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The differences between adoption specialists and social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an adoption specialist, becoming a social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a social worker has an average salary of $50,102, which is higher than the $41,070 average annual salary of an adoption specialist.
The top three skills for an adoption specialist include foster care, social work and adoption process. The most important skills for a social worker are social work, patients, and patient care.
| Adoption Specialist | Social Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $41,070 | $50,102 |
| Hourly rate | $19.75 | $24.09 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 84,209 | 77,340 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
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.
Social workers help their clients get through problems that they may be facing. Social workers help identify individuals or groups of people, usually families, who may need assistance, generally through a set of pre-determined criteria. They then determine the best ways to help their clients by interviewing them, getting to know them, and understanding the context of their lives. They create plans that will help their clients become better, such as integrating into a new environment, assisting them in their needs, or even rescuing them from their current place. Social workers have good interpersonal skills and communication skills.
Adoption specialists and social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Adoption Specialist | Social Worker | |
| Average salary | $41,070 | $50,102 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $57,000 | Between $37,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Portland, OR |
| Highest paying state | - | Oregon |
| Best paying company | - | Health Advocates |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between an adoption specialist and a social worker in terms of educational background:
| Adoption Specialist | Social Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Social Work |
| Most common college | SUNY at Albany | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between adoption specialists' and social workers' demographics:
| Adoption Specialist | Social Worker | |
| Average age | 42 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 10.6% Female, 89.4% | Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5% |
| 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, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 13% |