The social educator must therefore have the knowledge and skills which make him or her sensitive and attentive to the client's signals and able to turn the client's wishes and needs into practical support and service. The social educator must also be a spokesperson for the clients when necessary. This range of skills is built on the combination of theory and practice which the training gives. It is as important to influence the circumstances as to relate oneself to the individual's requirements. The social educator should be able to start from the resources which the person himself, the family, the social network and neighbourhood have, but also to see the limitations which are present.
Systematic observation is carried out to describe the resources, challenges and problems.
The work takes place in close co-operation with relatives, neighbours and other service providers. The social educators must be able to move between nursing, assistance, care and increasing the client's well-being on the one hand, and training on the other. With knowledge gained from training in environmental work, social educators should be able to contribute to improved quality of life, independence and competence for the people they are working with. The social educator should be able to identify conditions which prevent the client from controlling his own life. In co-operation with the client and perhaps his relatives, the social educator should be able to contribute to making the client understand the importance of the goals that are considered to be central and that these goals contribute to improved quality of life.