How to hire a social worker assistant

How to hire a social worker assistant, step by step

Here's a step-by-step social worker assistant hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a social worker assistant job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new social worker assistant
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a social worker assistant do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the social worker assistant you need to hire. Certain social worker assistant roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect social worker assistant also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of social workers assistant.

   Type of Social Worker Assistant	Description	Hourly rate
   Social Worker Assistant	Social and human service assistants provide client services, including support for families, in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, and social work. They assist other workers, such as social workers, and they help clients find benefits or community services.	$12-24
   Family Support Worker	A family service worker is a social service agent who assesses the needs of family and promotes wellbeing, social justice, and human rights through governmental and social service agencies. Family service workers offer services that can include counseling and mediation to families that will help them navigate the protocols of the social system... Show more	$12-25
   Outreach Worker	An outreach worker is responsible for supporting community events and relief efforts to assist citizens with their needs, providing them resources, and facilitating lifestyle programs. Outreach workers coordinate with participants, suppliers, and sponsors for funding and promotions... Show more	$13-23

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Work
   • Patients
   • Public Assistance
   • Community Resources
   • Mental Health
   • Social Services
   • DHS
   • Patient Care
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Discharge Planning
   • Financial Assistance Programs
   • Substance Abuse
   • MSW
   • Foster Children

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage the clinic's Medicaid enrollment process and assist clients with their application process under proper guidance.
   • Assist patients in coping with their lifestyle changes and overall help patients achieve optimum independence and reduce re-hospitalizations.
   • Case manage in-district and out-of-district students with emotional disabilities, autism, other health impair and physical disabilities.
   • Refer patients and their families to relevant community resources and coordinate with social services at other community agencies.
   • Maintain accurate records to comply with ESRD and CMS regulations.
   • Participate in monthly interdisciplinary team meetings regarding patient care.

   More social worker assistant duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your social worker assistant job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A social worker assistant salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a social worker assistant in New Hampshire may be lower than in Hawaii, and an entry-level social worker assistant usually earns less than a senior-level social worker assistant. Additionally, a social worker assistant with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average social worker assistant salary

   $37,542yearly

   $18.05 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level social worker assistant salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average social worker assistant salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Washington	$44,042	$21
   2	California	$43,843	$21
   3	New York	$43,255	$21
   4	Oregon	$42,064	$20
   5	Alaska	$42,048	$20
   6	Minnesota	$40,091	$19
   7	Colorado	$39,966	$19
   8	Maryland	$38,666	$19
   9	Michigan	$35,861	$17
   10	Ohio	$35,851	$17
   11	Iowa	$34,474	$17
   12	Texas	$33,283	$16
   13	Pennsylvania	$32,661	$16
   14	New Jersey	$32,556	$16
   15	Virginia	$29,269	$14
   16	Indiana	$29,196	$14
   17	New Hampshire	$28,545	$14

   Average social worker assistant salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Minnesota State Fair	$54,223	$26.07	22
   2	Catholic Health East	$53,496	$25.72	3
   3	Pacific Medical Centers	$53,161	$25.56
   4	New York State Restaurant Association	$51,830	$24.92
   5	Dialysis Clinic	$47,336	$22.76	14
   6	Mount Sinai Health System	$44,704	$21.49	32
   7	BridgeView	$43,425	$20.88
   8	State Bar of Michigan	$43,262	$20.80	14
   9	Univ. Of Texas Cancer Ctr.	$41,993	$20.19	18
   10	Sanford-Good Samaritan Community Health	$41,894	$20.14
   11	Genesis Financial Solutions, Inc.	$41,723	$20.06
   12	University of Rochester	$41,668	$20.03	48
   13	University of Washington	$40,329	$19.39	29
   14	Samaritas	$39,924	$19.19	33
   15	Sharp HealthCare	$39,917	$19.19	15
   16	Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital	$38,524	$18.52	5
   17	Amedisys	$38,433	$18.48	43
   18	Summit County	$37,616	$18.08	1
   19	LifePoint Health	$35,842	$17.23	143
   20	MJHS Health System	$35,411	$17.02	9

4. Writing a social worker assistant job description

   A social worker assistant job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a social worker assistant job description:

   Social worker assistant job description example

   We are looking for team members who are passionate about challenging and significant work for the good of every patient. We are searching for individuals who are compassionate, serve with a purpose, are dedicated to supporting their team, and who seek excellence every day.
   
   We are looking for a full-time days Social Worker to join our Employee Assistance Program team at Methodist! This MSW position will have responsibility for case management activities, resource and referral research, critical incident response (CIR) and follow up with clients. This position will work closely with the EAP counseling team. Supervision for license eligibility will be made available for potential promotional opportunities.
   Sound like a perfect match? Apply now - we can't wait to hear from you!
   
   The Social Worker effectively communicates and collaborates with all members of the health care team to facilitate the episode of care so the patient receives services in a safe and timely manner, and the patient and family are provided all necessary resources and education. Interprets and communicates complex patient/family needs and role models caring practices to other caregivers. Assess patients' and families' psychosocial risk factors through evaluation of prior functioning levels, appropriateness and adequacy of support systems, reaction to illness, and ability to cope. Counsels patients and families regarding emotional, social, and financial consequences of illness and/or disability; accesses and mobilizes family/community resources to meet identified needs. Provides mental health assessments of patients upon physician referral. Provides therapeutic intervention to facilitate complex discharge planning. Serves as the point person in child abuse/neglect, adult/elderly abuse/neglect, institutional abuse, and domestic violence. Serves as liaison between Indiana University Health and state and county child and adult protective teams. Provides intervention in guardianship (temporary/permanent), foster care, adoption, and mental health level II placements.
   
   • Master's Degree in Social Work required.
   
   • CPI (Non-Violent Crisis Intervention) certification preferred.
   
   • Permanent LSW licensure required, LCSW licensure preferred.
   
   • Requires relevant health care, mental health or community-based experience.
   
   • Requires knowledge of the impact of the disease process and of human behavior to provide psychosocial assessments, short-term therapeutic counseling, and crisis intervention to patients, families and staff.
   
   • Requires knowledge of state and county adult and child protective legal mandates.
   
   • Requires knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span.
   
   • Maintains principles, practices and techniques of crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques.
   
   • Develop and maintain strong working relationships with the community, medical teams, law enforcement, APS/CPS, schools, probation and other agencies as indicated.
   
   • Requires proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Word.
   
   •0-3 years of Medical Social Work experience required. REQNUMBER: 336781

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right social worker assistant for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your social worker assistant job on Zippia to find and recruit social worker assistant candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit social workers assistant, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new social worker assistant

   Once you've decided on a perfect social worker assistant candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new social worker assistant. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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