Post job

Family service worker vs social worker assistant

The differences between family service workers and social workers assistant 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 service worker, becoming a social worker assistant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a family service worker has an average salary of $37,674, which is higher than the $37,542 average annual salary of a social worker assistant.

The top three skills for a family service worker include social work, foster care and child abuse. The most important skills for a social worker assistant are social work, patients, and public assistance.

Family service worker vs social worker assistant overview

Family Service WorkerSocial Worker Assistant
Yearly salary$37,674$37,542
Hourly rate$18.11$18.05
Growth rate9%12%
Number of jobs111,599115,098
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age4243
Years of experience412

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.

What does a social worker assistant do?

A social worker assistant is in charge of performing support tasks for social workers in the joint effort to assist disadvantaged families in communities. Their responsibilities include preparing and processing documentation, managing schedules, arranging appointments with clients and external parties, handling calls and correspondence, maintaining records, and running errands on behalf of staff. Furthermore, a social worker assistant may reach out to families to identify their needs, conduct interviews and assessments, facilitate activities, and monitor the progress of families or individuals, referring them to other agencies as needed.

Family service worker vs social worker assistant salary

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

Family Service WorkerSocial Worker Assistant
Average salary$37,674$37,542
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $49,000Between $27,000 And $51,000
Highest paying CityChicago, ILSeattle, WA
Highest paying stateNew JerseyHawaii
Best paying companyWashington CountyMinnesota State Fair
Best paying industryGovernmentFinance

Differences between family service worker and social worker assistant education

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

Family Service WorkerSocial Worker Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common majorSocial WorkSocial Work
Most common collegeHunter College of the City University of New YorkSUNY at Binghamton

Family service worker vs social worker assistant demographics

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

Family Service WorkerSocial Worker Assistant
Average age4243
Gender ratioMale, 14.8% Female, 85.2%Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1%
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, 12.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage10%11%

Differences between family service worker and social worker assistant duties and responsibilities

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.

Social worker assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage the clinic's Medicaid enrollment process and assist clients with their application process under proper guidance.
  • Assist patients in coping with their lifestyle changes and overall help patients achieve optimum independence and reduce re-hospitalizations.
  • Case manage in-district and out-of-district students with emotional disabilities, autism, other health impair and physical disabilities.
  • Refer patients and their families to relevant community resources and coordinate with social services at other community agencies.
  • Maintain accurate records to comply with ESRD and CMS regulations.
  • Participate in monthly interdisciplinary team meetings regarding patient care.
  • Show more

Family service worker vs social worker assistant skills

Common family service worker skills
  • Social Work, 18%
  • Foster Care, 10%
  • Child Abuse, 9%
  • Protective Services, 5%
  • Mental Health, 5%
  • Court Reports, 4%
Common social worker assistant skills
  • Social Work, 22%
  • Patients, 14%
  • Public Assistance, 11%
  • Community Resources, 5%
  • Mental Health, 5%
  • Social Services, 5%

Browse community and social services jobs