Post job

Child support investigator vs family service worker

The differences between child support investigators and family service 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 family service worker. Additionally, a child support investigator has an average salary of $47,732, which is higher than the $37,674 average annual salary of a family service 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 family service worker are social work, foster care, and child abuse.

Child support investigator vs family service worker overview

Child Support InvestigatorFamily Service Worker
Yearly salary$47,732$37,674
Hourly rate$22.95$18.11
Growth rate9%9%
Number of jobs75,493111,599
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age4242
Years of experience44

Child support investigator vs family service worker salary

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

Child Support InvestigatorFamily Service Worker
Average salary$47,732$37,674
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $60,000Between $28,000 And $49,000
Highest paying City-Chicago, IL
Highest paying state-New Jersey
Best paying company-Washington County
Best paying industry-Government

Differences between child support investigator and family service worker education

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

Child Support InvestigatorFamily Service Worker
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 71%Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeSocial Work
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaHunter College of the City University of New York

Child support investigator vs family service worker demographics

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

Child Support InvestigatorFamily Service Worker
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 32.7% Female, 67.3%Male, 14.8% Female, 85.2%
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 family service 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.

Family service worker example responsibilities.

  • Help children/youth in state custody achieve permanency whether through reintegration, adoption or custodianship.
  • Practice motivational interviewing techniques to assist individuals in identifying personal hurdles in order to set goals and work towards rehabilitation.
  • Establish and maintain relationships with stakeholder (DSS staff, schools and community partners).
  • Integrate the individual support plan (ISP) objective into the individuals' daily schedule.
  • Provide courtesy interviews or conflict investigations for other county DSS.
  • Determine participants' eligibility for program by gathering data and maintaining information to ensure clients are compliant for TANF program regulations.

Child support investigator vs family service 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 family service worker skills
  • Social Work, 18%
  • Foster Care, 10%
  • Child Abuse, 9%
  • Protective Services, 5%
  • Mental Health, 5%
  • Court Reports, 4%

Browse community and social services jobs