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The differences between child protective specialists and therapeutic support staff 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 therapeutic support staff takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a child protective specialist has an average salary of $52,032, which is higher than the $34,086 average annual salary of a therapeutic support staff.
The top three skills for a child protective specialist include social work, social services and mental health. The most important skills for a therapeutic support staff are autism, social work, and rehabilitation.
| Child Protective Specialist | Therapeutic Support Staff | |
| Yearly salary | $52,032 | $34,086 |
| Hourly rate | $25.02 | $16.39 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 75,325 | 192,172 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| 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 therapeutic support staff member specializes in providing guidance and counseling to individuals with emotional support needs, mainly children. They are primarily responsible for building rapport with clients while assessing their different conditions and needs. Through this assessment, therapeutic support staff can develop specific treatments in collaboration with mental health practitioners. One may directly work with schools, clinics, and other medical health facilities. Furthermore, it is essential to maintain all clients' records and monitor their progress, regularly updating the assigned physician or caseworker.
Child protective specialists and therapeutic support staff have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Protective Specialist | Therapeutic Support Staff | |
| Average salary | $52,032 | $34,086 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $65,000 | Between $27,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | - |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | - |
| Best paying company | Children's National Medical Center | - |
| Best paying industry | Professional | - |
There are a few differences between a child protective specialist and a therapeutic support staff in terms of educational background:
| Child Protective Specialist | Therapeutic Support Staff | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 79% |
| 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 therapeutic support staff' demographics:
| Child Protective Specialist | Therapeutic Support Staff | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 21.2% Female, 78.8% | Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6% |
| 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, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 5.5% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |