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The differences between family workers and school social 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 school social worker. Additionally, a school social worker has an average salary of $54,856, 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 school social worker are social work, social emotional, and IEP.
| Family Worker | School Social Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $36,992 | $54,856 |
| Hourly rate | $17.78 | $26.37 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 101,552 | 122,376 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Master's Degree, 51% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A school social worker specializes in counseling students, families, and faculty members. They are responsible for coordinating with the school to develop programs that prioritize the students' emotional and psychological well-being, respond to any issues and concerns, build rapport to identify their needs, and communicate with support services to provide necessary assistance to any students or families. There are also instances when a school social worker must assist teachers in handling students with behavioral issues, investigating the underlying reasons. Moreover, it is crucial to identify any signs of neglect or abuse, conducting interventive measures right away.
Family workers and school social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Family Worker | School Social Worker | |
| Average salary | $36,992 | $54,856 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $48,000 | Between $40,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Boston Public Schools |
| Best paying industry | - | Education |
There are a few differences between a family worker and a school social worker in terms of educational background:
| Family Worker | School Social Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Master's Degree, 51% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Social Work |
| Most common college | Hunter College of the City University of New York | Boston College |
Here are the differences between family workers' and school social workers' demographics:
| Family Worker | School Social Worker | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 15.1% Female, 84.9% | Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5% |
| 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, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |