Forensic social worker vs family service worker

The differences between forensic social workers 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 forensic social worker and a family service worker. Additionally, a forensic social worker has an average salary of $51,696, which is higher than the $37,674 average annual salary of a family service worker.

The top three skills for a forensic social worker include social work, psycho-social assessments and mental health. The most important skills for a family service worker are social work, foster care, and child abuse.

Forensic social worker vs family service worker overview

	Forensic Social Worker	Family Service Worker
Yearly salary	$51,696	$37,674
Hourly rate	$24.85	$18.11
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	102,030	111,599
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Forensic social worker vs family service worker salary

Forensic social workers and family service workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Forensic Social Worker	Family Service Worker
Average salary	$51,696	$37,674
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $64,000	Between $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 forensic social worker and family service worker education

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

	Forensic Social Worker	Family Service Worker
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	Boston College	Hunter College of the City University of New York

Forensic social worker vs family service worker demographics

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

	Forensic Social Worker	Family Service Worker
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 21.4% Female, 78.6%	Male, 14.8% Female, 85.2%
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%

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

Forensic social worker example responsibilities.

Manage caseload and complete all paperwork according to OMH guidelines.
Counsele veterans and Medi-Cal clients individually to provide behavioral interventions in order to address their anxiety, depression and anger.
Facilitate the building of community partnerships and provide community outreach and marketing efforts to generate new client business.

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.

Forensic social worker vs family service worker skills

Common forensic social worker skills

Social Work, 29%
Psycho-Social Assessments, 11%
Mental Health, 9%
Crisis Intervention, 9%
Criminal Justice, 4%
Community Resources, 4%

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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Forensic Social Worker
Forensic Social Worker vs Family Service Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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