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The differences between social workers and family service workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a social worker, becoming a family service worker takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a social worker has an average salary of $50,102, which is higher than the $37,674 average annual salary of a family service worker.
The top three skills for a social worker include social work, patients and patient care. The most important skills for a family service worker are social work, foster care, and child abuse.
| Social Worker | Family Service Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $50,102 | $37,674 |
| Hourly rate | $24.09 | $18.11 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 77,340 | 111,599 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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.
A family service worker is in charge of providing support services to families in a community, referring them to other agencies or programs as needed. They serve as the primary point of contact of family members, ensuring they maintain an active line of communication. Their responsibilities typically revolve around enrolling family members into social services programs, gathering and verifying information, maintaining databases, and assisting in all procedures, all while updating families for any progress. Furthermore, a family service worker needs to coordinate with other social workers to provide the most effective service.
Social workers and family service workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Social Worker | Family Service Worker | |
| Average salary | $50,102 | $37,674 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $67,000 | Between $28,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, OR | Chicago, IL |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Health Advocates | Washington County |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a social worker and a family service worker in terms of educational background:
| Social Worker | Family Service Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Social Work |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Hunter College of the City University of New York |
Here are the differences between social workers' and family service workers' demographics:
| Social Worker | Family Service Worker | |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5% | Male, 14.8% Female, 85.2% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 10% |