Forensic social worker vs family support specialist

The differences between forensic social workers and family support specialists 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 support specialist. Additionally, a forensic social worker has an average salary of $51,696, which is higher than the $37,343 average annual salary of a family support specialist.

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 support specialist are social work, child abuse, and patients.

Forensic social worker vs family support specialist overview

	Forensic Social Worker	Family Support Specialist
Yearly salary	$51,696	$37,343
Hourly rate	$24.85	$17.95
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	102,030	143,739
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Forensic social worker vs family support specialist salary

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

	Forensic Social Worker	Family Support Specialist
Average salary	$51,696	$37,343
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $64,000	Between $24,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	-	Trenton, NJ
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Catholic Health East
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between forensic social worker and family support specialist education

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

	Forensic Social Worker	Family Support Specialist
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Social Work	Psychology
Most common college	Boston College	Hunter College of the City University of New York

Forensic social worker vs family support specialist demographics

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

	Forensic Social Worker	Family Support Specialist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 21.4% Female, 78.6%	Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0%
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 support specialist 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 support specialist example responsibilities.

Manage RSP curriculum for wide spectrum of needs including LD and autism.
Help children/youth in state custody achieve permanency whether through reintegration, adoption or custodianship.
Provide first aid or CPR.
Provide intensive services to families that are DHS who are determine to be reunify with their families.
Attend and participate in weekly staff meetings, individual supervision, and other meetings require by DCF.
Provide activities supervision and individual counseling to DCFS wards of the state within a therapeutic milieu setting.

Forensic social worker vs family support specialist 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 support specialist skills

Social Work, 23%
Child Abuse, 9%
Patients, 7%
Child Development, 4%
Crisis Intervention, 4%
Foster Care, 4%

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Forensic Social Worker
Forensic Social Worker vs Family Support Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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