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The differences between child protective specialists 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 specialist and a child support specialist. Additionally, a child protective specialist has an average salary of $52,032, which is higher than the $38,271 average annual salary of a child support specialist.
The top three skills for a child protective specialist include social work, social services and mental health. The most important skills for a child support specialist are customer service, social work, and child support cases.
| Child Protective Specialist | Child Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $52,032 | $38,271 |
| Hourly rate | $25.02 | $18.40 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 75,325 | 143,623 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Child Protective Specialist is a social worker who handles suspected cases of abuse and neglect in children. They focus on performing research and investigation, conducting home visits and inspections, interviewing families and potential witnesses, gathering evidence, and reaching out to hospitals or schools to collect and analyze data. Through the findings of their investigation, a Child Protective Specialist draws conclusions and develops recommendations for the children's safety and welfare. Moreover, there are instances where they conduct interventions, refer families to other agencies, or coordinate with law enforcement.
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 specialists and child support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Protective Specialist | Child Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $52,032 | $38,271 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $65,000 | Between $29,000 And $49,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Rockville, MD |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Children's National Medical Center | University of Rochester |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Government |
There are a few differences between a child protective specialist and a child support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Child Protective Specialist | Child Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | SUNY at Albany | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between child protective specialists' and child support specialists' demographics:
| Child Protective Specialist | Child Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.2% Female, 78.8% | 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% |