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The differences between child protective specialists and social workers assistant can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a child protective specialist, becoming a social worker assistant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a child protective specialist has an average salary of $52,032, which is higher than the $37,542 average annual salary of a social worker assistant.
The top three skills for a child protective specialist include social work, social services and mental health. The most important skills for a social worker assistant are social work, patients, and public assistance.
| Child Protective Specialist | Social Worker Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $52,032 | $37,542 |
| Hourly rate | $25.02 | $18.05 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 75,325 | 115,098 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
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 social worker assistant is in charge of performing support tasks for social workers in the joint effort to assist disadvantaged families in communities. Their responsibilities include preparing and processing documentation, managing schedules, arranging appointments with clients and external parties, handling calls and correspondence, maintaining records, and running errands on behalf of staff. Furthermore, a social worker assistant may reach out to families to identify their needs, conduct interviews and assessments, facilitate activities, and monitor the progress of families or individuals, referring them to other agencies as needed.
Child protective specialists and social workers assistant have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Protective Specialist | Social Worker Assistant | |
| Average salary | $52,032 | $37,542 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $65,000 | Between $27,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Children's National Medical Center | Minnesota State Fair |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a child protective specialist and a social worker assistant in terms of educational background:
| Child Protective Specialist | Social Worker Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Social Work |
| Most common college | SUNY at Albany | SUNY at Binghamton |
Here are the differences between child protective specialists' and social workers assistant' demographics:
| Child Protective Specialist | Social Worker Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.2% Female, 78.8% | Male, 34.9% Female, 65.1% |
| 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, 12.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 7.0% White, 51.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |