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Child advocate vs family support specialist

The differences between child advocates 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 a child advocate and a family support specialist. Additionally, a child advocate has an average salary of $37,885, which is higher than the $37,343 average annual salary of a family support specialist.

The top three skills for a child advocate include social work, safety planning and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a family support specialist are social work, child abuse, and patients.

Child advocate vs family support specialist overview

Child AdvocateFamily Support Specialist
Yearly salary$37,885$37,343
Hourly rate$18.21$17.95
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs88,678143,739
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

Child advocate vs family support specialist salary

Child advocates and family support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Child AdvocateFamily Support Specialist
Average salary$37,885$37,343
Salary rangeBetween $30,000 And $46,000Between $24,000 And $55,000
Highest paying CityPasadena, TXTrenton, NJ
Highest paying stateNew JerseyNew Jersey
Best paying companySuncoast CenterCatholic Health East
Best paying industryNon ProfitsProfessional

Differences between child advocate and family support specialist education

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

Child AdvocateFamily Support Specialist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeHunter College of the City University of New YorkHunter College of the City University of New York

Child advocate vs family support specialist demographics

Here are the differences between child advocates' and family support specialists' demographics:

Child AdvocateFamily Support Specialist
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 13.1% Female, 86.9%Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage10%10%

Differences between child advocate and family support specialist 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 support specialist example responsibilities.

  • Manage RSP curriculum for wide spectrum of needs including LD and autism.
  • Help children/youth in state custody achieve permanency whether through reintegration, adoption or custodianship.
  • Provide first aid or CPR.
  • Provide intensive services to families that are DHS who are determine to be reunify with their families.
  • Attend and participate in weekly staff meetings, individual supervision, and other meetings require by DCF.
  • Provide activities supervision and individual counseling to DCFS wards of the state within a therapeutic milieu setting.
  • Show more

Child advocate vs family support specialist 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 support specialist skills
  • Social Work, 23%
  • Child Abuse, 9%
  • Patients, 7%
  • Child Development, 4%
  • Crisis Intervention, 4%
  • Foster Care, 4%

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