Serve Community Better with a Developmental Service Workers Program
Developmental service workers assist individuals with intellectual
disabilities in their day-to-day living. They are able to understand the
nature of disabilities, identify personal support requirements of
individuals and facilitate the development of everyday skills by
providing them the support required.
The professionals are expected to fill a variety of roles, such as
residential support workers, support workers, education assistants,
family supporters, integration facilitators and employment support
workers.
Their job is really challenging as professionals have to deal with
people with intellectual disabilities, work in shifts and provide
emotional support to clients. Only those students who are genuinely
interested in serving the community should consider building a career in
this field.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills are required to assume the
role of a developmental service worker, as you’re expected to interact
with clients and understand their needs most of the times. Other skills
including critical thinking, problem solving, in-depth analysis,
leaderships and managing change are an added advantage. With all these
in your arsenal, you also need to be patient and emotionally strong yet
sensitive when dealing with the clients.
Although there is an increasing demand for service workers in this
field, but employers are keen in hiring only those individuals who have
undergone a formal education and possess relevant experience in
community service. Students interested in building a career in this
field can enroll into a postsecondary program that covers all aspects of
community service.
The two year program covers diverse subjects and emphasizes on
supervised field placements. It helps you gain an understanding in
social psychology, health promotion and personal well being,
pharmacology, valued social roles, disability issues, building
responsive communities, teaching skills and policy and social welfare
systems.
The program also combines field observation, projects, preparation for
practice, community observations, report presentation, field seminars
and supervised field placement. Emphasis is also placed on internet
searches, teamwork and electronic communication.
After the completion of the program, you are able to
- Provide support to clients in day-to-day living with respectful and empowering approaches
- Facilitate development of everyday skills
- Display patience, maturity and sensitivity when interacting with clients
- Support promotion and maintenance of health and well being
- Identify disability issues and provide required support
- Help bring positive change in attitudes of clients
Enrolling in a Program
Various colleges across Canada offer such courses helping students build
a career in developmental services. But there are some colleges that
place equal emphasis on field work as that in classroom learning. It’s
crucial to conduct a research and enroll in a good college that fulfills
your specific goals and offers necessary industry exposure.
To apply for the program, you need secondary school diploma or
equivalent and English Grade 12 C or University scores. Once you get
admission, you will also require a criminal reference check. Students
still attending high schools can also apply for the course. Their final
grades will be automatically transferred to the college.
On graduation, you’re also eligible to participate in programs with
universities and institutes and apply your academic credits for further
study.