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Senior social worker vs social service coordinator

The differences between senior social workers and social service coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a senior social worker, becoming a social service coordinator takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a senior social worker has an average salary of $55,254, which is higher than the $40,946 average annual salary of a social service coordinator.

The top three skills for a senior social worker include social work, patients and veterans. The most important skills for a social service coordinator are social work, home health, and patients.

Senior social worker vs social service coordinator overview

Senior Social WorkerSocial Service Coordinator
Yearly salary$55,254$40,946
Hourly rate$26.56$19.69
Growth rate9%12%
Number of jobs103,740109,487
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeMaster's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4243
Years of experience412

What does a senior social worker do?

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.

What does a social service coordinator do?

A social service coordinator is responsible for assisting the essential needs of the citizens within a community by providing them financial assistance, employment services, and social provisions through coordinating with various organizations and social institutions. Social service coordinators conduct counseling to assess social needs and processing referral services for particular purposes. They also perform administrative and clerical duties as needed, responding to the citizens' inquiries and concerns, collecting their documents, and coordinating with the community office on planning livelihood programs and activities for social benefits.

Senior social worker vs social service coordinator salary

Senior social workers and social service coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Social WorkerSocial Service Coordinator
Average salary$55,254$40,946
Salary rangeBetween $40,000 And $75,000Between $32,000 And $51,000
Highest paying CityNewark, NJSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew JerseyNorth Dakota
Best paying companyUniversity of California, BerkeleySesame Workshop
Best paying industryGovernmentProfessional

Differences between senior social worker and social service coordinator education

There are a few differences between a senior social worker and a social service coordinator in terms of educational background:

Senior Social WorkerSocial Service Coordinator
Most common degreeMaster's Degree, 47%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorSocial WorkSocial Work
Most common collegeBoston CollegeSUNY at Binghamton

Senior social worker vs social service coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between senior social workers' and social service coordinators' demographics:

Senior Social WorkerSocial Service Coordinator
Average age4243
Gender ratioMale, 23.1% Female, 76.9%Male, 18.4% Female, 81.6%
Race ratioBlack 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, 12.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage10%11%

Differences between senior social worker and social service coordinator duties and responsibilities

Senior social worker example responsibilities.

  • Collaborate with partners including public and private agencies to achieve permanency for children.
  • Refer customers to other community agencies such as clinics, employment services, and vocational rehabilitation services.
  • Facilitate family meetings to provide support and psycho-education to patients and their family members and to discuss discharge planning.
  • Supervise students in MSW programs and high school programs.
  • Supervise MSW staff and student-interns in adult alcohol/substance abuse program.
  • Collaborate with other hospital departments to streamline services for homeless veterans.
  • Show more

Social service coordinator example responsibilities.

  • Maintain national staffing Microsoft SharePoint site in order to manage staffing requisitions and available resources for business needs
  • Streamline productivity strategically managing caseloads and direct client contact conducting weekly interviews with patients and families; experience in MDS documentation.
  • Formulate rehabilitation plan for each assign offender by evaluating legal and social history and progress of offender.
  • Conduct math lessons in a small group setting.
  • Serve as a lead math tutor to underclassmen for two years.
  • Help with landscaping activities such as raking leaves and mowing the lawn of the church.
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Senior social worker vs social service coordinator skills

Common senior social worker skills
  • Social Work, 41%
  • Patients, 11%
  • Veterans, 4%
  • Treatment Services, 3%
  • Patient Care, 3%
  • Rehabilitation, 3%
Common social service coordinator skills
  • Social Work, 22%
  • Home Health, 14%
  • Patients, 12%
  • Community Resources, 11%
  • Rehabilitation, 5%
  • Social Service Programs, 3%

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