Senior social worker vs social worker

The differences between senior social workers and 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 senior social worker, becoming a social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a senior social worker has an average salary of $55,254, which is higher than the $50,102 average annual salary of a social worker.

The top three skills for a senior social worker include social work, patients and veterans. The most important skills for a social worker are social work, patients, and patient care.

Senior social worker vs social worker overview

	Senior Social Worker	Social Worker
Yearly salary	$55,254	$50,102
Hourly rate	$26.56	$24.09
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	103,740	77,340
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	42	45
Years of experience	4	2

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 worker do?

Social workers help their clients get through problems that they may be facing. Social workers help identify individuals or groups of people, usually families, who may need assistance, generally through a set of pre-determined criteria. They then determine the best ways to help their clients by interviewing them, getting to know them, and understanding the context of their lives. They create plans that will help their clients become better, such as integrating into a new environment, assisting them in their needs, or even rescuing them from their current place. Social workers have good interpersonal skills and communication skills.

Senior social worker vs social worker salary

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

	Senior Social Worker	Social Worker
Average salary	$55,254	$50,102
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $75,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Newark, NJ	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Oregon
Best paying company	University of California, Berkeley	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between senior social worker and social worker education

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

	Senior Social Worker	Social Worker
Most common degree	Master's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	Boston College	University of Pennsylvania

Senior social worker vs social worker demographics

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

	Senior Social Worker	Social Worker
Average age	42	45
Gender ratio	Male, 23.1% Female, 76.9%	Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5%
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 senior social worker and social worker 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.

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Social worker example responsibilities.

Assist clients in achieving treatment goals such as anger, ADHD, grief, social skills, and manners.
Lead and co-le CBT and DBT skills-base groups with participants, as well as relapse prevention, mindfulness and process groups.
Support patient questions and issues regarding Medicare ESRD entitlement and Medicaid and assist in the completion of the appropriate documentation.
Coordinate IPU discharge planning patients to SNF, ALF, PCH or in-home care with necessary support for care.
Facilitate relationships with AKF and other patient assistance programs, VA, Medicare, Medicaid and other insurance providers.
Complete Medicaid and Medicare applications as needed.

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Senior social worker vs social worker skills

Common senior social worker skills

Social Work, 41%
Patients, 11%
Veterans, 4%
Treatment Services, 3%
Patient Care, 3%
Rehabilitation, 3%

Common social worker skills

Social Work, 30%
Patients, 15%
Patient Care, 5%
MSW, 4%
Discharge Planning, 4%
Home Health, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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