Careers · Explore one path
Child, Family, and School Social Workers
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.
Other titles employers use
Adoption Social Worker · Case Manager · Case Worker · Child Protective Services Social Worker (CPS Social Worker) · Family Protection Specialist · Family Resource Coordinator · Family Service Worker · Foster Care Social Worker
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Maintain case history records and prepare reports.
- Interview clients individually, in families, or in groups, assessing their situations, capabilities, and problems to determine what services are required to meet their needs.
- 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.
- Develop and review service plans in consultation with clients and perform follow-ups assessing the quantity and quality of services provided.
- Address legal issues, such as child abuse and discipline, assisting with hearings and providing testimony to inform custody arrangements.
- Counsel parents with child rearing problems, interviewing the child and family to determine whether further action is required.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to helping, organizing and analytical work.
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
- Analytical
- Investigating questions, testing ideas, and solving problems
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Social Perceptiveness
- Reading Comprehension
- Service Orientation
Subjects to know
- Customer and Personal Service
- Psychology
- Therapy and Counseling
- English Language
- Administrative
Useful strengths
- Oral Expression
- Oral Comprehension
- Problem Sensitivity
- Written Comprehension
- Written Expression
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.2 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 2.4 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 5.0 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 2.0 | Little of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a bachelor's degree. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A four-year degree 69%
- A master's degree 26%
- A two-year degree 5%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Data base user interface and query software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Electronic mail software
- Presentation software
- Word processing software
- Computer based training software
- Medical software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 50,300
- Job openings each year
- 4,090
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 9.6%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 50,300 | 4,090 | 9.6% |
| New York | 32,620 | 590 | 21.9% |
| Texas | 23,770 | 1,980 | 13.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 22,360 | 1,760 | 4.5% |
| Illinois | 16,980 | 1,330 | 3.9% |
| Florida | 16,250 | 1,370 | 15.5% |
| North Carolina | 14,740 | 1,230 | 14.2% |
| Michigan | 13,820 | 1,080 | 4.1% |
| Colorado | 11,870 | 990 | 14.7% |
| Ohio | 11,570 | 910 | 4.3% |
| Virginia | 9,970 | 800 | 8.5% |
| Washington | 9,950 | 920 | 11.3% |
| Minnesota | 9,160 | 720 | 5.7% |
| Arizona | 8,380 | 700 | 13.9% |
| Kentucky | 7,590 | 590 | 3.0% |
| Tennessee | 7,440 | 630 | 17.0% |
| Indiana | 7,240 | 570 | 5.2% |
| Missouri | 7,000 | 540 | 2.3% |
| Oklahoma | 6,830 | 540 | 4.9% |
| New Jersey | 6,450 | 510 | 6.3% |
| Georgia | 6,260 | 520 | 12.4% |
| South Carolina | 5,980 | 490 | 12.2% |
| Oregon | 5,850 | 490 | 12.7% |
| Connecticut | 5,830 | 470 | 8.4% |
| Wisconsin | 5,180 | 410 | 4.9% |
| Maryland | 4,600 | 370 | 9.8% |
| Massachusetts | 4,240 | 340 | 7.3% |
| Mississippi | 4,160 | 340 | 8.3% |
| Nevada | 4,050 | 320 | 4.9% |
| Alabama | 3,950 | 310 | 2.9% |
| Puerto Rico | 3,950 | 320 | 7.6% |
| Iowa | 3,900 | 320 | 11.4% |
| Nebraska | 3,890 | 310 | 6.9% |
| Kansas | 3,220 | 250 | 5.6% |
| District of Columbia | 3,170 | 260 | 9.7% |
| New Mexico | 2,720 | 230 | 13.3% |
| West Virginia | 2,200 | 180 | 6.3% |
| Maine | 1,930 | 150 | −1.0% |
| Utah | 1,920 | 170 | 23.9% |
| Rhode Island | 1,880 | 150 | 8.7% |
| South Dakota | 1,870 | 150 | 5.6% |
| Idaho | 1,530 | 130 | 13.3% |
| Arkansas | 1,370 | 110 | 3.8% |
| Delaware | 1,300 | 100 | 5.7% |
| Montana | 1,240 | 100 | 13.8% |
| Alaska | 1,120 | 90 | 7.7% |
| Vermont | 1,100 | 90 | 7.8% |
| New Hampshire | 1,000 | 80 | 8.7% |
| North Dakota | 800 | 60 | 8.1% |
| Wyoming | 670 | 60 | 9.8% |
| Louisiana | 590 | 50 | 7.3% |
| Virgin Islands | 270 | 20 | −15.6% |
| Guam | 80 | 10 | 14.3% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Ohio State University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 809
- Admit rate
- 51%
- Annual cost after aid
- $10,000
University of California-Davis
- Degrees each year
- 958
- Admit rate
- 42%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
- Degrees each year
- 761
- Admit rate
- 18%
- Annual cost after aid
- $5,000
Liberty University
- Degrees each year
- 803
- Admit rate
- 99%
- Annual cost after aid
- $27,000
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Degrees each year
- 660
- Admit rate
- 44%
- Annual cost after aid
- $8,000
California State University-Los Angeles
- Degrees each year
- 646
- Admit rate
- 92%
- Annual cost after aid
- $5,000
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
- Degrees each year
- 1,454
- Admit rate
- 57%
- Annual cost after aid
- $7,000
University of Utah
- Degrees each year
- 556
- Admit rate
- 87%
- Annual cost after aid
- $14,000