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The differences between child protective investigators and child support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a child protective investigator and a child support specialist. Additionally, a child protective investigator has an average salary of $47,903, which is higher than the $38,271 average annual salary of a child support specialist.
The top three skills for a child protective investigator include patrol, social work and local law enforcement. The most important skills for a child support specialist are customer service, social work, and child support cases.
| Child Protective Investigator | Child Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $47,903 | $38,271 |
| Hourly rate | $23.03 | $18.40 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 15,938 | 143,623 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A child protective investigator is responsible for investigating incident reports for child-violating cases, collecting court evidence of child abuse, and keeping the child under safe custody for protection. Child protective investigators conduct field investigations by locating the area of concern, interviewing witnesses, and analyzing similar cases of violence. They coordinate with medical professionals to check the child's condition and record any signs of trauma and injuries. A child protective investigator may also attend court procedures to represent the child and testify to press charges with the abuser.
A child support specialist is primarily in charge of monitoring child support payments, ensuring individuals with financial obligations comply with the legal settlement terms. They mainly work in the legal industry, where their responsibilities include assessing the clients' financial situations, gathering and analyzing financial statements, performing interviews and follow-up calls, and producing regular progress reports. Furthermore, as a child support specialist, it is essential to maintain records of all transactions and procedures, resolving issues and concerns should there be any.
Child protective investigators and child support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Protective Investigator | Child Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $47,903 | $38,271 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $61,000 | Between $29,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Camden, NJ | Rockville, MD |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Saks Fifth Avenue | University of Rochester |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a child protective investigator and a child support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Child Protective Investigator | Child Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | Psychology |
| Most common college | SUNY at Albany | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between child protective investigators' and child support specialists' demographics:
| Child Protective Investigator | Child Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 32.4% Female, 67.6% | Male, 19.9% Female, 80.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |