The Long Islanders of Nassau County understand that in order to realize a community’s potential, all people, regardless of age, gender, disabilities, addiction, or economic standing, must be heard and supported.
There’s no lip service here, either. Every day, initiatives and programs aimed at ensuring the health and well-being of residents while actively pushing back against discrimination and inequity are in full swing.
A good example of Nassau County efforts focused on the social good include the Office of Health Equity, a county initiative that seeks to improve the health and well-being of the region’s residents living in underserved and vulnerable communities. The office, through partnerships with community organizations and healthcare agencies, oversees initiatives that help ensure greater health outcomes for at-risk community members here living on the margins.
At the heart of Nassau County’s efforts are the social workers – the compassionate counselors, fervent advocates, unrelenting activists. Whether they’re working in state or county agencies aimed at protecting the most vulnerable populations or lending their unique skillset to private and nonprofit programs and organizations that advance the welfare of individuals and communities, social workers are Nassau County’s greatest change agents for the social good.
Social Worker Jobs: What Does a Social Worker Do in Nassau County?
“We have a right to protest for what is right. That’s all we can do. There are people hurting, there are people suffering, so we have an obligation, a mandate, to do something.”
Social workers in Nassau County, Long Island are critical to the county’s many programs supported by the Veterans Service Agency, the Department of Social Services, and more. But the value of social work doesn’t end here. Jobs for social workers are diverse and expansive, with opportunities for these professionals found everywhere from hospitals to schools to mobile health clinics and beyond. Whether you’re in Hempstead or Oyster Bay, you’re sure to find a way to serve the people here who need it most.
School Social Worker Jobs in Nassau County
Nassau County is home to 59 New York City public schools and charter schools that educate some 195,000 students. Social workers are a staple throughout the New York City Public Schools system, where they work as part of interdisciplinary teams that include school counselors, psychologists, educators, nurses, and more.
School social work jobs can also be found at companies like EPIC Long Island, which has been providing school-based mental health clinics for Nassau County for more than ten years. EPIC Long Island partners with local school districts to provide in-school therapeutic services for children throughout their educational journey.
School social workers are also employed through the Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), the provider of special education services in the region. Working closely with the administration of assigned schools, school social workers with BOCES provide individual and group counseling sessions, respond to crisis situations, and participate in the Committee for Special Education process.
Healthcare Social Worker Jobs in Nassau County
Hospitals, mobile health clinics, nursing homes, homeless shelters… healthcare social worker jobs are in demand throughout Nassau County, in a variety of settings.
Healthcare social workers are valuable members of Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital’s oncology team, where they assess each clients’ medical, psychological, emotional, and social needs to support treatment and the sometimes-difficult transition back to a normal work and family life.
Healthcare social work jobs in Nassau County are also found in facilities for the elderly and aging. For example, social workers at Glen Cove Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation participate in care plan meetings, discharge planning, advanced directives, and room changes. They also work with other staff to coordinate care and services within a personalized care plan tailored to the unique needs of each client.
Child Welfare Social Worker Jobs in Nassau County
The Nassau County Department of Social Services Child Protection Unit is a major employer of child welfare social workers in Nassau County. These professionals are responsible for investigating all allegations of child abuse and neglect that come into the Department. They also work as part of the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) of Nassau County, which is a specially designed program for child victims of sexual assault and severe physical abuse.
Other employers of child welfare social workers in Nassau County include the court system, the county Police Department’s Child Abuse Unit, the District Attorney’s Special Victims Unit, and the Nassau County Medical Center’s Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect Unit.
Mental Health Social Worker Jobs in Nassau County
Jobs for mental health social workers are found in a variety of settings in Nassau County, including psychiatric facilities, hospitals, homeless shelters, and community health clinics.
For example, substance abuse social work jobs are found at places like the Nassau County Department of Human Services. Social workers here are part of the agency’s diagnostic and therapeutic team that oversees casework services for patients struggling with emotional and mental health challenges and disorders. Under the direction of a licensed psychiatrist, social workers here provide intensive psychiatric casework and counseling services to patients and their families. The work they do also involves providing casework services to patients during institutionalization, hospitalization, and clinical treatment.
Mental health social workers also work for places like the South Shore Guidance Center’s Mobile Crisis Team, where they conduct psychiatric assessments and provide and referrals, and at Mercy Hospital, a 375-bed hospital that’s part of Catholic Health. Social workers at Mercy Hospital are part of the hospital’s counseling team, providing counseling, intervention, and continuity of care to individuals with mental health disorders, emotional disorders, and behavioral challenges.
Substance Abuse Social Worker Jobs in Nassau County
Jobs for substance abuse social workers in Nassau County are found at facilities like Victory Recovery Partners, an outpatient recovery that provides medication assisted treatment, wellness, behavioral health, and psychiatric services. Social workers here are focused on patient care, performing biopsychosocial assessments and case management and individual and group counseling. They also oversee crisis management, treatment, and discharge planning.
Homeless Outreach Social Worker Jobs in Nassau County
Homeless outreach social work jobs in Nassau County are found in county agencies like the Department of Housing and Homeless Services and the Department of Social Services. Social workers focused on homeless outreach help individuals and families find emergency shelter and secure permanent, stable housing.
It’s also typical to find homeless outreach social workers here providing counseling services and referrals at places like the Bethany House of Nassau County, which provides a continuum of care that includes emergency shelter, transitional housing, and permanent housing, and INN, which has two emergency shelters in Nassau County and a soup kitchen in Hempstead.
Military Veteran Social Worker Jobs in Nassau County
Military veteran social work jobs are largely found through the Nassau County Veterans Service Agency, which advocates for benefits and services for veterans of all American wars going back to WWII. Social workers within the Veterans Resource Center are on hand to provide individual and family counseling, drug and alcohol counseling, PTSD counseling, and assistance with the entitlement benefits they’ve sacrificed so much to earn.
Social Worker Salary in Oyster Bay, Hempstead, and Throughout Nassau County
Long Island, Nassau County is part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) NYC metro area salary data. Salaries here are reflective of the higher cost of living in this region, although in some instances, they’re downright exceptional.
For example, social workers in mental health and substance abuse in the NYC metro area earned an average salary of $98,480 as of May 2023, making them the highest paid in the nation. And child, family, and school social workers here earned an average salary of $78,610 during this time, ranking them third in the nation.
2023 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures for Social Workers reflect state data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed April 2024.