Child advocate vs guardian ad litem

The differences between child advocates and guardian ad litems 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 guardian ad litem. Additionally, a guardian ad litem has an average salary of $47,366, 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 guardian ad litem are child abuse, social work, and court hearings.

Child advocate vs guardian ad litem overview

	Child Advocate	Guardian Ad Litem
Yearly salary	$37,885	$47,366
Hourly rate	$18.21	$22.77
Growth rate	9%	10%
Number of jobs	88,678	649
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	42	46
Years of experience	4	4

Child advocate vs guardian ad litem salary

Child advocates and guardian ad litems have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Child Advocate	Guardian Ad Litem
Average salary	$37,885	$47,366
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $46,000	Between $30,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	Pasadena, TX	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	Suncoast Center	-
Best paying industry	Non Profits	-

Differences between child advocate and guardian ad litem education

There are a few differences between a child advocate and a guardian ad litem in terms of educational background:

	Child Advocate	Guardian Ad Litem
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 65%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Psychology	Law
Most common college	Hunter College of the City University of New York	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Child advocate vs guardian ad litem demographics

Here are the differences between child advocates' and guardian ad litems' demographics:

	Child Advocate	Guardian Ad Litem
Average age	42	46
Gender ratio	Male, 13.1% Female, 86.9%	Male, 18.0% Female, 82.0%
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, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between child advocate and guardian ad litem 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.

Guardian ad litem example responsibilities.

Manage and direct all phases of criminal litigation from initial consultation through appeals process.
Coordinate with DCF, psychiatrists and evaluators.
Experience in probate as well as criminal court dockets.
Aim to protect children that have been place in foster care and DSS custody.
Observe parent-child interaction during supervise visits at DSS.
Develop and deliver PowerPoint presentations focuse theories of crime causation and crime typologies.

Child advocate vs guardian ad litem skills

Common child advocate skills

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

Common guardian ad litem skills

Child Abuse, 51%
Social Work, 7%
Court Hearings, 4%
Ad Litem, 4%
Court Reports, 4%
Legal Research, 3%