What do they do?
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.
Also known as:
Adoption Social Worker, Case Manager, Case Worker, Caseworker, Child Protective Services Social Worker (CPS Social Worker), Child Protective Services Specialist, Early Intervention Specialist, Family Manager, Family Preservation Caseworker, Family Protection Specialist, Family Resource Coordinator, Family Service Caseworker, Family Service Worker, Foster Care Social Worker, School Social Worker, Social Worker, Youth Services Specialist
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Ranks #45 in job growth rate960Job Openings
Ranks #11 in net job growth
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- Master's degree (40%)
- Bachelor's degree (36%)
- Some college, no degree (8%)
- Associate's degree (6%)
- High school diploma equivalent (5%)
- Doctorate or Professional Degree (2%)
- Less than high school diploma (2%)
Most Popular Majors that prepare Child, Family, and School Social Workers
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#1
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Degrees Granted
33,254
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Female Students
29,116
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Male Students
4,138
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Median Starting Salary
$33,800
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#2
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Degrees Granted
795
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Female Students
706
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Male Students
89
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Median Starting Salary
$40,033
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#3
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Degrees Granted
82
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Female Students
73
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Male Students
9
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Median Starting Salary
$33,800
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#4
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Degrees Granted
46
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Female Students
38
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Male Students
8
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Median Starting Salary
$33,800
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#5
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Degrees Granted
20
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Female Students
17
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Male Students
3
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Median Starting Salary
$40,800
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People in this career often have these skills:
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
- Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
- Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
People in this career often know a lot about:
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
- Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
- Sociology and Anthropology - Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
- Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
People in this career often have talent in:
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
- Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
- Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
People in this career often do these activities:
- Write reports or evaluations.
- Maintain client records.
- Interview clients to gather information about their backgrounds, needs, or progress.
- Advocate for individual or community needs.
- Arrange physical or mental health services for clients.
- Counsel clients regarding educational or vocational issues.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of counseling or educational programs.
- Confer with clients to discuss treatment plans or progress.
- Recommend legal actions.
- Counsel clients regarding interpersonal issues.
- Evaluate potential problems in home or work environments of clients.
- Confer with family members to discuss client treatment plans or progress.
- Collaborate with other professionals to assess client needs or plan treatments.
- Evaluate characteristics of individuals to determine needs or eligibility.
- Conduct research on social issues.
- Help clients get needed services or resources.
- Refer individuals to educational or work programs.
- Refer clients to community or social service programs.
- Advise clients or community groups on health issues.
- Counsel clients or patients with substance abuse issues.
- Collect information about clients.
- Supervise workers providing client or patient services.
- Counsel clients or patients regarding personal issues.
- Collaborate with other professionals to develop education or assistance programs.
This page includes data from:
Career data: O*NET 28.3 Database
by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA
Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics
Videos: CareerOneStop, USDOL/ETA and the Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development
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