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The differences between senior 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 senior social worker and a family support specialist. Additionally, a senior social worker has an average salary of $55,254, which is higher than the $37,343 average annual salary of a family support specialist.
The top three skills for a senior social worker include social work, patients and veterans. The most important skills for a family support specialist are social work, child abuse, and patients.
| Senior Social Worker | Family Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $55,254 | $37,343 |
| Hourly rate | $26.56 | $17.95 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 103,740 | 143,739 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior social worker is in charge of overseeing the support services conducted in a community or a particular area. Their responsibilities often revolve around coordinating different social workers, handling issues or concerns, managing schedules, and performing support tasks for other staff when necessary. They also perform welfare checks on families, provide referrals to other support agencies, conduct interviews and counseling, and identify any signs of abuse or neglect. Furthermore, as a senior social worker, it is essential to lead and mentor junior social workers, all while adhering to the agency's policies and regulations.
A family support specialist is an individual who provides counseling and rehabilitation services to families who are facing crises so that their lives can be improved. Family support specialists conduct interviews with members of a family to determine areas that need support such as anti-social behavior, bullying, or domestic violence. They collaborate with healthcare and social professionals to evaluate caseload needs. In cases of relevant child protection, family support specialists are also required to attend court sessions.
Senior social workers and family support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Social Worker | Family Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $55,254 | $37,343 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $75,000 | Between $24,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | Newark, NJ | Trenton, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | University of California, Berkeley | Catholic Health East |
| Best paying industry | Government | Professional |
There are a few differences between a senior social worker and a family support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Senior Social Worker | Family Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Master's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Psychology |
| Most common college | Boston College | Hunter College of the City University of New York |
Here are the differences between senior social workers' and family support specialists' demographics:
| Senior Social Worker | Family Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 23.1% Female, 76.9% | 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% |