How To Become A Social Services Aide: What It Is and Career Path

What is a social services aide and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Debra Minsky-Kelly,

Dr. T. Thao Pham Ph.D.

Social services aides work with social workers and assist them in providing services for individuals or families. Like many other people who work in social services, their goal is to connect members of the community to the benefits and support programs that they need to lead better lives.

The duties of a social services aide generally involve interviewing clients, conducting household assessments, identifying client needs, and directing individuals and families to the services available to them. Part of their job is to also make house visits to check on the welfare of disabled, ill, and elderly clients.

One must have a bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, or something similar to become a social services aide. Experience, on the other hand, may not be required since this is an entry-level position. However, some employers may require applicants to have certain certifications before they can hire them. The average salary of a social services aide is around $28,000 per year or $14 an hour. With enough experience, a social services aide can move up to the position of a social worker, which offers a higher earning potential.

What general advice would you give to a social services aide?

Debra Minsky-Kelly

Director of Field Education / Clinical Assistant Professor of Social Work, Carthage College

I think there are two critical skills for social workers, whether they are first entering the workforce or seasoned professionals. These skills are humility and an appreciation for ambiguity in our work. A humble approach to our work empowers clients to become experts on their circumstances. Social workers are then positioned in a collaborative role to help clients use existing skills and resources to improve their situations. An appreciation for ambiguity is closely related to the idea of humility. It helps us to remember that practice situations we face in this field are often far more complicated than they appear on the surface. Thus, all social workers need to make a strong commitment to lifelong learning and ongoing consultation with colleagues to ensure that multiple perspectives are included as we work to solve complex problems.

ScoreSocial Services AideUS Average

Salary

2.5

Avg. Salary $32,458

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.9

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

10.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.87%

Asian 6.38%

Black or African American 12.38%

Hispanic or Latino 18.85%

Unknown 4.91%

White 55.61%

Gender

female 84.39%

male 15.61%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

8.9

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a social services aide

Explore social services aide education requirements

Most common social services aide degrees

Bachelor's

44.3 %

Associate

24.0 %

High School Diploma

14.5 %

Start to develop specific social services aide skills

Skills	Percentages
Social Work	39.03%
Community Resources	11.99%
Home Health	9.76%
Rehabilitation	8.73%
Child Care	6.13%

Complete relevant social services aide training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New social services aides learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a social services aide based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real social services aide resumes.

Research social services aide duties and responsibilities

Manage a caseload TANF clients, assess clients eligibility to receive benefits, assist with placement of clients in various programs.
Assist with input of Medicare data, per legal deadlines.
Collaborate with patients for vocational rehabilitation for family members who qualify.
Confer with physicians, psychologists, occupational therapists, and other professionals to develop and implement client rehabilitation programs.

Prepare your social services aide resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your social services aide resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a social services aide resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable social services aide resume templates

Build a professional social services aide resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your social services aide resume.