Child, Family, and School Social Worker Career Assessment
Helping children and families get the support they need
Welcome
Child, family, and school social workers help kids and families through hard times. They work in schools, county social service offices, tribal programs, and clinics.
This is steady, needed work in North Dakota. You will explore whether it fits you.
This takes about 15 minutes.
What is a Child, Family, and School Social Worker?
A child, family, and school social worker meets with families, finds out what they need, and connects them to help. That help might be food, housing, counseling, child care, or school services. Some investigate reports of child abuse or neglect. Some work in schools and help students who are struggling. In North Dakota, most of these jobs require a social work license.
The Reality: This job asks a lot of you. You will hear hard stories. You may take children out of unsafe homes. Caseloads are heavy and paperwork is constant. North Dakota licensing also requires a nationwide criminal history check and a child abuse and neglect background check. A past record does not automatically stop you, but some kinds of history can. Convictions involving children, abuse, neglect, or violence are the most likely to block a license or a hiring decision. North Dakota law says a past conviction is only a bar if the board finds you are not yet rehabilitated or the offense has a direct bearing on the work, and five years clean after your sentence ends counts as evidence of rehabilitation. The rules are judgment calls, so ask the Board of Social Work Examiners about your own record before you spend money on school.
Your Responsibilities:
- Meet with children and families to learn what they need
- Write assessments and case plans
- Connect families to food, housing, and health help
- Investigate reports of child abuse or neglect
- Work with schools, courts, and tribal programs
- Visit homes, sometimes in rural areas
- Keep detailed case notes and records
- Go to court hearings and family meetings
You help families find a safer, steadier path.
A Day in the Life
8:00 AM — Check messages and read new reports that came in overnight.
8:30 AM — Team meeting to go over hard cases.
9:30 AM — Drive 45 minutes to a home visit in a rural county.
10:30 AM — Meet with a mother and two children. Talk about school and food help.
12:00 PM — Lunch in the car on the drive back.
1:00 PM — Court hearing on a foster care case.
3:00 PM — Phone calls to set up counseling for a teen.
4:00 PM — Write case notes. Every visit has to be written up.
A mix of people work, driving, and paperwork.
Training in North Dakota
You need a social work degree from a CSWE-accredited program. North Dakota licenses social workers. The degree must come from a program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). A degree in a related field will not work for a social work license.
Training Pathways:
- Bachelor of Social Work (4 years): Gets you the LBSW license. This covers most county and school support jobs.
- Master of Social Work (1-2 more years): Gets you the LMSW license and better pay. If you already have a BSW, advanced standing can cut the time.
- Start at a two-year college: Finish general courses close to home, then transfer into a social work program.
Where to Train in North Dakota:
- University of North Dakota (Grand Forks) — BSSW and MSW, both CSWE-accredited; online and on-campus options (und.edu)
- Minot State University (Minot) — Bachelor of Social Work, CSWE-accredited (minotstateu.edu)
- University of Mary (Bismarck) — B.S. in Social Work on campus, plus a 30-credit online MSW (umary.edu)
- Sitting Bull College (Fort Yates) — Bachelor of Social Work, serving the Standing Rock community (sittingbull.edu)
- Bismarck State College (Bismarck) — Human Services AAS and Eligibility Worker certificate, on campus or online; a good first step or a related job while you finish a degree (bismarckstate.edu)
Before You Start: High school diploma or GED. Good reading and writing. A valid driver's license, because home visits mean a lot of driving in North Dakota.
Tip: Start with financial aid, scholarships, and any help an employer offers — that is where the money starts. After that, ask a career counselor or Job Service North Dakota whether WIOA or other programs can help with what is left over, like training, tools, work boots, or exam fees. What can be paid for depends on the program and on your own situation, so ask before you sign up rather than after. Registered apprenticeships let you earn a paycheck while you learn — see jobsnd.com/job-seeker/apprenticeships for ND programs.
Certification & Licensing
North Dakota licensing is required for most of these jobs. The North Dakota Board of Social Work Examiners (ndbswe.com) licenses social workers. Every level needs a CSWE-accredited social work degree and a passing score on an ASWB exam.
License Levels in ND:
- LBSW (Licensed Baccalaureate Social Worker) — bachelor's in social work from a CSWE-accredited school, plus the ASWB Bachelor's exam
- LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker) — master's in social work from a CSWE-accredited school, plus the ASWB Master's exam
- LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker) — master's plus 3,000 hours of supervised clinical work within 4 years, plus the ASWB Clinical exam
- Background checks — every new applicant does a statewide and nationwide criminal history check and a child abuse and neglect check
The Exams: The ASWB exam is a multiple-choice test. You take it after the board approves your application, within one year of applying.
Cost: LBSW: $25 application fee plus $75 license fee. The criminal history check is $43, paid to the ND Attorney General. The ASWB exam fee is paid separately to ASWB. Prices change, so check with the board.
Keeping It Current: Licenses renew every two years with 30 continuing education hours, including at least 2 hours on ethics.
Salary & Job Outlook
North Dakota Child, Family, and School Social Worker Pay (May 2025):
- Starting out (bottom 10–25%): $22.66–$27.44/hour ($47,130–$57,070/year)
- Middle (median — half earn more, half earn less): $31.04/hour ($64,560/year)
- Experienced (top 25–10%): $35.83–$39.02/hour ($74,520–$81,160/year)
What that means: North Dakota pay runs above the national median for this job. County social service jobs and school districts usually add health insurance and a retirement plan.
Jobs in North Dakota: About 790 people do this work in ND today. By 2034, that should be about 850 (about 8% growth). Expect about 70 job openings every year in ND from growth and people retiring or changing jobs. Across the U.S., the change is about 3% growth — about average.
Outlook: Good. About 70 openings a year in North Dakota, and the state is growing faster than the country as a whole. Rural counties often have trouble filling these jobs.
Who Hires in ND: County human service zones, North Dakota Health and Human Services, school districts, tribal social services, hospitals and clinics, and nonprofit family agencies.
Work Setting: Offices, schools, courtrooms, and family homes. A lot of driving between towns, including in winter. Some evening meetings.
Physical Demands: Low to medium. Mostly sitting, walking, and driving. The bigger strain is emotional, not physical.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, North Dakota, May 2025 (SOC 21-1021); North Dakota and U.S. long-term employment projections 2024–2034, via O*NET OnLine. Numbers are rounded.
Where This Leads
Path 1: School Social Worker — Support students inside a school district.
Path 2: Child Protection Worker — Investigate and respond to reports of harm.
Path 3: Foster Care Specialist — Work with foster families and children in care.
Path 4: Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) — Provide therapy after more schooling and supervised hours.
Path 5: Supervisor — Lead a team of case workers.
Path 6: Program Director — Run a county or nonprofit program.
The Real Talk
What's Great:
- You change children's lives
- Steady demand across the state
- Pay above the national median
- Good benefits in public jobs
- Many places to grow
- No two days are the same
What's Hard:
- Heavy caseloads
- Emotionally hard stories
- A lot of paperwork
- Long rural drives in bad weather
- Licensing takes a 4-year degree
- Background checks can be a barrier
Be Honest: Can you hear hard things and still do your job? Can you keep careful records? Can you finish a four-year social work degree? And if you have a criminal record, especially anything involving children, abuse, or violence, have you asked the Board of Social Work Examiners whether you can be licensed? Do that first.