Social services manager vs foster care case manager

The differences between social services managers and foster care case managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a social services manager and a foster care case manager. Additionally, a social services manager has an average salary of $55,773, which is higher than the $39,279 average annual salary of a foster care case manager.

The top three skills for a social services manager include social work, patients and discharge planning. The most important skills for a foster care case manager are foster care, social work, and foster children.

Social services manager vs foster care case manager overview

	Social Services Manager	Foster Care Case Manager
Yearly salary	$55,773	$39,279
Hourly rate	$26.81	$18.88
Growth rate	12%	12%
Number of jobs	162,185	134,853
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	12	12

What does a social services manager do?

A social services manager is responsible for handling community programs and activities for societal needs. Social services managers coordinate with different local organizations to strategize techniques in building a safe and peaceful environment for the citizens, as well as identifying resources to provide them with their essentials. They also attend community events and meetings to represent the community and propose ideas for community development. A social services manager supervises the program budgeting, as well as reaching out to potential donors and sponsors for funding purposes.

What does a foster care case manager do?

A Foster Care Case Manager provides social work counseling to foster children, families, and foster parents. They plan and coordinate treatments for the required children in accordance with specified requirements.

Social services manager vs foster care case manager salary

Social services managers and foster care case managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Social Services Manager	Foster Care Case Manager
Average salary	$55,773	$39,279
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $81,000	Between $30,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Chicago, IL
Highest paying state	Nevada	New York
Best paying company	Cloudflare	Scripps Health
Best paying industry	Health Care	Professional

Differences between social services manager and foster care case manager education

There are a few differences between a social services manager and a foster care case manager in terms of educational background:

	Social Services Manager	Foster Care Case Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	SUNY at Binghamton	California State University - Long Beach

Social services manager vs foster care case manager demographics

Here are the differences between social services managers' and foster care case managers' demographics:

	Social Services Manager	Foster Care Case Manager
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 20.6% Female, 79.4%	Male, 20.1% Female, 79.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 56.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1%	Black or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 5.3% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between social services manager and foster care case manager duties and responsibilities

Social services manager example responsibilities.

Manage the MSW staff and coordinate all social service and select patient service activities.
Research community services for patient care and coordinate transportation for patients to external organizations for short and long-term treatment.
Provide case-management for patients in a rehabilitation setting, assisting with referrals to appropriate agencies and resources in their local area.
Assist with Medicaid applications and insurance problems.
Process payroll information in an accurate and timely manner.
Help residents with their advance directives, assist in filing Medicaid applications and file and investigate grievances.

Foster care case manager example responsibilities.

Manage caseloads for Medicaid; interviewing and instructing clients in proper preparation of documentation.
Prepare court reports, petitions and provide testimony to support case management as required by DHS contract and court mandates.
Assure that DCFS policies and procedures, and all applicable laws, rules, and policies are follow.
Supervise visitation between DCFS wards and their parents and siblings in order to observe parent-child interaction and ensure safety.
Provide services to and on behalf of the consumers, natural families and foster families refer to the agency from DHS.
Perform concurrent review to assure appropriateness of admission, inpatient/acute care, rehabilitation/SNF status, and discharge using establish InterQual guidelines.

Social services manager vs foster care case manager skills

Common social services manager skills

Social Work, 19%
Patients, 13%
Discharge Planning, 7%
Mental Health, 6%
Crisis Intervention, 6%
Psychosocial Assessments, 4%

Common foster care case manager skills

Foster Care, 23%
Social Work, 20%
Foster Children, 6%
Community Resources, 6%
Child Abuse, 5%
Management Services, 5%

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Social Services Manager
Social Services Manager vs Foster Care Case Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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