Guardian family member vs direct support professional

The differences between guardian family members and direct support professionals can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a direct support professional has an average salary of $32,077, which is higher than the $31,712 average annual salary of a guardian family member.

The top three skills for a guardian family member include patient care, vital signs and doctor appointments. The most important skills for a direct support professional are direct support, developmental disabilities, and autism.

Guardian family member vs direct support professional overview

	Guardian Family Member	Direct Support Professional
Yearly salary	$31,712	$32,077
Hourly rate	$15.25	$15.42
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	47,314	142,034
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	High School Diploma, 30%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

Guardian family member vs direct support professional salary

Guardian family members and direct support professionals have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Guardian Family Member	Direct Support Professional
Average salary	$31,712	$32,077
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $41,000	Between $18,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	-	Santa Clara, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between guardian family member and direct support professional education

There are a few differences between a guardian family member and a direct support professional in terms of educational background:

	Guardian Family Member	Direct Support Professional
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	High School Diploma, 30%
Most common major	Business	Psychology
Most common college	-	-

Guardian family member vs direct support professional demographics

Here are the differences between guardian family members' and direct support professionals' demographics:

	Guardian Family Member	Direct Support Professional
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 32.5% Female, 67.5%	Male, 24.4% Female, 75.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 7.7% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 8.3% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between guardian family member and direct support professional duties and responsibilities

Guardian family member example responsibilities.

Manage provider network to include verifying claims and benefits for healthcare providers/members and insurance companies.
Serve as liaison between grievances and appeals and/or medical management, legal and/or service operations and other internal departments.
Provide all incontinence care, including bathing, changing diapers and condom catheters.

Direct support professional example responsibilities.

Work with adults who have disabilities to help manage everyday tasks such as laundry, cooking, preparing groceries, etc.
Provide care to adults with intellectual & developmental disabilities while administering their medication via AMAP certification
Support the development of individuals with autism by promoting community involvement and performing exercises to strengthen their cognitive and social skills.
Assist with toileting, including urinals.
Maintain medical records according to all HIPPA guidelines.
Assist coordinator to train new DCW on assign shift.

Guardian family member vs direct support professional skills

Common guardian family member skills

Patient Care, 13%
Vital Signs, 13%
Doctor Appointments, 12%
Child Care, 10%
Mental Health, 9%
Physical Therapy, 9%

Common direct support professional skills

Direct Support, 19%
Developmental Disabilities, 12%
Autism, 9%
Direct Care, 7%
DSP, 7%
Mental Health, 6%

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Personal Care and Attendants Industry
Guardian Family Member
Guardian Family Member vs Direct Support Professional

Updated January 8, 2025

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