Protective services social worker vs clinical social worker

The differences between protective services social workers and clinical social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a protective services social worker, becoming a clinical social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a clinical social worker has an average salary of $63,056, which is higher than the $51,488 average annual salary of a protective services social worker.

The top three skills for a protective services social worker include social work, protective services and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a clinical social worker are social work, patients, and behavioral health.

Protective services social worker vs clinical social worker overview

	Protective Services Social Worker	Clinical Social Worker
Yearly salary	$51,488	$63,056
Hourly rate	$24.75	$30.32
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	94,975	124,816
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Master's Degree, 54%
Average age	42	45
Years of experience	4	2

What does a protective services social worker do?

A Protective Services Social Worker provides counseling, rehabilitation, or placement services for children and adults who are disabled. They also help individuals or families deal with domestic violence, traumatic events, or terminal illnesses.

What does a clinical social worker do?

A clinical social worker is an individual in social work, which provides help to individuals in need of improving their lives and their well-being. Clinical social workers must work with different individuals to help them address difficulties that they are trying to overcome. To perform counseling services, clinical social workers must take and pass the professional licensure examination. They also help disadvantaged individuals connect to resources and services that they may benefit from.

Protective services social worker vs clinical social worker salary

Protective services social workers and clinical social workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Protective Services Social Worker	Clinical Social Worker
Average salary	$51,488	$63,056
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $63,000	Between $42,000 And $92,000
Highest paying City	New Brunswick, NJ	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	California
Best paying company	Washington State University	Tucson Electric Power
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Education

Differences between protective services social worker and clinical social worker education

There are a few differences between a protective services social worker and a clinical social worker in terms of educational background:

	Protective Services Social Worker	Clinical Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Master's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	Boston College	University of Pennsylvania

Protective services social worker vs clinical social worker demographics

Here are the differences between protective services social workers' and clinical social workers' demographics:

	Protective Services Social Worker	Clinical Social Worker
Average age	42	45
Gender ratio	Male, 18.6% Female, 81.4%	Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3%
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, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	13%

Differences between protective services social worker and clinical social worker duties and responsibilities

Protective services social worker example responsibilities.

Manage a caseload TANF clients, assess clients eligibility to receive benefits, assist with placement of clients in various programs.
Coordinate admissions of active duty service members and veterans to the inpatient rehabilitation/medical unit after suffering a new spinal cord injury.
Perform related adoptions and supervisory visits for state adoptions.

Clinical social worker example responsibilities.

Understand manage care, Medicare and Medicaid benefits.
Screen, identify, diagnose using DSM nomenclature, treat and manage mental health and/or substance abuse problems.
Provide clinical services to patients in rehabilitation and oncology including assessment, crisis intervention, grief therapy, and discharge planning.
Provide individual, group, family therapy, team coordination, discharge planning, utilization review and MSW student supervision.
Participate in weekly interdisciplinary team meetings to determine Medicare length of skil nursing stay.
Facilitate therapy, symptom management, and rehabilitation groups for mental health clients in partial hospitalization setting.

Protective services social worker vs clinical social worker skills

Common protective services social worker skills

Social Work, 15%
Protective Services, 7%
Crisis Intervention, 7%
Community Resources, 6%
Social Services, 6%
Foster Care, 5%

Common clinical social worker skills

Social Work, 28%
Patients, 17%
Behavioral Health, 6%
Patient Care, 5%
Community Resources, 4%
MSW, 3%

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Community and Social Services Industry
Protective Services Social Worker
Protective Services Social Worker vs Clinical Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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