Social Worker and Community Health Worker Collaboration in Addressing Social Needs

Authors: Michael J Luke, Hemen Muleta, Vivian Kim, Benicio Beatty, Mark Brittan, Megan Bowers, Chén C Kenyon, Philip V Scribano, Kevin Fiori, Aditi Vasan

This study explored how social workers (SWs) and community health workers (CHWs) help families with social needs during and after a child’s hospital stay. Interviews with staff at three children’s hospitals showed that SWs and CHWs play different but complementary roles. They work to support families while encouraging independence, but face challenges like keeping resource information up to date and ensuring families get continued help after discharge. Improving follow-up care and better systems for sharing resources could strengthen their impact.