A social worker assesses and supports people facing difficulty: children at risk, families in crisis, older persons, people with disabilities, and those affected by substance use, violence or poverty. In South Africa social work is a regulated profession, and practitioners must be registered with the South African Council for Social Service Professions.
This guide sets out social worker duties and responsibilities, the shape of the work, and how it differs by setting. It sits in the Healthcare Care duties and responsibilities cluster, part of the wider job duties guide. It describes the occupation and is not clinical or legal advice.
What Does a Social Worker Do?
A social worker assesses a person’s or family’s circumstances, works out what support or intervention is needed, puts a plan in place, and follows it through. That may mean counselling, connecting people to services and grants, mediating within a family, or where a child is at risk, taking statutory action.
The statutory element is what distinguishes social work from general community support. Certain decisions, particularly around child protection, can only be taken by a registered social worker, and they carry legal consequences and court accountability.
Key Social Worker Duties and Responsibilities
- Conducting assessments of individuals, families and their circumstances.
- Developing, implementing and reviewing intervention or care plans.
- Providing counselling and therapeutic support within scope of practice.
- Investigating reports of abuse, neglect or children in need of care and protection.
- Preparing reports for the children’s court and other statutory processes.
- Facilitating placements, foster care and alternative care arrangements.
- Referring clients to services, grants, shelters and specialist support.
- Conducting home visits and monitoring the progress of open cases.
- Running group work and community development programmes.
- Maintaining accurate, confidential case records and statistics.
- Working with multi-disciplinary teams, schools, clinics and the police.
- Maintaining professional registration and continuing professional development.
Daily Tasks of a Social Worker
- Start of day: review the caseload, prioritise urgent and statutory matters and check court dates.
- Morning: office interviews, intake assessments and telephone consultations.
- Midday: home visits, school or clinic meetings and multi-disciplinary case discussions.
- Afternoon: case recording, report writing and preparation for court appearances.
- Ongoing: supervision sessions, statistics returns and follow-up on open cases.
Social Worker Skills and Competencies
- Assessment: seeing the whole situation rather than the presenting problem.
- Report writing: clear, factual reports that hold up in a court process.
- Boundaries: remaining professionally useful without becoming personally overwhelmed.
- Difficult conversations: raising abuse, neglect and removal with families.
- Knowledge of legislation and services: knowing what is available and what the law requires.
- Resilience: carrying a heavy caseload of distressing work over time.
Social Worker Duties by Workplace or Industry
Government Departments
Statutory social work dominates: child protection investigations, court reports, placements and foster care supervision, with large caseloads and prescribed reporting to the department.
Non-Profit Organisations
Work is shaped by the organisation’s mandate and funding, whether child welfare, gender-based violence, substance use or older persons, with duties including donor reporting against agreed indicators.
Hospitals and Health Settings
Medical social work focuses on discharge planning, psychosocial assessment, supporting patients and families through diagnosis, and connecting them to grants and community services.
Schools and Employee Assistance
Duties centre on assessment and short-term support, liaison with teachers or managers, referral to external services, and preventive programmes rather than statutory intervention.
Social Worker Duties for a CV
Lead with registration, then caseload and the type of work. Use the duties for a CV guide for the method.
- Managed a statutory caseload of 60 to 80 open cases, including child protection investigations.
- Prepared and presented court reports, appearing in the children’s court as required.
- Conducted home visits and assessments and developed intervention plans with measurable goals.
- Maintained registration with the South African Council for Social Service Professions and completed required professional development.
Related Job Roles and Responsibilities
These guides cover the roles and next steps most closely related to this one.
- Community Health Worker duties and responsibilities
- Caregiver duties and responsibilities
- Care Worker duties and responsibilities
- Nurse duties and responsibilities
- Healthcare and care duties
- Job description duties and responsibilities
Frequently Asked Questions About Social Worker Duties
What are the duties of a social worker?
Assessing individuals and families, developing and reviewing intervention plans, providing counselling within scope, investigating abuse and neglect, preparing court reports, facilitating placements, referring clients to services, conducting home visits, running group and community programmes, and maintaining case records.
Do social workers have to be registered in South Africa?
Yes. Social work is a regulated profession and practitioners must be registered with the South African Council for Social Service Professions. Practising without registration is not permitted, and registration must be kept current.
What is the difference between a social worker and a social auxiliary worker?
A social auxiliary worker supports a social worker and works under supervision within a defined, narrower scope. Statutory functions such as child protection investigations and court reports sit with the registered social worker.
How do you become a social worker?
The usual route is a four-year Bachelor of Social Work degree from an accredited institution, followed by registration with the Council. Requirements are set by the Council and may change, so confirm the current position directly.
This page describes the occupation for employment purposes. It is not clinical, social work or legal advice. Scope of practice is set by the South African Council for Social Service Professions and by the applicable legislation, and those take precedence over this guide.
Last reviewed: 2 September 2026