In a world characterized by technological advancement, the true essence of human connection still remains highly crucial.
Both the real and virtual communities weave together people who find empathy and joy in helping individuals with physical development especially in the elderly or disabled. But who are these true heroes? These are none other than the community support workers.
So, if you are a person with a kind hearted soul and strength to provide assistance to the needy persons in the society, or simply wish to learn more about the multifaceted roles of community support workers in nurturing the society, this article is for you!
In this article, we have answered in detail a question that has left several people curious. The question is, “What is the role of a community support?”
So, let’s get started!
Community Support and Social Services:
Community support may be defined as an idea or concept in which a community, consisting of people working together, offer aid to individuals who might otherwise find it difficult to manage their daily life on their own such as the elderly or disabled persons.
Such a community has no limits in providing assistance to individuals. The help could be as basic as assisting neighbors in need with a random chore to as major as managing their medications.
The Importance of Community Support Service in Society:
The importance of community support workers is immeasurable. They are the true heroes and the backbone of the society that help individuals with their daily struggles.
Few of the many benefits of community support services are as followed;
- Community support work is all about lending a helping hand to one’s in need such as the less fortunate. This assistance connects an individual to the society and strengthens our ties with the people, making it a better place for us to live
- Community support proves to be a vital source of assistance in the times of crisis which improvises a community’s capacity to withstand storms and bounce back quickly.
- Community support can help you get the expertise and skills necessary for the professional path you might consider to take. It allows you to sharpen your skills in various workplace activities such as team work, organizational skills, critical thinking etc.
- CSW’s help individuals struggling with mental health
What is the role of a community support?
Responsibilities of community support workers includes but not limited to the following;
- Administering Medications
- Budget Making
- Providing Emotional support
- Assist in daily chores
- Provide physical support
- Cook meals for the community
- Planning and implementing support programs
- Strengthening social solidarity
- Promote well being
- Helping client bathe
- Dressing the client
- Aid in walking
- Getting groceries for the client
Primary Objectives of Community Support:
- Improvise an individual’s quality of life
- Creating an inclusive and supportive environment where individuals feel a sense of belonging to the society and feel appreciated.
- Addressing social, economic and environmental issues that adversely affects an individual’s way of living.
- Provide utmost physical, mental, and emotional support to its client
- Strengthen ties within a community
The Significance of Fostering a Sense of Belonging:
Fostering a sense of belonging in a society is highly crucial, keeping in consideration that it helps an individual feel more inclusive rather than isolated due to being less fortunate. Some of the reasons of its significance is as follows;
- Role of community in metal health and emotional health is highlighted to be significant as it reducing depression and feeling of isolation caused due to a certain disability.
- Individuals do not feel alone in times of crisis and know that they have a support worker to count on in the community.
- A sense of belonging helps people to increase engagement by actively participating in community activities and contributing skills.
Types of community support:
There are several ways a community supports an individual. It could be emotional, mental, financial, or physical. Some of the common types of support work include:
- Emotional Support
CSW provides emotional support to individuals by being empathetic, sympathetic, a good listener, and a good consoler to the one going through emotional difficulties. This helps an individual feel less lonely and isolated during a rough phase in their lives.
The emotional support could be as basic as providing the client with a hug, a pat on back and simply being all ears to their concerns or as major as providing proper counseling or helping them through support groups.
- Financial Support:
Apart from just providing physical or emotional aid to clients, community support workers also tend to be a great help to individuals facing financial constraints by helping them afford basic necessities through financial aid programs.
- Esteem Support:
Esteem or social support is provided to clients to remind them that they are not alone and they have an entire community that are aware of their positive qualities such as expressing gratitude and praising their achievements.
- Informational Support:
Such type consists of community support workers that provide guidance or give advice to clients in order to tell them of potential next step that may he successful. Eg. Educating a person about a subject stating facts or other relevant data, elaborating your own or a peer’s personal experience etc.
- Healthcare Assistance:
It consists of support for healthcare such as access to medical care, managing medications, promoting preventives through health education programs etc.
Who Provides Community Support?
- Volunteers
- Community Leaders
- Non Profit Organizations
- Businesses
- Educational Centers
Challenges in Providing Community Support:
- Time Management
- Complex Client Needs
- Lack of Resources
- Poor Communication
- Changing Needs of a Community
Conclusion:
In the end, it can be concluded that social inclusion and community support is the backbone of the local community. Their emotional, physical, mental and financial services to the individuals help to create inclusivity in a society and help address challenges that lead to struggles in a person’s daily life. Therefore, if you want to make a living from nurturing the society, then you should definitely opt to work as a community support worker.
With that being said, I hope this article answered your question “what is the role of a community support“.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- What is the role of volunteers in community support?
Providing clients with mental, physical and emotional assistance. - How can I find local community support organizations near me?
By performing an online search for nonprofit organizations, charities or community groups in your area. - What are some common challenges faced by community support programs?
Complexity in time management, lack of resources, keeping up with the evolving needs of a community. - How does community support differ from government social services?
Government social services aim to fulfill needs of an entire society to benefit the country as a whole whereas community support refers to providing physical mental and emotional assistance to members of community. - What are some effective ways to promote inclusivity in community support initiatives?
Inclusivity can be promoted through increasing community members engagement in support programs and other community activities. - Are there any legal requirements or regulations for community support organizations?
Yes, but it varies as per the nature of an organization.
