What does a case worker do?
Caseworkers are social workers who watch over the welfare of underprivileged individuals and at-risk families by counseling and providing them with assistance. Usually employed under the government or a local non-profit organization, a caseworker must conduct a thorough interview and house visits to determine the needs of the family. They then refer them to any programs or agencies that can give them the specific care and help needed. Furthermore, it is crucial to identify neglect and abuse signs, reporting them to the authorities right away.
Case worker responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real case worker resumes:
- Establish collaborative relationships with patients within a supportive atmosphere to assist in confronting drug relate behavior and achieving sobriety.
- Review and research leads regarding personal injury cases by obtaining information from the Medicaid recipient's attorney and insurance adjuster
- File, close and maintain records in either physical case file or on ETO.
- Train new employees and assign tasks in driving and all responsibilities in DCS documentations.
- Provide weekly face to face updates to youth and telephonic updates to family members/sponsor with documentation find in ETO.
- Facilitate DCS court order supervised visitation during the reunification process.
- Consult with interdisciplinary team in order to ensure appropriate referrals and discharge of homeless, psychiatric and geriatric patients.
- Grant access to electronic medical record databases to process utilization reviews in a timely and accurate manner while remaining HIPAA compliant.
- Assist the case manager with preparing families with the needed services as required by DCFS.
- Complete DCFS visitation reports during supervise visits.
- Schedule arbitration hearings, maintain arbitration calendar, and provide attorneys with information.
- Assist arbitrators in all aspects of the arbitration case management including document preparation, arbitration preparation and support.
- Complete MDS assessments to determine mood and cognitive functioning, relaying information to interdisciplinary team and families.
Case worker skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of Case Workers are proficient in Social Work, Crisis Intervention, and Patients. They’re also known for soft skills such as Emotional skills, Communication skills, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Case Workers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Social Work, 20%
Monitored and documented weekly progression of participant's goals while communicating with physicians and social workers.
- Crisis Intervention, 8%
Provide crisis intervention, manage incidents and communicate information to the Corporate Compliance Department according to Agency policy.
- Patients, 7%
Consulted with interdisciplinary team in order to ensure appropriate referrals and discharge of homeless, psychiatric and geriatric patients.
- Substance Abuse, 6%
Managed an intense caseload of mentally-ill clients at this nonprofit community organization providing innovative mental health and substance abuse services.
- Community Resources, 6%
Establish and maintain collaborative working relationships with homeless shelters, other community resources, and other supportive service providers.
- Child Abuse, 5%
Investigate allegations of child abuse/neglect taking necessary actions to ensure child safety and well being.
Most case workers use their skills in "social work," "crisis intervention," and "patients" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential case worker responsibilities here:
Communication skills. Many case worker duties rely on communication skills. "clients talk to social workers about challenges in their lives," so a case worker will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways case worker responsibilities rely on communication skills: "update notes in vanguard and hospital computer systems every time communication is made with a patient. "
Interpersonal skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of case workers is interpersonal skills. This skill is critical to many everyday case worker duties, as "social workers must be able to work with different groups of people." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "utilized strong interpersonal skills with clients and colleagues conducted group therapy completed intake assessments conducted urine analysis participated in team meeting"
Organizational skills. For certain case worker responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "organizational skills." The day-to-day duties of a case worker rely on this skill, as "social workers must help and manage multiple clients, often assisting with their paperwork or documenting their treatment." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what case workers do: "included were oif/oef veterans interfaced with veterans, providers, and organizational clients monitored the exam process. "
Problem-solving skills. Another crucial skill for a case worker to carry out their responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." A big part of what case workers relies on this skill, since "social workers must analyze their clients’ complex situations and develop practical solutions." How this skill relates to case worker duties can be seen in an example from a case worker resume snippet: "assisted and resolved adoptive parents and adoptive youth issues in crisis situations. "
Compassion. Another skill commonly found on case worker job descriptions is "compassion." It can come up quite often in case worker duties, since "social workers often work with people who are in stressful and difficult situations." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day case worker responsibilities: "utilized empathy and compassion to clients during difficult circumstances. "
The three companies that hire the most case workers are:
- Access International, Inc.17 case workers jobs
- The Salvation Army16 case workers jobs
- Miriam Hospital11 case workers jobs
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Compare different case workers
Case worker vs. Family specialist
A Family Specialist performs social work for families in need. They are focused on helping individuals and families to improve their lives.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between case workers and family specialist. For instance, case worker responsibilities require skills such as "patients," "customer service," "intake assessments," and "mental illness." Whereas a family specialist is skilled in "social services," "child development," "family support," and "provide technical assistance." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Family specialists tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $55,461. In contrast, case workers make the biggest average salary, $40,730, in the education industry.The education levels that family specialists earn slightly differ from case workers. In particular, family specialists are 5.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a case worker. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Case worker vs. Advocate
An advocate is a voice for the voiceless. It is their responsibility to speak on behalf of an individual or a particular cause. Most of the duties will vary depending on the line of organization or duty involved; however, an advocate must have extensive knowledge or background on the subject matter. Furthermore, an advocate must be present at gatherings regarding the cause, assist in the negotiation and mediation processes involving contracts and legal documentation, provide or convey accurate information, and defend what they represent.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that case worker responsibilities requires skills like "social work," "foster care," "intake assessments," and "public assistance." But an advocate might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "cpr," "cleanliness," "safety planning," and "advocacy services."
Advocates earn a lower average salary than case workers. But advocates earn the highest pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $40,536. Additionally, case workers earn the highest salaries in the education with average pay of $40,730 annually.In general, advocates achieve similar levels of education than case workers. They're 1.5% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for case workers in the next 3-5 years?
Virginia Schwindt
MSW Field Director/Associate Professor, Union University
Case worker vs. Social services specialist
A Social Services Specialist provides social services to children and adults in communities, facilities, institutions, or hospitals. They develop and implement specialized treatment programs.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, case workers are more likely to have skills like "customer service," "intake assessments," "mental illness," and "public assistance." But a social services specialist is more likely to have skills like "discharge planning," "term care," "mds," and "nursing home."
Social services specialists earn the best pay in the insurance industry, where they command an average salary of $64,884. Case workers earn the highest pay from the education industry, with an average salary of $40,730.social services specialists typically earn higher educational levels compared to case workers. Specifically, they're 10.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Case worker vs. Case management specialist
In healthcare facilities, a case management specialist is in charge of ensuring that patients get quality service. Their responsibilities often include handling admission and discharge procedures, preparing and processing documents, gathering and organizing patient information, and developing strategies to optimize case management operations. There are also instances where they must address patient concerns and issues, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a case management specialist, it is essential to function while adhering to the facility's policies and regulations.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between case workers and case management specialists, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a case worker might have more use for skills like "child abuse," "customer service," "foster care," and "intake assessments." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of case management specialists require skills like "patient care," "discharge planning," "care coordination," and "management services. "
In general, case management specialists earn the most working in the technology industry, with an average salary of $55,377. The highest-paying industry for a case worker is the education industry.The average resume of case management specialists showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to case workers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 2.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.Types of case worker
Updated January 8, 2025
