Child, Family, and School Social Workers
SOC: 21-1021.00

Description:

Provide social services and assistance to improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families and to maximize the family well-being and the academic functioning of children. May assist parents, arrange adoptions, and find foster homes for abandoned or abused children. In schools, they address such problems as teenage pregnancy, misbehavior, and truancy. May also advise teachers.

National Salary Information:

Hourly Statistics:

Annual Statistics:

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015 wage data.

Employment Projections:

Employment (2014):
305,200 employed

Projected (2024):
324,200 employed

Projected growth (2014-2024)


Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015 2014-2024 employment projections external site. "Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2014-2024). "Projected job openings" represent openings due to growth and replacement.

Alternate Titles:

  • Adolescent Counselor
  • Adoption Agent
  • Adoption Coordinator
  • Adoption Counselor
  • Adoption Social Worker
  • Adoption Specialist
  • Adoption Worker
  • Adult Protective Caseworker
  • At-Risk Specialist
  • Case Manager
  • Case Planner
  • Case Worker
  • Casework Supervisor
  • Caseworker
  • Certified Children, Youth, and Family Social Worker
  • Child Abuse Worker
  • Child Advocate
  • Child and Family Services Worker
  • Child Care Counselor
  • Child Development Consultant
  • Child Protection Specialist
  • Child Protective Services Social Worker (CPS Social Worker)
  • Child Protective Services Specialist
  • Child Welfare Caseworker
  • Child Welfare Consultant
  • Child Welfare Counselor
  • Child Welfare Social Worker
  • Child Welfare Specialist
  • Child Welfare Worker
  • Children's Counselor
  • Children's Service Worker
  • Community Organization Worker
  • Community Worker
  • Delinquency Prevention Social Worker
  • Early Intervention Specialist
  • Early Interventionist
  • Elementary School Social Worker
  • Family Advocate
  • Family Caseworker
  • Family Intervention Specialist
  • Family Manager
  • Family Preservation Caseworker
  • Family Preservation Worker
  • Family Protection Specialist
  • Family Service Caseworker
  • Family Service Worker
  • Family Support Specialist
  • Family Support Worker
  • Field Representative
  • Field Service Representative
  • Foster Care Social Worker
  • Foster Care Worker
  • Group Worker
  • Human Service Specialist
  • Juvenile Counselor
  • Juvenile Officer
  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
  • Licensed Social Worker
  • Medical Social Worker
  • Post Adoption Coordinator
  • Program Support Specialist
  • Protective Services Social Worker
  • Public Housing Community Relations and Services Advisor
  • School Social Worker
  • Social Worker
  • Youth Advocate
  • Youth Services Specialist

    • Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed

    Experience:

    A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

    Education:

    Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

    Job Training:

    Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

    Required Skills:

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Writing
  • Speaking
  • Mathematics
  • Science
  • Critical Thinking
  • Active Learning
  • Learning Strategies
  • Monitoring
  • Social Perceptiveness
  • Coordination
  • Persuasion
  • Negotiation
  • Instructing
  • Service Orientation
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Operations Analysis
  • Technology Design
  • Programming
  • Operation Monitoring
  • Operation and Control
  • Judgment and Decision Making
  • Systems Analysis
  • Systems Evaluation
  • Time Management
  • Management of Financial Resources
  • Management of Material Resources
  • Management of Personnel Resources

    • Knowledge Used:

  • Administration and Management
  • Clerical
  • Economics and Accounting
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Personnel and Human Resources
  • Computers and Electronics
  • Mathematics
  • Psychology
  • Sociology and Anthropology
  • Geography
  • Medicine and Dentistry
  • Therapy and Counseling
  • Education and Training
  • English Language
  • Foreign Language
  • Philosophy and Theology
  • Public Safety and Security
  • Law and Government
  • Telecommunications
  • Communications and Media
  • Transportation

    • Tasks:

  • Interview clients individually, in families, or in groups, assessing their situations, capabilities, and problems to determine what services are required to meet their needs.
  • Counsel individuals, groups, families, or communities regarding issues including mental health, poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, physical abuse, rehabilitation, social adjustment, child care, or medical care.
  • Maintain case history records and prepare reports.
  • Counsel students whose behavior, school progress, or mental or physical impairment indicate a need for assistance, diagnosing students' problems and arranging for needed services.
  • Consult with parents, teachers, and other school personnel to determine causes of problems, such as truancy and misbehavior, and to implement solutions.
  • Counsel parents with child rearing problems, interviewing the child and family to determine whether further action is required.
  • Develop and review service plans in consultation with clients and perform follow-ups assessing the quantity and quality of services provided.
  • Collect supplementary information needed to assist client, such as employment records, medical records, or school reports.
  • Address legal issues, such as child abuse and discipline, assisting with hearings and providing testimony to inform custody arrangements.
  • Provide, find, or arrange for support services, such as child care, homemaker service, prenatal care, substance abuse treatment, job training, counseling, or parenting classes to prevent more serious problems from developing.
  • Refer clients to community resources for services, such as job placement, debt counseling, legal aid, housing, medical treatment, or financial assistance, and provide concrete information, such as where to go and how to apply.
  • Arrange for medical, psychiatric, and other tests that may disclose causes of difficulties and indicate remedial measures.
  • Work in child and adolescent residential institutions.
  • Administer welfare programs.
  • Evaluate personal characteristics and home conditions of foster home or adoption applicants.
  • Serve as liaisons between students, homes, schools, family services, child guidance clinics, courts, protective services, doctors, and other contacts to help children who face problems, such as disabilities, abuse, or poverty.
  • Place children in foster or adoptive homes, institutions, or medical treatment centers.
  • Supervise other social workers.
  • Recommend temporary foster care and advise foster or adoptive parents.
  • Determine clients' eligibility for financial assistance.
  • Conduct social research.
  • Lead group counseling sessions that provide support in such areas as grief, stress, or chemical dependency.
  • Serve on policy-making committees, assist in community development, and assist client groups by lobbying for solutions to problems.

    • Tools & Technology:

  • Computer laser printers
  • Desktop computers
  • Laptop computers
  • Laser facsimile machines
  • Multi-line telephone systems
  • Personal computers
  • Photocopying equipment
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Office software
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Word
  • Patient electronic medical record EMR software
  • Student information systems SIS
  • Web browser software

    • community and social service

    industry stats

    SOC: 21-0000

    Total Employed: 1,972,140

    Average Annual Salary: $46,160