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The differences between child protective specialists and family 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 family support specialist. Additionally, a child protective specialist has an average salary of $52,032, which is higher than the $37,343 average annual salary of a family 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 family support specialist are social work, child abuse, and patients.
| Child Protective Specialist | Family Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $52,032 | $37,343 |
| Hourly rate | $25.02 | $17.95 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 75,325 | 143,739 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| 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 family support specialist is an individual who provides counseling and rehabilitation services to families who are facing crises so that their lives can be improved. Family support specialists conduct interviews with members of a family to determine areas that need support such as anti-social behavior, bullying, or domestic violence. They collaborate with healthcare and social professionals to evaluate caseload needs. In cases of relevant child protection, family support specialists are also required to attend court sessions.
Child protective specialists and family support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Protective Specialist | Family Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $52,032 | $37,343 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $65,000 | Between $24,000 And $55,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Trenton, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Children's National Medical Center | Catholic Health East |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Professional |
There are a few differences between a child protective specialist and a family support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Child Protective Specialist | Family Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | SUNY at Albany | Hunter College of the City University of New York |
Here are the differences between child protective specialists' and family support specialists' demographics:
| Child Protective Specialist | Family Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.2% Female, 78.8% | Male, 14.0% Female, 86.0% |
| 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% |