House parent vs direct care worker

The differences between house parents and direct care workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a house parent has an average salary of $34,797, which is higher than the $29,343 average annual salary of a direct care worker.

The top three skills for a house parent include crisis intervention, foster care and direct care. The most important skills for a direct care worker are direct care, patients, and CPR.

House parent vs direct care worker overview

	House Parent	Direct Care Worker
Yearly salary	$34,797	$29,343
Hourly rate	$16.73	$14.11
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	25,144	140,788
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	High School Diploma, 32%
Average age	26	48
Years of experience	-	-

House parent vs direct care worker salary

House parents and direct care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	House Parent	Direct Care Worker
Average salary	$34,797	$29,343
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $49,000	Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	-	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Arizona Training & Evaluation Center
Best paying industry	-	Professional

Differences between house parent and direct care worker education

There are a few differences between a house parent and a direct care worker in terms of educational background:

	House Parent	Direct Care Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	High School Diploma, 32%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

House parent vs direct care worker demographics

Here are the differences between house parents' and direct care workers' demographics:

	House Parent	Direct Care Worker
Average age	26	48
Gender ratio	Male, 33.9% Female, 66.1%	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 16.5% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 7.6% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	13%	7%

Differences between house parent and direct care worker duties and responsibilities

House parent example responsibilities.

Lead support groups with an emphasis on recovery and strength base techniques, DBT, CBT, self-care and coping skills.
Attend multiple trainings on child development, wellness action plans, as well as CPR certification.
Demonstrate proficiency in administering medications, assisting with ADL's.
Promote continuity of care by accurately and completely communicating to other caregivers the status of patients for which care is provided.
Create new forms to help house moms stay better organize and help with household and DHS responsibilities.
Prepare meals, pick up groceries when need, administer and document all medications.

Direct care worker example responsibilities.

Provide caring companionship to elderly and developmentally disable patients with or without chronic health diagnosis.
Assist individuals with developmental/intellectual disabilities with ADL's.
Conduct socialization groups to aid individuals in development of ADL and socialization skills.
Prepare daily documents administer medications handle patients hygiene house cleaning and provide transportation to and from appointment
Provide caring and companionship to elderly and developmentally disable consumers and provide primary resident care and assistance with daily living activities.
Provide day to day services that include transport, nutrition, hygiene, housekeeping and activities to MRDD clients.

House parent vs direct care worker skills

Common house parent skills

Crisis Intervention, 12%
Foster Care, 9%
Direct Care, 9%
CPR, 9%
Child Care, 7%
Foster Children, 7%

Common direct care worker skills

Direct Care, 22%
Patients, 11%
CPR, 7%
Developmental Disabilities, 4%
Crisis Intervention, 4%
Vital Signs, 4%