Human services
[2] The mission of human services is to promote a practice that involves simultaneously working at all levels of society (whole-person approach) in the process of promoting the autonomy of individuals or groups, making informal or formal human services systems more efficient and effective, and advocating for positive social change within society.
Human services academic programs can be easily accessible in colleges and universities, which award degrees at the associate, baccalaureate, and graduate levels.
Human services has its roots all of the in charitable activities of religious and civic organizations that date back to the Colonial period.
The other goals dealt with the reeducation of traditional helping professionals to have a greater appreciation of the individual as a whole person (humanistic psychology) and to be accountable to the communities they serve (postmodernism).
Furthermore, professionals would learn to take responsibility at all levels of government, use systems approaches to consider human problems, and be involved in progressive social change.
Traditional academic programs such as education, nursing, social work, law and medicine were resistant to the new human services movement's ideology because it appeared to challenge their professional status.
[3] A progressive graduate human services program was established by Audrey Cohen (1931–1996), who was considered an innovative educator for her time.
[10] In the same time period, Springfield College in Massachusetts became a major force in preserving human services as an academic discipline.
The development of community college human services programs was supported with government funding that was earmarked for the federal new careers initiatives.
Human services curricula are based on an interdisciplinary knowledge foundation that allows students to consider practical solutions from multiple disciplinary perspectives.
However, graduates of a CSHSE accredited degree program may sit for the HS-BCP exam without verifying their human services work experience.
The exam was created as a collaborative effort of human services subject-matter experts and normed on a population of professionals in the field.
Additional necessary skills include strong communication and professional coordination- since networking is crucial for obtaining and transporting resources to areas of need.
Both theoretical and empirical research is required if one is to pursue a career in human services because being uninformed can leave communities in confusion and disarray- thus perpetuating the problem that was supposed to be resolved.
Allowing one's personal beliefs to bleed into their human service profession could negatively impact the quality of and or limit the scope of potential outreach.
[34] For example, a child would need special attention compared to an adult- and would visit a professional who has trained directly with younger people.
The group's interests encompass interrelated policy, practice, and research that challenge efforts to create viable linkages among these three distinct areas.
