Domestic violence advocate vs social worker

The differences between domestic violence advocates and social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a domestic violence advocate, becoming a social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a social worker has an average salary of $50,102, which is higher than the $47,440 average annual salary of a domestic violence advocate.

The top three skills for a domestic violence advocate include safety planning, domestic violence victims and legal advocacy. The most important skills for a social worker are social work, patients, and patient care.

Domestic violence advocate vs social worker overview

	Domestic Violence Advocate	Social Worker
Yearly salary	$47,440	$50,102
Hourly rate	$22.81	$24.09
Growth rate	12%	9%
Number of jobs	68,579	77,340
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	43	45
Years of experience	12	2

Domestic violence advocate vs social worker salary

Domestic violence advocates and social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Domestic Violence Advocate	Social Worker
Average salary	$47,440	$50,102
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $77,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Jersey City, NJ	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Oregon
Best paying company	Sinai Chicago	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between domestic violence advocate and social worker education

There are a few differences between a domestic violence advocate and a social worker in terms of educational background:

	Domestic Violence Advocate	Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Psychology	Social Work
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	University of Pennsylvania

Domestic violence advocate vs social worker demographics

Here are the differences between domestic violence advocates' and social workers' demographics:

	Domestic Violence Advocate	Social Worker
Average age	43	45
Gender ratio	Male, 8.6% Female, 91.4%	Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.1% Asian, 5.9% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1%	Black or African American, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	11%	13%

Differences between domestic violence advocate and social worker duties and responsibilities

Domestic violence advocate example responsibilities.

Assist patients in securing medical coverage by screening refer patients and coordinating the application process through successful approval.
Perform other duties as assigned by supervisor and work as a team member with the YWCA staff and administration.

Social worker example responsibilities.

Assist clients in achieving treatment goals such as anger, ADHD, grief, social skills, and manners.
Lead and co-le CBT and DBT skills-base groups with participants, as well as relapse prevention, mindfulness and process groups.
Support patient questions and issues regarding Medicare ESRD entitlement and Medicaid and assist in the completion of the appropriate documentation.
Coordinate IPU discharge planning patients to SNF, ALF, PCH or in-home care with necessary support for care.
Facilitate relationships with AKF and other patient assistance programs, VA, Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance providers.
Complete Medicaid and Medicare applications as needed.

Domestic violence advocate vs social worker skills

Common domestic violence advocate skills

Safety Planning, 18%
Domestic Violence Victims, 8%
Legal Advocacy, 7%
Social Work, 5%
Community Resources, 5%
Crisis Intervention, 5%

Common social worker skills

Social Work, 30%
Patients, 15%
Patient Care, 5%
MSW, 4%
Discharge Planning, 4%
Home Health, 4%

Domestic Violence Advocate vs. similar jobs

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Domestic Violence Advocate
Domestic Violence Advocate vs Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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