Child advocate vs family service worker

The differences between child advocates and family service workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a child advocate and a family service worker. Additionally, a child advocate has an average salary of $37,885, which is higher than the $37,674 average annual salary of a family service worker.

The top three skills for a child advocate include social work, safety planning and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a family service worker are social work, foster care, and child abuse.

Child advocate vs family service worker overview

	Child Advocate	Family Service Worker
Yearly salary	$37,885	$37,674
Hourly rate	$18.21	$18.11
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	88,678	111,599
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Child advocate vs family service worker salary

Child advocates and family service workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Child Advocate	Family Service Worker
Average salary	$37,885	$37,674
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $46,000	Between $28,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Pasadena, TX	Chicago, IL
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	Suncoast Center	Washington County
Best paying industry	Non Profits	Government

Differences between child advocate and family service worker education

There are a few differences between a child advocate and a family service worker in terms of educational background:

	Child Advocate	Family Service Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	Hunter College of the City University of New York	Hunter College of the City University of New York

Child advocate vs family service worker demographics

Here are the differences between child advocates' and family service workers' demographics:

	Child Advocate	Family Service Worker
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%	Male, 14.8% Female, 85.2%
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%

Differences between child advocate and family service worker duties and responsibilities

Child advocate example responsibilities.

Offer immediate practical assistance to the family in obtaining Medicaid coverage, financial assistance or help with housing.
Assist patients in securing medical coverage by screening refer patients and coordinating the application process through successful approval.
Complete risk assessments and develop comprehensive intervention plans to address safety, communication, and problem solving abilities.

Family service worker example responsibilities.

Help children/youth in state custody achieve permanency whether through reintegration, adoption or custodianship.
Practice motivational interviewing techniques to assist individuals in identifying personal hurdles in order to set goals and work towards rehabilitation.
Establish and maintain relationships with stakeholder (DSS staff, schools and community partners).
Integrate the individual support plan (ISP) objective into the individuals' daily schedule.
Provide courtesy interviews or conflict investigations for other county DSS.
Determine participants' eligibility for program by gathering data and maintaining information to ensure clients are compliant for TANF program regulations.

Child advocate vs family service worker skills

Common child advocate skills

Social Work, 16%
Safety Planning, 11%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
Mental Health, 7%
Child Abuse, 5%
Child Advocacy, 5%

Common family service worker skills

Social Work, 18%
Foster Care, 10%
Child Abuse, 9%
Protective Services, 5%
Mental Health, 5%
Court Reports, 4%