SOC 21-1021.00

    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.

    Median pay
    $59,550
    Growth
    +4.4%
    As fast as average
    Openings a year
    33,900
    Typical education
    Bachelor's degree

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $42,280
    Median
    $59,550
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $95,530
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    392,550 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Child, family, and school social workers support the psychological and social well-being of children and their families. This career, which employs 392,550 people, offers a median annual pay of $59,550.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What child, family, and school social workers do

    Job Zone 4: Considerable preparation

    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.

    Most need a bachelor's degree and several years of related experience.

    What the work is like

    Professionals in this field focus on helping children and families navigate social, academic, and psychological challenges. They may arrange adoptions, place children in foster homes, or address school-related issues like truancy, misbehavior, and teenage pregnancy. Day-to-day tasks involve establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships, communicating with supervisors and outside organizations, and documenting critical information. They spend significant time getting information, assisting and caring for others, and working directly with the public.

    Success in this role requires strong skills in active listening, speaking, social perceptiveness, and critical thinking. Social workers must make sound decisions and solve complex problems. They rely on a deep knowledge of psychology, therapy, counseling, sociology, anthropology, and customer service. Because they frequently handle sensitive situations, they must demonstrate work styles such as empathy, sincerity, cooperation, dependability, and high stress tolerance. They also need self-control and adaptability to manage unpredictable family and school environments.

    How to get there

    Entering this career typically requires considerable preparation, including a bachelor's degree and several years of experience in a related field. Students preparing for this work often major in social work, research and experimental psychology, criminal justice and corrections, or mental and social health services.

    Depending on the location and specific role, professionals may seek certifications or licenses. Relevant credentials include the Associate Social Work Licensing Examination or the Bachelors Social Work Licensing Examination, both offered by the Association of Social Work Boards. Another option is the Certified Career Services Provider credential from the National Career Development Association. Some states also list specific licensing requirements for individuals performing this type of social work.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for these social workers is $59,550. Salaries can vary significantly based on experience and location, with the lowest 10% earning less than $42,280 and the highest 10% earning more than $95,530. Employment is projected to grow by 4.4% from 2025 to 2035, which is as fast as the average for all occupations. This growth and normal turnover are expected to result in 33,900 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    12 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    39 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    32 / 100
    Social (S) · strongest
    98 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    32 / 100
    Conventional (C)
    43 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code SCI. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
    93
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    93
    Documenting/Recording Information
    90
    Getting Information
    90
    Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
    88
    Communicating with People Outside the Organization
    87
    Assisting and Caring for Others
    86
    Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
    86
    Working with Computers
    85
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    85
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Active Listening
    • Speaking
    • Critical Thinking
    • Social Perceptiveness
    • Judgment and Decision Making
    • Reading Comprehension
    • Service Orientation
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Monitoring
    • Coordination

    Knowledge

    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Psychology
    • Therapy and Counseling
    • English Language
    • Administrative
    • Sociology and Anthropology
    • Education and Training
    • Law and Government
    • Administration and Management
    • Computers and Electronics

    Abilities

    • Oral Expression
    • Oral Comprehension
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Written Comprehension
    • Written Expression
    • Speech Clarity
    • Deductive Reasoning
    • Inductive Reasoning
    • Speech Recognition
    • Information Ordering

    Work styles

    • Cooperation
    • Empathy
    • Sincerity
    • Dependability
    • Integrity
    • Social Orientation
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Optimism
    • Self-Control
    • Adaptability

    Also called

    Adolescent Counselor · Adoption Agent · Adoption Coordinator · Adoption Counselor · Adoption Social Worker · Adoption Specialist · Adoption Worker · Case Manager · Case Worker · Casework Supervisor

    Career pathway

    From your interests to child, family, and school social workers

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Child, Family, and School Social Workers$59,550 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1Calumet College of Saint Joseph logo
      Calumet College of Saint Joseph

      Whiting, IN · Criminal Justice and Corrections · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $54,078
      4 yrs after
      $106,465
      Median debt
      $20,417
    2. 2Dartmouth College logo
      Dartmouth College

      Hanover, NH · Research and Experimental Psychology · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $57,478
      4 yrs after
      $99,344
      Median debt
      $9,888
    3. 3Columbia University in the City of New York logo
      Columbia University in the City of New York

      New York, NY · Research and Experimental Psychology · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $57,188
      4 yrs after
      $86,946
      Median debt
      $31,181
    4. 4Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus GA Tech logo
      Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus GA Tech

      Atlanta, GA · Research and Experimental Psychology · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $83,012
      Median debt
      $14,500
    5. 5National University-California logo
      National University-California

      La Jolla, CA · Criminal Justice and Corrections · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $66,056
      4 yrs after
      $81,299
      Median debt
      $25,000
    6. 6University of Connecticut UCONN logo
      University of Connecticut UCONN

      Storrs, CT · Research and Experimental Psychology · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $39,952
      4 yrs after
      $80,873
      Median debt
      Not reported
    7. 7Fisher College logo
      Fisher College

      Boston, MA · Criminal Justice and Corrections · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $48,983
      4 yrs after
      $80,136
      Median debt
      $26,875
    8. 8
      George Washington University

      Washington, DC · Criminal Justice and Corrections · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $54,080
      4 yrs after
      $80,070
      Median debt
      $19,500

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What child, family, and school social workers may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Developmental and Adolescent Psychology
    • Developmental and Child Psychology
    • Forensic Social Work
    • Infant/Toddler Mental Health Services
    • Juvenile Corrections
    • Social Work
    • Social Work, Other
    • Youth Services/Administration

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Licenses by state

    40 states list a license for this work. Open your state for the license and the agency that issues it.

    Check license requirements on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about child, family, and school social workers

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some alternative job titles for this career?

    People in this field are also known as case managers, case workers, or casework supervisors. Other common titles include adoption specialists, adoption coordinators, and adolescent counselors.

    What college majors are most relevant to this work?

    Students often prepare for this career by majoring in social work or research and experimental psychology. Other common majors include criminal justice and corrections, as well as mental and social health services.

    What are the primary goals of a school social worker?

    In school settings, these professionals address issues like student misbehavior, truancy, and teenage pregnancy. They work to maximize the academic functioning of children and may also advise teachers on how to support students.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.