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The differences between adoption specialists and family support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an adoption specialist and a family support specialist. Additionally, an adoption specialist has an average salary of $41,070, which is higher than the $37,343 average annual salary of a family support specialist.
The top three skills for an adoption specialist include foster care, social work and adoption process. The most important skills for a family support specialist are social work, child abuse, and patients.
| Adoption Specialist | Family Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $41,070 | $37,343 |
| Hourly rate | $19.75 | $17.95 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 84,209 | 143,739 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Adoption Specialists are responsible for evaluating and arranging both adoptive parents' and child's needs to ensure a good family fit. Their duties include undertaking adoption research on families, completing paperwork requirements, carrying out adoption education for families before and following children's placements at their house, and assisting in post-placement services. They are also responsible for developing adoption plans, act as main family advisors, and organize community resources needed by both adoptive parents and children, such as education, health care, and counseling.
A family support specialist is an individual who provides counseling and rehabilitation services to families who are facing crises so that their lives can be improved. Family support specialists conduct interviews with members of a family to determine areas that need support such as anti-social behavior, bullying, or domestic violence. They collaborate with healthcare and social professionals to evaluate caseload needs. In cases of relevant child protection, family support specialists are also required to attend court sessions.
Adoption specialists and family support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Adoption Specialist | Family Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $41,070 | $37,343 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $57,000 | Between $24,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Trenton, NJ |
| Highest paying state | - | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | - | Catholic Health East |
| Best paying industry | - | Professional |
There are a few differences between an adoption specialist and a family support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Adoption Specialist | Family Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Psychology |
| Most common college | SUNY at Albany | Hunter College of the City University of New York |
Here are the differences between adoption specialists' and family support specialists' demographics:
| Adoption Specialist | Family Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.6% Female, 89.4% | Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |