Social services policy officer to social service consultant
A social services policy officer already meets 45% of what the social service consultant role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
51.6/ 100
1 How much of what a social service consultant is expected to do is already part of a social services policy officer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the social service consultant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A social service consultant role treats 7 of its required skills as things a social services policy officer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on legislative acts
- advise on provision of social services
- evaluate social work program's impact
- liaise with local authorities
- maintain relationships with government agencies
- report on social development
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 11 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A social service consultant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a social services policy officer background worth leading with.
- already held advise on provision of social services communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held evaluate social work program's impact information skills
- already held analyse community needs communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held advise on legislative acts communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage government policy implementation management skills
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies communication, collaboration and creativity
All 11 carried skills, including the 7 the social service consultant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 16 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn maintain relations with local representatives required
- still to learn communicate with social service users required
- still to learn influence policy makers on social service issues required
- optional, not held make legislation transparent for users of social services optional
- optional, not held build community relations optional
- optional, not held implement strategic planning optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
- optional, not held promote social awareness optional
- optional, not held promote social change optional
- still to learn provide improvement strategies required
- optional, not held assess social service users' situation optional
- optional, not held plan social service process optional
- optional, not held work within communities optional
- still to learn legal requirements in the social sector required
- still to learn monitor regulations in social services required
- still to learn government policy implementation required
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a social service consultant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 maintain relations with local representatives practise this
- 02 communicate with social service users practise this
- 03 government policy implementation study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 11 skills that carry over
- already held advise on legislative acts skill
- already held advise on provision of social services skill
- already held evaluate social work program's impact skill
- already held liaise with local authorities skill
- already held maintain relationships with government agencies skill
- already held report on social development skill
- already held social justice knowledge
- already held analyse community needs skill
- already held create solutions to problems skill
- already held manage government policy implementation skill
- already held promote inclusion skill
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assess social service users' situation optional
- optional, not held make legislation transparent for users of social services optional
- optional, not held build community relations optional
- optional, not held implement strategic planning optional
- optional, not held plan social service process optional
- optional, not held present reports optional
- optional, not held promote social awareness optional
- optional, not held promote social change optional
- optional, not held work within communities optional
15 held skills the social service consultant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role European Structural and Investment Funds regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply problem solving in social service skill
- not needed by the target role apply quality standards in social services skill
- not needed by the target role develop social security programmes skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate staff performance in social work skill
- not needed by the target role government policy knowledge
- not needed by the target role government social security programmes knowledge
- not needed by the target role impact of social contexts on health knowledge
- not needed by the target role manage a social work unit skill
- not needed by the target role manage several projects skill
- not needed by the target role negotiate with social service stakeholders skill
- not needed by the target role organise social work packages skill
- not needed by the target role project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role promote social security programmes skill
- not needed by the target role social work theory knowledge
2 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn government policy implementation required
- still to learn legal requirements in the social sector required
Other moves recorded from social services policy officer
Common questions about this move
Can a social services policy officer become a social service consultant?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A social services policy officer already covers 45% of what a social service consultant is expected to do: 11 skills carry over, 7 of which the social service consultant role treats as required.
What skills does a social services policy officer need to become a social service consultant?
7 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is maintain relations with local representatives.
How hard is the move from social services policy officer to social service consultant?
Its learning distance is 51.6 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.