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Family educator vs family service worker

The differences between family educators and family service 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 family educator and a family service worker. Additionally, a family service worker has an average salary of $37,674, which is higher than the $35,404 average annual salary of a family educator.

The top three skills for a family educator include social work, child development and CPR. The most important skills for a family service worker are social work, foster care, and child abuse.

Family educator vs family service worker overview

Family EducatorFamily Service Worker
Yearly salary$35,404$37,674
Hourly rate$17.02$18.11
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs24,959111,599
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

What does a family educator do?

A family educator ensures that parents are educated on their family members' nutritional, medical, and educational needs. These educators support and encourage self-sufficiency for the family that they work with by helping navigate family problems. They enable parents to obtain the education and skills to raise physically, emotionally, and psychologically healthy children. Family educators must have strong communication skills, good decision-making skills, strong self-esteem, and knowledge of human development.

What does a family service worker do?

A family service worker is in charge of providing support services to families in a community, referring them to other agencies or programs as needed. They serve as the primary point of contact of family members, ensuring they maintain an active line of communication. Their responsibilities typically revolve around enrolling family members into social services programs, gathering and verifying information, maintaining databases, and assisting in all procedures, all while updating families for any progress. Furthermore, a family service worker needs to coordinate with other social workers to provide the most effective service.

Family educator vs family service worker salary

Family educators and family service workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Family EducatorFamily Service Worker
Average salary$35,404$37,674
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $50,000Between $28,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City-Chicago, IL
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-Washington County
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between family educator and family service worker education

There are a few differences between a family educator and a family service worker in terms of educational background:

Family EducatorFamily Service Worker
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common majorPsychologySocial Work
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - Long BeachHunter College of the City University of New York

Family educator vs family service worker demographics

Here are the differences between family educators' and family service workers' demographics:

Family EducatorFamily Service Worker
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 19.7% Female, 80.3%Male, 14.8% Female, 85.2%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage10%10%

Differences between family educator and family service worker duties and responsibilities

Family educator example responsibilities.

  • Help children/youth in state custody achieve permanency whether through reintegration, adoption or custodianship.
  • Certify in CPR & first aid.
  • Perform developmental screenings and participate in IEP transition meetings.
  • Collaborate with special education teachers for implementation of IEP s for special needs children and curriculum development.
  • Mediate conflicts between patients, handle medical emergencies, assist patients in developing and implementing positive and cooperative living skills.
  • Determine participants' eligibility for program by gathering data and maintaining information to ensure clients are compliant for TANF program regulations.

Family service worker example responsibilities.

  • Help children/youth in state custody achieve permanency whether through reintegration, adoption or custodianship.
  • Practice motivational interviewing techniques to assist individuals in identifying personal hurdles in order to set goals and work towards rehabilitation.
  • Establish and maintain relationships with stakeholder (DSS staff, schools and community partners).
  • Integrate the individual support plan (ISP) objective into the individuals' daily schedule.
  • Provide courtesy interviews or conflict investigations for other county DSS.
  • Determine participants' eligibility for program by gathering data and maintaining information to ensure clients are compliant for TANF program regulations.

Family educator vs family service worker skills

Common family educator skills
  • Social Work, 17%
  • Child Development, 8%
  • CPR, 8%
  • Childhood Education, 7%
  • Health Education, 7%
  • Community Resources, 6%
Common family service worker skills
  • Social Work, 18%
  • Foster Care, 10%
  • Child Abuse, 9%
  • Protective Services, 5%
  • Mental Health, 5%
  • Court Reports, 4%

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