Department of Children and Families

Department of Children and Families anchors a workforce of 6,751 employees, one of the biggest payrolls in state government.

The most common title is Family Service Specialist 2 (24% of staff), followed by Family Service Specialist 1 and Supervising Family Service Specialist 2. Median pay is $95,925, about 13% above the statewide median.

Median tenure is 13.7 years, longer than the statewide median of 9.6 years. CWA represents the largest share of its unionized workforce (about 86%).

About Department of Children and Families

The Department of Children and Families runs New Jersey's child protection system. Its caseworkers investigate reports of abuse and neglect, supervise placements, and manage the services meant to keep families together or find children a permanent home. The department also oversees the children's system of care and a set of regional schools.

Casework is what the department is for, and the roster says so almost without interruption. Family service specialists at two levels, their supervisors, and the trainee grade beneath them account for the bulk of the payroll. The career ladder is unusually legible as a result: trainee, then specialist 1, then specialist 2, then supervising specialist, all within the same office. Assistant family service workers handle the supporting field work. Almost the whole workforce is CWA-represented.

Who works here

The agency's roster, largest title first. Every entry links to the published specification, where the requirements and the pay range are set out in full.

• Family Service Specialist 21,645 employees
  24.4% of staff · median $86,027 · CWA
• Family Service Specialist 1980 employees
  14.5% of staff · median $108,073 · CWA
• Supervising Family Service Specialist 2672 employees
  10.0% of staff · median $118,678 · CWA
• Family Service Specialist Trainee298 employees
  4.4% of staff · median $64,340 · CWA
• Supervising Family Service Specialist 1231 employees
  3.4% of staff · median $130,339 · CWA
• Assistant Family Service Worker 1174 employees
  2.6% of staff · median $44,155 · AFSCME
• Assistant Family Service Worker 2171 employees
  2.5% of staff · median $61,653 · AFSCME
• County Services Specialist113 employees
  1.7% of staff · median $124,366 · CWA
• Principal Clerk Typist106 employees
  1.6% of staff · median $58,520 · CWA
• Clerk Typist91 employees
  1.3% of staff · median $42,990 · CWA
• Senior Clerk Typist89 employees
  1.3% of staff · median $44,644 · CWA
• Senior Executive Service85 employees
  1.3% of staff · median $153,563

At least 100 distinct titles appear on this agency's payroll. The 12 largest are listed above. Senior Executive Service is a catch-all title used for very different jobs across agencies, so the median pay shown against it covers a wide mix of roles and does not describe a single position.

Titles you will not find elsewhere

Some titles barely exist outside this agency. Of the jobs on its roster, 27 are held almost entirely here, and 23 of those have no post anywhere else in state government.

• Family Service Specialist 2all 1,645 statewide
  only at this agency
• Family Service Specialist 1all 980 statewide
  only at this agency
• Supervising Family Service Specialist 2all 672 statewide
  only at this agency
• Family Service Specialist Traineeall 298 statewide
  only at this agency
• Supervising Family Service Specialist 1all 231 statewide
  only at this agency
• Assistant Family Service Worker 1all 174 statewide
  only at this agency
• Assistant Family Service Worker 2all 171 statewide
  only at this agency
• County Services Specialistall 113 statewide
  only at this agency

Concentration is measured against the same payroll file, comparing this agency's headcount in a title with the statewide headcount in that title.

How pay is spread

The quartiles say more than a single median does. Here is where this agency's pay sits at each point, next to the statewide figure.

The middle half of this agency's employees earn between $67,312 and $108,073, a ratio of 1.61 between the two quartiles. State government as a whole sits at 1.80, so this agency's pay is bunched more tightly than average, which tends to happen where one or two large titles carry most of the staff.

• Lowest recorded salary$37,611
• Lower quartile$67,312
  statewide $62,428
• Median salary$95,925
  statewide $84,548
• Upper quartile$108,073
  statewide $112,646
• Highest recorded salary$167,388

Based on 6,715 salaried records, with 28 statistical outliers excluded from the quartile calculation.

Union representation

Union representation here, counted from Employee Relations Group codes on each payroll record. The unit sets the pay table a title is paid from.

• CWA5,811 employees
  86.1% of the agency
• AFSCME440 employees
  6.5% of the agency
• IFPTE202 employees
  3.0% of the agency
• IBEW74 employees
  1.1% of the agency

Union coverage is identifiable for 97% of this agency's payroll records. The remainder are unclassified, exempt or managerial positions that sit outside a bargaining unit.

How long people stay

How long people stay is one of the more honest signals an agency gives off. Long tenure can mean a stable career ladder, or a shortage of new hiring.

Half of this agency's employees have been on the state payroll longer than 13.7 years, against a statewide median of 9.6. 27% joined within the last five years, and 32% have twenty years or more behind them.

• Under 5 years1,806 employees
  27.2% of those with a hire date
• 5 to 10 years902 employees
  13.6% of those with a hire date
• 10 to 15 years817 employees
  12.3% of those with a hire date
• 15 to 20 years1,002 employees
  15.1% of those with a hire date
• 20 to 25 years1,518 employees
  22.9% of those with a hire date
• 25 years or more596 employees
  9.0% of those with a hire date

Hire dates are present for 6,641 of this agency's 6,751 payroll records.

Overtime

1,918 employees here recorded overtime, 28.4% of the agency, close to the 29.6% recorded across state government.

Together they were paid $4,323,013 in overtime, averaging $2,254 for each employee who earned any. Overtime is not part of the salary figures elsewhere on this page, which report base pay.

• Employees with recorded overtime1,918
• Share of the agency28.4%
• Total overtime paid$4,323,013
• Average per employee earning it$2,254

Civil service coverage

95% of this agency's payroll records carry a title that matches a published civil service specification. That is a high match rate, and it means the hiring routes described elsewhere on this site apply to most jobs here: an announced examination, an eligible list, and appointment from that list.

• Records matched to a specification6,401
• Records with no matching specification350
• Distinct civil service titles on the roster100 or more

Where it sits among state agencies

By headcount this is the 3rd largest of the 39 payroll lines in New Jersey state government, holding 9.2% of the state workforce.

The agencies immediately either side of it by headcount are worth comparing against, since size shapes both the title mix and the pay profile.

• The Judiciary9,402 employees
  median $72,781
• Department of Law & Public Safety8,266 employees
  median $101,489
• Department of Corrections6,486 employees
  median $101,674
• Department of Health6,477 employees
  median $70,850

Study guides for this exam

• Civil Service Arithmetic National Learning Corporation · $39.94
• Civil Service Grammar and Usage National Learning Corporation · $34.95
• Civil Service Administration, Management and Supervision National Learning Corporation · $55.95
• Clerical, Office & Administrative Support Positions (COAST) (Career Examination) National Learning Corporation · $39.95
• Logical Reasoning National Learning Corporation · $29.95
• In-Basket Examination National Learning Corporation · $49.95
• GRAPHS, CHARTS AND TABLES (Tabular Material) National Learning Corporation · $39.94
• Abstract Reasoning / Spatial Relations National Learning Corporation · $49.95
• CIVIL SERVICE READING COMPREHENSION (General Aptitude and Abilities Series) (Passbooks) National Learning Corporation · $39.95 · general prep, not specific to this title

The Civil Service Commission does not publish official study guides or release past tests. These are independent equivalency guides.

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