How to hire a child protective investigator

How to hire a child protective investigator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step child protective investigator hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a child protective investigator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new child protective investigator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a child protective investigator do?

Post a child protective investigator job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   The child protective investigator hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A child protective investigator's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, child protective investigators from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of child protective investigator salaries for various roles:

   Type of Child Protective Investigator	Description	Hourly rate
   Child Protective Investigator	Social workers help people solve and cope with problems in their everyday lives. One group of social workers—clinical social workers—also diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional issues.	$17-29
   Student Worker	Student workers are students who are employed while also enrolled at the university. They usually work in a department or college where they handle different tasks... Show more	$9-16
   Youth Worker	Youth workers specialize in handling and providing support to young individuals with behavioral difficulties. They are primarily responsible for devising recreational projects, handling the budget, producing progress reports, managing intervention programs, and counseling troubled youth while keeping their information confidential... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patrol
   • Social Work
   • Local Law Enforcement
   • CCTV
   • Child Protective
   • Family Dynamics
   • Risk Score
   • Professional Work
   • Court Proceedings
   • Needs Assessment
   • Law Enforcement Agencies
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Hotline
   • Protective Services

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Utilize locating systems, negotiate agreements, file motions and prepare subpoenas.
   • Review and approve time sheets, mileage reports for CPI assign to the unit.
   • Complete timely findings including determining if someone should be place on the child abuse registry.
   • Investigate reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation that are report to the state abuse hotline.
   • Respond to Hotline reports, conduct child safety assessments, and determine immediate risk to child.
   • Review child safety assessments as submitted by CPI, and provide direction and guidance in the investigation.

   More child protective investigator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the child protective investigator job description is a good way to get more applicants. A child protective investigator salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a child protective investigator in Indiana may be lower than in New Jersey, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level child protective investigator. Additionally, a child protective investigator with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average child protective investigator salary

   $47,903yearly

   $23.03 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level child protective investigator salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 29, 2025

   Average child protective investigator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New Jersey	$66,291	$32
   2	Washington	$60,096	$29
   3	New York	$53,983	$26
   4	Texas	$51,633	$25
   5	Oregon	$50,778	$24
   6	California	$48,808	$23
   7	North Carolina	$48,550	$23
   8	Kansas	$46,872	$23
   9	Colorado	$44,068	$21
   10	Massachusetts	$41,519	$20
   11	Michigan	$41,441	$20
   12	Georgia	$38,986	$19
   13	Florida	$38,664	$19
   14	Missouri	$37,648	$18

   Average child protective investigator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Saks Fifth Avenue	$65,357	$31.42	6
   2	Abercrombie & Fitch Co	$65,243	$31.37	1
   3	Victoria's Secret	$61,665	$29.65	4
   4	Washington State University	$57,347	$27.57
   5	Manatee County Sheriff's Office	$51,834	$24.92
   6	Springwell	$45,616	$21.93
   7	Missouri Enterprise	$45,241	$21.75	4
   8	Public Consulting Group	$45,056	$21.66
   9	Macy's	$43,526	$20.93	25
   10	Maine	$43,092	$20.72	13
   11	Wake County	$42,754	$20.55	1
   12	Summit County	$42,713	$20.54	1
   13	My Florida Regional Mls	$42,086	$20.23
   14	State of Georgia: Teachers Retirement System of Georgia	$41,225	$19.82	13
   15	Walmart	$39,991	$19.23
   16	Florida Dept. of Health	$39,345	$18.92
   17	Rite Aid	$39,321	$18.90
   18	State Of Florida	$38,207	$18.37	36
   19	Florida Department of Transportation	$36,966	$17.77
   20	Lunds & Byerlys	$36,603	$17.60

4. Writing a child protective investigator job description

   A good child protective investigator job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a child protective investigator job description:

   Child protective investigator job description example

   The Asset Protection Investigator is responsible for preventing and improving shrink in a single unit or across multiple stores by conducting thorough external investigations and supporting internal awareness programs. The Asset Protection Investigator is responsible for performing all responsibilities in a safe manner consistent with company values and policies and applicable federal and state laws. This role typically reports to a Regional or Area Asset Protection Manager.
   Primary responsibilities:
   
   Investigations
   
   * Identify and apprehend shoplifters in strict accordance with L Brand's Shoplifting Apprehension Policies and Procedures
   * Assist and participate in external investigations as directed by supervisor/case building
   * Ensure proper preparation, maintenance and retention of all reports, evidence, files and records in accordance with company guidelines and local jurisdiction
   * Review data reporting to identify external patterns
   * Testify in criminal proceedings when required
   * Prepare and submit cases per company guidelines
   * Participate in the inventory process as directed by supervisor to support minimizing inventory losses and achievement of shrinkage goals
   * Work with store management on addressing asset protection issues
   * Develop and maintain positive working relationships with members of the store management team, local officials and agencies; work to develop relationships with other asset protection industry investigators
   * As directed by supervisor, support Internal Investigations
   * Complete all special projects as assigned by supervisor
   * Ability to work a flexible schedule including days, evenings, weekends and holidays
   
   Qualifications
   
   Required skills and experience:
   
   * High school diploma or equivalent; Bachelor's degree preferred.
   * Two to three years of asset protection investigative experience preferred.
   * Effective communications skills; written and verbal.
   * Effective organization and follow up skills
   * Proficient in Microsoft Office.
   * Travel may be required.
   
   #LI-NG1
   
   An equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate in hiring or terms and conditions of employment because of an individual's race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, sexual orientation, pregnancy, genetic information, marital status or any other protected category recognized by state, federal or local laws. We only hires individuals authorized for employment in the United States.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find child protective investigators for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any child protective investigators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level child protective investigators with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your child protective investigator job on Zippia to find and recruit child protective investigator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting child protective investigators requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new child protective investigator

   Once you've decided on a perfect child protective investigator candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a child protective investigator?