Post job

Family worker vs case worker

The differences between family workers and case 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 worker and a case worker. Additionally, a case worker has an average salary of $41,459, which is higher than the $36,992 average annual salary of a family worker.

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

Family worker vs case worker overview

Family WorkerCase Worker
Yearly salary$36,992$41,459
Hourly rate$17.78$19.93
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs101,552107,329
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

What does a family worker do?

A family worker's role is to provide an intervention with parents, children, and young persons to help improve outcomes for families and children. The job they do includes working with parents to help strengthen family relationships and their ability to provide support and be community involved closely. They implement a program that helps parents recognize a child's needs, encouraging child self-esteem development, and positive behavior. Moreover, other duties include giving referrals to other community services as required and to assess family progress.

What does a case worker do?

Caseworkers are social workers who watch over the welfare of underprivileged individuals and at-risk families by counseling and providing them with assistance. Usually employed under the government or a local non-profit organization, a caseworker must conduct a thorough interview and house visits to determine the needs of the family. They then refer them to any programs or agencies that can give them the specific care and help needed. Furthermore, it is crucial to identify neglect and abuse signs, reporting them to the authorities right away.

Family worker vs case worker salary

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

Family WorkerCase Worker
Average salary$36,992$41,459
Salary rangeBetween $28,000 And $48,000Between $30,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Best paying industry-Education

Differences between family worker and case worker education

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

Family WorkerCase Worker
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 64%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorPsychologyPsychology
Most common collegeHunter College of the City University of New YorkUniversity of Pennsylvania

Family worker vs case worker demographics

Here are the differences between family workers' and case workers' demographics:

Family WorkerCase Worker
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 15.1% Female, 84.9%Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%
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 worker and case worker duties and responsibilities

Family worker example responsibilities.

  • Help children/youth in state custody achieve permanency whether through reintegration, adoption or custodianship.
  • Create service plans and attend administrative case reviews at the DCFS office.
  • Work with families developing and implementing permanent plan in accordance with DCFS policy, procedures, and accreditation standards.
  • Mediate conflicts between patients, handle medical emergencies, assist patients in developing and implementing positive and cooperative living skills.
  • Accompany the families to the IEP meeting and help them deal with any issues or concerns that arise.
  • Assess and evaluate all refer students and make plans to implement any need social services such as following IEP plans.
  • Show more

Case worker example responsibilities.

  • Establish collaborative relationships with patients within a supportive atmosphere to assist in confronting drug relate behavior and achieving sobriety.
  • Review and research leads regarding personal injury cases by obtaining information from the Medicaid recipient's attorney and insurance adjuster
  • File, close and maintain records in either physical case file or on ETO.
  • Train new employees and assign tasks in driving and all responsibilities in DCS documentations.
  • Provide weekly face to face updates to youth and telephonic updates to family members/sponsor with documentation find in ETO.
  • Facilitate DCS court order supervised visitation during the reunification process.
  • Show more

Family worker vs case worker skills

Common family worker skills
  • Social Work, 22%
  • Foster Care, 11%
  • Child Care, 9%
  • Crisis Intervention, 7%
  • Community Resources, 5%
  • Substance Abuse, 3%
Common case worker skills
  • Social Work, 20%
  • Crisis Intervention, 8%
  • Patients, 7%
  • Substance Abuse, 6%
  • Community Resources, 6%
  • Child Abuse, 5%

Browse community and social services jobs