How to Write a Personal Statement for a Child Welfare Job

Child welfare personal statements should include your most significant work experience

A job in the field of child welfare involves assisting children and families find the right resources to manage or rebuild their lives. Child welfare workers make home visits, interview prospective adoptive parents, talk with children about home experiences and sometimes intervene if a home environment is not conducive to a children's well-being.

Instructions

1. Talk about your most significant work experience. If you were involved in a landmark research project which involved fieldwork with abused children and led to tougher laws regarding child abuse in your state as a graduate student, state this in the letter. Or if you started a community organization which partnered with churches and schools to provide job training for teenage parents while in school, write about it, as this lets the reader know that you have a strong interest in child welfare.

2. Discuss why you want the job. Go beyond simplistic and generic reasons and give more specific ones. For example, if the company specializes in locating better homes for sexually abused children, you can discuss how you believe that it is important that sexually abused children have a safe haven and counseling so that they can work through the trauma but still live whole and fulfilling lives as adults.

3. Mention the ways you will contribute to the company. Discuss your ability to examine child abuse cases carefully or your experience as a social worker for several local high schools, where you offered counseling to students who were in difficult dating relationships. Also talk about other skills such as knowledge of a foreign language, computer proficiency, writing and research skills and time management skills.

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Social Workers
• Smith College: Resumes and Cover Letters for Social Workers