Children's service worker vs foster care worker

The differences between children's service workers 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 children's service worker and a foster care worker. Additionally, a foster care worker has an average salary of $46,037, which is higher than the $35,625 average annual salary of a children's service worker.

The top three skills for a children's service worker include social work, foster care and law enforcement. The most important skills for a foster care worker are foster care, social work, and child abuse.

Children's service worker vs foster care worker overview

	Children's Service Worker	Foster Care Worker
Yearly salary	$35,625	$46,037
Hourly rate	$17.13	$22.13
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	51,504	151,625
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Children's service worker vs foster care worker salary

Children's service workers and foster care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Children's Service Worker	Foster Care Worker
Average salary	$35,625	$46,037
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $49,000	Between $32,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	Coon Rapids, MN	Baltimore, MD
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	State of West Virginia	Riverview Health
Best paying industry	Government	Construction

Differences between children's service worker and foster care worker education

There are a few differences between a children's service worker and a foster care worker in terms of educational background:

	Children's Service Worker	Foster Care Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	Boston University	Boston University

Children's service worker vs foster care worker demographics

Here are the differences between children's service workers' and foster care workers' demographics:

	Children's Service Worker	Foster Care Worker
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 21.0% Female, 79.0%	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 children's service worker and foster care worker duties and responsibilities

Children's service worker example responsibilities.

Help children/youth in state custody achieve permanency whether through reintegration, adoption or custodianship.
Task supervisor for MSW graduate students for field placement.
Recognize risk factors quickly, collaborate with interdisciplinary team, nurture positive relationships with patients through consistency and modeling healthy boundaries.
Authorize medical necessity forms for Medicaid services.
Assure federal regulations and all eligibility requirements are follow when placing customers into proper Medicaid program.
Perform related adoptions and supervisory visits for state adoptions.

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.

Children's service worker vs foster care worker skills

Common children's service worker skills

Social Work, 10%
Foster Care, 10%
Law Enforcement, 7%
Community Resources, 6%
Substance Abuse, 6%
Protective Services, 6%

Common foster care worker skills

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

Children's Service Worker vs. similar jobs

Children's Service Worker related careers

Children's Service Worker related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Community and Social Services Industry
Children's Service Worker
Children's Service Worker vs Foster Care Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs