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The differences between child protective specialists and family counselors 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 family counselor. Additionally, a child protective specialist has an average salary of $52,032, which is higher than the $41,510 average annual salary of a family counselor.
The top three skills for a child protective specialist include social work, social services and mental health. The most important skills for a family counselor are social work, community resources, and POC.
| Child Protective Specialist | Family Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $52,032 | $41,510 |
| Hourly rate | $25.02 | $19.96 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 14% |
| Number of jobs | 75,325 | 93,253 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| 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 Family Counselor treats married couples or family members in order to help them overcome mental or emotional problems. They provide effective treatment measures to help the family members resolve their issues.
Child protective specialists and family counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Protective Specialist | Family Counselor | |
| Average salary | $52,032 | $41,510 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $65,000 | Between $27,000 And $62,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New York |
| Best paying company | Children's National Medical Center | Shirley Ryan AbilityLab |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a child protective specialist and a family counselor in terms of educational background:
| Child Protective Specialist | Family Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | SUNY at Albany | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between child protective specialists' and family counselors' demographics:
| Child Protective Specialist | Family Counselor | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.2% Female, 78.8% | Male, 26.3% Female, 73.7% |
| 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, 7.0% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.6% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 6% |