Child advocate vs foster care worker

The differences between child advocates and foster care 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 foster care worker. Additionally, a foster care worker has an average salary of $46,037, which is higher than the $37,885 average annual salary of a child advocate.

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

Child advocate vs foster care worker overview

	Child Advocate	Foster Care Worker
Yearly salary	$37,885	$46,037
Hourly rate	$18.21	$22.13
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	88,678	151,625
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Child advocate vs foster care worker salary

Child advocates and foster care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Child Advocate	Foster Care Worker
Average salary	$37,885	$46,037
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $46,000	Between $32,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	Pasadena, TX	Baltimore, MD
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	Suncoast Center	Riverview Health
Best paying industry	Non Profits	Construction

Differences between child advocate and foster care worker education

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

	Child Advocate	Foster Care Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	Hunter College of the City University of New York	Boston University

Child advocate vs foster care worker demographics

Here are the differences between child advocates' and foster care workers' demographics:

	Child Advocate	Foster Care Worker
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%	Male, 20.1% Female, 79.9%
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 foster care 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.

Foster care worker example responsibilities.

Conduct unscheduled regular school visits to attain records of attendance, suspensions, IEP, and treatment plans.
Manage to write progress note, complete FASP's and input information on PROMIS on a timely manner.
Manage caseload of 18 23 children and adolescents in DSS custody due to abuse, neglect and criminal activity.
Manage a caseload of families with children in DSS custody awaiting return home to family of origin base upon progress make.
Lead presentation and training sessions to community and inter-agency groups.
Help children/youth in state custody achieve permanency whether through reintegration, adoption or custodianship.

Child advocate vs foster care 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 foster care worker skills

Foster Care, 26%
Social Work, 19%
Child Abuse, 7%
Social Services, 6%
Foster Children, 5%
Community Resources, 4%