Detention worker vs foster care worker

The differences between detention 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 detention worker and a foster care worker. Additionally, a foster care worker has an average salary of $46,037, which is higher than the $35,072 average annual salary of a detention worker.

The top three skills for a detention worker include crisis intervention, perform intake and incident reports. The most important skills for a foster care worker are foster care, social work, and child abuse.

Detention worker vs foster care worker overview

	Detention Worker	Foster Care Worker
Yearly salary	$35,072	$46,037
Hourly rate	$16.86	$22.13
Growth rate	10%	9%
Number of jobs	21,863	151,625
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Detention worker vs foster care worker salary

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

	Detention Worker	Foster Care Worker
Average salary	$35,072	$46,037
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $55,000	Between $32,000 And $65,000
Highest paying City	-	Baltimore, MD
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Riverview Health
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between detention worker and foster care worker education

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

	Detention Worker	Foster Care Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Social Work
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Boston University

Detention worker vs foster care worker demographics

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

	Detention Worker	Foster Care Worker
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9%	Male, 20.1% Female, 79.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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	8%	10%

Differences between detention worker and foster care worker duties and responsibilities

Detention worker example responsibilities.

Lead support groups with an emphasis on recovery and strength base techniques, DBT, CBT, self-care and coping skills.
Recognize risk factors quickly, collaborate with interdisciplinary team, nurture positive relationships with patients through consistency and modeling healthy boundaries.
Examine injured persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.

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.

Detention worker vs foster care worker skills

Common detention worker skills

Crisis Intervention, 22%
Perform Intake, 13%
Incident Reports, 13%
Emergency Situations, 12%
CPR, 7%
Juvenile Programs, 5%

Common foster care worker skills

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