Community Support Worker: Responsibilities, Skills, and Strategies for Success

CSWs have a responsibility to help their clients in multiple areas. Depending on their specialization and the clients they work with, a CSW may do very distinct tasks. Below is a list of some common responsibilities a CSW may encounter in the workplace.

Roles and Responsibilities

Communication: In the field of community support work, communication is vital. CSWs must communicate with their clients by listening to them to determine their needs and working with them to create and achieve goals. They coach and provide guidance for clients, supporting them in realizing their goals and full potential. A CSW may communicate with guardians, Elders, day programs, band offices, community associations, and schools, upon direction from the team leader. Communication is also important in team meetings between supervisors and staff, and with clients, such as annual planning, participation in sharing or talking circles, or person-centred meetings. Active listening, empathy, compassion, awareness of verbal and nonverbal communication, and self-awareness are very important to be a successful CSW.

Community outreach and connection: CSWs engage in planning outings and taking clients into the community for activities, such as walking or driving them to recreational and wellness activities or attending cultural ceremonies such as powwows and round dances. Individuals with disabilities should have access to a range of places, job opportunities, products, services, leisure activities, and community involvement. Engaging with the community can positively impact mental and physical health as well as learning and self-esteem. It is essential to prioritize personal needs, promote independence, and cultivate inclusivity when providing support for community access. There are various community resources available for clients to explore based on their interests, needs, and abilities. This includes recreational, educational, employment, healthcare, fitness, social, and cultural opportunities. As a CSW, it is good practice to discuss clients’ interests and be familiar with available resources. For example, if your client is interested in planets and the sky, you may take them to the space and science centre, go for an evening stroll and discuss the sky and stars, or perhaps take them to the library and go through books on the topic.

Crisis response and emergencies: CSWs deal with client emergencies or events in the workplace by reporting them, as per policy. Prevention is key in order to keep a safe working environment, physically and psychologically. Various emergencies could occur, such as injuries, medical emergencies, problems in the building with plumbing or appliances, as well as fire or weather. Each workplace will have their own policies, procedures, and training that you should be aware of. Training can include crisis intervention, psychological safety in the workplace, naloxone training, first aid, and many more. There will also be policy and procedure training on how to respond effectively and responsibly.

Financial management: CSWs deal with the financial needs of clients if they have a spending budget. As a CSW, you may model budgeting and responsible spending. As part of the record-keeping policy, you may be required to enter the expenses in a financial record and balance a ledger. This would only be done with proper training and within the scope and role of the position.

Household maintenance: CSWs may perform housekeeping and custodial work, such as washing walls, cleaning appliances, sweeping, mopping, washing laundry, putting dishes in the dishwasher, and folding clothes, in addition to yardwork such as snow shovelling and grass mowing. You must respect cultural diversity in the home and be mindful of any sacred objects. Religious, spiritual, medicinal, and sacred objects should not be moved or touched without permission. If you are unsure, it is always best to ask the host or a family member.

Medical: CSWs may take their clients to medical, dental, and vision appointments, for blood work, and to professionals for other medical conditions and needs, including emergencies. They must also report any medical changes in their clients, such as injuries. When accompanying clients to medical appointments, it is important to consider the history of systemic barriers that have occurred in medical institutions. This knowledge will help you as a CSW to understand a client’s potential fear, anxiety, apprehension, or resistance to Western medical assistance.

Medication administration: CSWs may, with training, assist with administering medications. This requires learning the types of medications, the procedures for administering them, and how to record the medications in a Medication Administration Record (MAR). Pharmacies that provide medications to clients offer this form. CSWs must follow procedures for medication administration. Grissinger (2010) highlighted this responsibility as follows:

Most healthcare professionals, especially nurses, know the ‘five rights’ of medication use: the right patient, the right drug, the right time, the right dose, and the right route—all of which are generally regarded as a standard for safe medication practices (para. 1). 

Although these procedures refer to nurses, CSWs must also follow them when administering medications, and record the administrations in MARs to prove that they did so. Failing to administer medications or forgetting to record them results in the need for an incident report and the notification of supervisors, offices, and guardians. Additionally, if doctors prescribe new medications, CSWs may have to call pharmacies to order them. Administering medication is a significant responsibility and should only be done with training and supervisor approval. When assisting a client whose dominant language is not English, it is advisable to connect with a translator or family member who can speak the language and simplify the communication, to ensure the client has a good understanding of the instructions and procedures related to their medication.

Personal care: Personal care tasks involve, but are not limited to, helping clients with hygiene such as grooming, toileting, bathing, hand washing, and toothbrushing, as well as dressing, feeding, putting them to bed, and others. Personal care duties should be completed within agency policy and with proper training.

Purchase and preparation of food: CSWs’ tasks also include buying food or groceries as authorized by the agency. Knowledge of food preparation, nutrition, cultural food preferences, and food creativity is an asset when working in group homes. Consulting and collaborating with a cultural liaison is beneficial for becoming familiar with traditional cultural diets, protocols, and food preferences.

Socialization: Socialization is a primary role of a CSW. In most areas where CSWs are employed, being a support person for clients requires soft skills and interpersonal communication skills. CSWs may support their clients socially, socialize with them professionally, encourage them to participate in social activities of interest, and attend day programs where they have the opportunity to socialize and engage in activities. Many clients will have strong ties to powwows, round dances, and other cultural activities, and you may accompany them to these significant events. Clients can also visit friends or invite friends to their homes.

Skills

Advocacy: CSWs advocate for their clients to promote their independence and enhance their full potential through multiple daily-living activities. They must also advocate for them to become engaged in community activities based on their social, psychological, emotional, physical, and cultural needs, to enhance their well-being. A CSW can be an advocate for an individual and also engage in systemic advocacy by working to challenge policy at a systemic level.

Communication: In the field of community support work, communication is vital, be it written, verbal, or nonverbal. CSWs will best communicate with their clients by actively listening to them to determine their needs and work with them to create and achieve goals. A CSW may communicate with guardians, day programs, and schools upon direction from the team leader. Communication is also important in team meetings between supervisors and staff and with clients, such as annual planning or person-centred meetings. Active listening, awareness of verbal and nonverbal communication, and self-awareness are very important to be a successful CSW.

Documentation: CSWs have duties related to record keeping and documentation. There may be log books or software programs that staff use to convey work-related issues, important client details, or daily announcements. Additionally, logistical and personal data may have to be kept on file. An example would be a client’s behaviour or weight, changes in vital signs, dietary and eating schedules, any confidential notes and other logistical information such as car mileage, maintenance, and any other costs or extra circumstances. Agencies will have specific protocols for record keeping, confidentiality, and case notes procedures. Aware of these policies, as well as any code of ethics or code of conduct, is very important.

Empathy and compassion: The traits of empathy and compassion are highly valuable for CSWs to connect with clients and develop trust and rapport. According to Dowling, (2018) while “compassion is characterized by feelings of warmth, concern, and care for the other, as well as a strong motivation to improve the other’s well-being”; “empathy is a mental construct that allows us to resonate with others’ positive and negative feelings” (paras. 3–8). Based on both definitions, a community support worker must show compassion in helping the clients by applying feelings of warmth, quality care, and concerns. Empathy empowers the community support worker to understand and resonate with the clients’ emotions and feelings towards their experience.

Emotional support: CSWs have a duty to support their clients emotionally by modelling healthy coping mechanisms when facing a challenge. Emotional support requires active listening, observing emotional distress in a client through nonverbal cues, and offering strategies for comfort.

Teaching clients self-care through relaxation activities such as puzzles, breathwork, exercise, visualization, beadwork, traditional songs, drum songs, circle teachings, smudging ceremonies, being in nature, and positive self-talk are a few examples. Being self-aware and emotionally healthy will be fundamental to one’s ability to be a healthy support for clients. As a worker, it is important to also have a way to support oneself emotionally. A self-care practice, a strong support system, and healthy boundaries are important for one’s own emotional well-being.

Culturally relevant self-care practices are very important to consider. For example, when working with Indigenous clients, following the medicine wheel teachings, incorporating traditional Indigenous teachings, and including access to Elders and Knowledge Keepers may be relevant for the client’s self-care practice. In the workplace, there is often the opportunity to debrief with co-workers or a supervisor when dealing with difficult circumstances. An effective strategy can be a sharing or talking circle that creates a place of safety, trust, and respect.

Teaching and coaching: In the role of a CSW, you will be role modelling healthy behaviours, communication techniques, and boundaries for clients. CSWs will teach clients about their rights and coach clients to enhance their life skills, resilience, goals, and aspirations through strengths-based practices, as well as demonstrating problem-solving and conflict-resolution strategies. Reciprocal learning can occur when CSWs are trained on the importance of sharing or talking circles, smudging, and other cultural connections that are important to the group of clients one is working with.

Knowledge

Diversity and culture: CSWs must acknowledge and embrace decolonization, diversity, inclusion, and antiracism by respecting humankind; that is, by respecting their clients according to their cultural, spiritual, and ethnic backgrounds. Involving clients in activities to enhance their sense of inclusion and to being a part of culturally relevant activities and experiences are two ways of doing this. Becoming familiar with various Indigenous ceremonies and cultural protocols will provide the CSW with some knowledge of Indigenous ways of knowing and being, and will foster positive relations with the client.

Human rights: CSWs work with clients from vulnerable populations, clients who have experienced racism, exclusion, and oppression by society and institutions, and clients who have experienced war, conflict, and oppressive government regimes. Being aware of the UN declaration of human rights is very important in this role. According to the United Nations,

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. Human rights include the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and many more. Everyone is entitled to these rights, without discrimination (para. 1).

Knowledge about human rights, such as respecting the dignity and worth of all people, and embracing diversity and inclusion in your practice leads to success in supporting clients. Below are two videos that explore the history of human rights and the complexity of enforcing human rights across the globe.