Family preservation worker vs social worker

The differences between family preservation workers and social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a family preservation worker, 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 $43,208 average annual salary of a family preservation worker.

The top three skills for a family preservation worker include social work, crisis intervention and child welfare. The most important skills for a social worker are social work, patients, and patient care.

Family preservation worker vs social worker overview

	Family Preservation Worker	Social Worker
Yearly salary	$43,208	$50,102
Hourly rate	$20.77	$24.09
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	41,993	77,340
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	42	45
Years of experience	4	2

Family preservation worker vs social worker salary

Family preservation workers and social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Family Preservation Worker	Social Worker
Average salary	$43,208	$50,102
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $60,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	-	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	-	Oregon
Best paying company	-	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between family preservation worker and social worker education

There are a few differences between a family preservation worker and a social worker in terms of educational background:

	Family Preservation Worker	Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	Hunter College of the City University of New York	University of Pennsylvania

Family preservation worker vs social worker demographics

Here are the differences between family preservation workers' and social workers' demographics:

	Family Preservation Worker	Social Worker
Average age	42	45
Gender ratio	Male, 23.7% Female, 76.3%	Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5%
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, 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	10%	13%

Differences between family preservation worker and social worker duties and responsibilities

Family preservation worker example responsibilities.

Help children/youth in state custody achieve permanency whether through reintegration, adoption or custodianship.
Provide information and support to transitioning foster youth during assessment, case planning or other permanency and transition-relate activities.
Perform related adoptions and supervisory visits for state adoptions.

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.

Family preservation worker vs social worker skills

Common family preservation worker skills

Social Work, 25%
Crisis Intervention, 12%
Child Welfare, 9%
Child Protective, 5%
Community Resources, 5%
Court Hearings, 5%

Common social worker skills

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

Family Preservation Worker vs. similar jobs

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Community and Social Services Industry
Family Preservation Worker
Family Preservation Worker vs Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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