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Child support investigator vs case worker

The differences between child support investigators and case workers 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 support investigator and a case worker. Additionally, a child support investigator has an average salary of $47,732, which is higher than the $41,459 average annual salary of a case worker.

The top three skills for a child support investigator include law enforcement agencies, protective services and child support orders. The most important skills for a case worker are social work, crisis intervention, and patients.

Child support investigator vs case worker overview

Child Support InvestigatorCase Worker
Yearly salary$47,732$41,459
Hourly rate$22.95$19.93
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs75,493107,329
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

Child support investigator vs case worker salary

Child support investigators and case workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Child Support InvestigatorCase Worker
Average salary$47,732$41,459
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $60,000Between $30,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City-New York, NY
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-Appalachian Regional Healthcare
Best paying industry-Education

Differences between child support investigator and case worker education

There are a few differences between a child support investigator and a case worker in terms of educational background:

Child Support InvestigatorCase Worker
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorCriminal JusticePsychology
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

Child support investigator vs case worker demographics

Here are the differences between child support investigators' and case workers' demographics:

Child Support InvestigatorCase Worker
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 32.7% Female, 67.3%Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage10%10%

Differences between child support investigator and case worker duties and responsibilities

Child support investigator example responsibilities.

  • Help children/youth in state custody achieve permanency whether through reintegration, adoption or custodianship.
  • Provide information and support to transitioning foster youth during assessment, case planning or other permanency and transition-relate activities.
  • Perform related adoptions and supervisory visits for state adoptions.

Case worker example responsibilities.

  • Establish collaborative relationships with patients within a supportive atmosphere to assist in confronting drug relate behavior and achieving sobriety.
  • Review and research leads regarding personal injury cases by obtaining information from the Medicaid recipient's attorney and insurance adjuster
  • File, close and maintain records in either physical case file or on ETO.
  • Train new employees and assign tasks in driving and all responsibilities in DCS documentations.
  • Provide weekly face to face updates to youth and telephonic updates to family members/sponsor with documentation find in ETO.
  • Facilitate DCS court order supervised visitation during the reunification process.
  • Show more

Child support investigator vs case worker skills

Common child support investigator skills
  • Law Enforcement Agencies, 11%
  • Protective Services, 7%
  • Child Support Orders, 7%
  • Child Care, 7%
  • Minimum Standards, 6%
  • Community Resources, 5%
Common case worker skills
  • Social Work, 20%
  • Crisis Intervention, 8%
  • Patients, 7%
  • Substance Abuse, 6%
  • Community Resources, 6%
  • Child Abuse, 5%

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