Community Health Worker Core Competencies

Communication: Be an effective listener to learn about client’s experiences and needs; Communicate effectively during conflict or stressful situations; Be well versed in group communication skills to provide health education and community advocacy to groups served.

Interpersonal: Work with diverse groups of people and develop relationships with clients, community members, supervisors, nurses, social workers, and policy makers to improve the lives of their communities and meet the needs of others.

Service: Coordinate the care of their clients; Create plans to follow for improving health for their client or community that will require the coordination of services.

Capacity Building: Support their clients and communities through building new skills and promoting confidence in their own health, such as building upon communication skills, reducing of risk behaviors, community organization, and advocation skills.

Advocacy: Advocate for their clients and communities among agencies, service providers, and support changes to public policies; Speak up to create change that would improve the health and well being of their clients and communities.

Education: Educate their clients and communities on how to prevent and manage health conditions, provide support in developing healthy behaviors, and advocate for social change.

Outreach: Provide outreach to individuals and communities about services that are available and encourage enrollment of those services.

Knowledge: Know and recognize social determinants of health and health topics that impact their clients and communities, to be able to give support and provide information on these topics.

Personal: Have personal skills to be more effective in promoting and advocating for their clients and communities.