Social worker assistant vs social worker

The differences between social workers assistant and social workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a social worker assistant, becoming a social worker takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a social worker has an average salary of $50,102, which is higher than the $37,542 average annual salary of a social worker assistant.

The top three skills for a social worker assistant include social work, patients and public assistance. The most important skills for a social worker are social work, patients, and patient care.

Social worker assistant vs social worker overview

	Social Worker Assistant	Social Worker
Yearly salary	$37,542	$50,102
Hourly rate	$18.05	$24.09
Growth rate	12%	9%
Number of jobs	115,098	77,340
Job satisfaction	5	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	43	45
Years of experience	12	2

What does a social worker assistant do?

A social worker assistant is in charge of performing support tasks for social workers in the joint effort to assist disadvantaged families in communities. Their responsibilities include preparing and processing documentation, managing schedules, arranging appointments with clients and external parties, handling calls and correspondence, maintaining records, and running errands on behalf of staff. Furthermore, a social worker assistant may reach out to families to identify their needs, conduct interviews and assessments, facilitate activities, and monitor the progress of families or individuals, referring them to other agencies as needed.

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.

Social worker assistant vs social worker salary

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

	Social Worker Assistant	Social Worker
Average salary	$37,542	$50,102
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $51,000	Between $37,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Portland, OR
Highest paying state	Hawaii	Oregon
Best paying company	Minnesota State Fair	Health Advocates
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between social worker assistant and social worker education

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

	Social Worker Assistant	Social Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Social Work	Social Work
Most common college	SUNY at Binghamton	University of Pennsylvania

Social worker assistant vs social worker demographics

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

	Social Worker Assistant	Social Worker
Average age	43	45
Gender ratio	Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1%	Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%	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	11%	13%

Differences between social worker assistant and social worker duties and responsibilities

Social worker assistant example 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.

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.

Social worker assistant vs social worker skills

Common social worker assistant skills

Social Work, 22%
Patients, 14%
Public Assistance, 11%
Community Resources, 5%
Mental Health, 5%
Social Services, 5%

Common social worker skills

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

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Social Worker Assistant
Social Worker Assistant vs Social Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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