Career
Child, family, and school social workers
Protect children and support families through hard seasons, at home, at school and in the community.
$59,550
Median pay
+4.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
33,900
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on people & care, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Maintain case history records and prepare reports.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Active Listening, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $59,550 a year and 33,900 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Criminal JusticeSee the degree →
- Social WorkSee the degree →
- Experimental PsychologySee the degree →
- Developmental and Child PsychologyCIP 42.2703
- Developmental and Adolescent PsychologyCIP 42.2710
- Juvenile CorrectionsCIP 43.0110
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Healthcare Social Workers$67,880 · +8.5%
- Marriage and Family Therapists$66,940 · +13.5%
- Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers$60,280 · +10.3%
- Rehabilitation Counselors$46,850 · +2.2%
- Social and Human Service Assistants$45,930 · +7.4%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.