report.

Community workers help people to see a wider picture. The communities they work with identify needs and rights, and produce action plans. When the activity has taken place, community workers ensure that collective action is reviewed.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

As a community worker you must enjoy working with people to solve their problems. You must have a sympathetic and caring nature and the ability to empathise with people.

Community workers need to be able to let people take control of their lives. This requires listening and empathy, as well as analysis and integrity so that conflicting issues in a community can be worked out constructively.

A commitment to equal opportunities is vital to this job. You must be able to identify and represent the views of different groups in society, including people of different gender, ethnicity, age and religion.

Good communication skills are very important. You must be able to listen carefully, and ask the right questions to find out more about people's needs and concerns. Careful use of words and actions is needed to represent and encourage in the right ways.

Community workers must have up-to-date knowledge of the issues that affect communities, such as health, education, housing and relations between communities.

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Pay and Opportunities

Pay rates for community workers vary widely, depending on the duties of the post, and the qualifications and experience required.

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Community workers earn in the range of £14,500 - £18,000 a year, rising to £21,000 - £25,500. Higher earners can make around £28,000 a year. There can be higher pay rates in major projects.

Community workers typically work a 40-hour week. Some evening and weekend work is necessary.

Work is often made up of a series of projects funded under a particular initiative or grant, as well as the long term neighbourhood commitment that some posts offer.

There is a shortage of community workers. Employers are many and varied.

Independent community and voluntary groups employ community workers to drive forward their work.

Government at local and national level employs community workers to make sure that policies connect with the needs and hopes of local people.

Non-Governmental organisations employ community workers as part of their campaigning and developmental work.

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Adult Opportunities

It is now illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Many people enter community work as a result of their experience of taking up an issue that concerns them. For example, it could stem from involvement on a tenants' committee, a project to tackle drugs or racism, running a youth club or volunteering to help international development.

Funding sources include the Student Awards Agency for Scotland.

• 28% of community workers work part-time.
• 20% have flexible hours.
• 16% work on a temporary basis.

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