What does a child support officer do?
Child support officers evaluate child support cases to identify the needed financial support. The officers interview relatives and parents and review court documents, and any other records. They recommend the amount of money that parents need to provide. It is part of their job to assist efforts in establishing parents' paternity and in initiating legal action for payment collection. They take part in court hearings and recommend paternity and child support. Also, they are trained in emergency medical response to prepare them for life-threatening situations.
Child support officer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real child support officer resumes:
- Answer eligibility and coverage questions from insurance agents pertaining to Medicare advantage plans and prescription drug plans.
- Receive and review refer application to establish paternity and support obligations and enforce existing court orders for child support.
- Perform investigations to locate non-custodial parents and their assets to initiate legal actions in establishing paternity, financial and medical support.
- Prepare summons, subpoenas, and motions.
- Facilitate DNA testing, while interviewing clients for child support.
- Support and troubleshoot all technical inquiries regarding network coverage, device information and data services.
- Answer phone, take applications for eligibility, scan documents, help in obtaining DNA evidence and check for payments receive.
- Maintain confidentiality require by HIPAA.
- Implement HIPAA protocols in the delivery of services to individuals with developmental disabilities.
- Secure patient information and maintain administration and patient confidence by completing and safeguarding medical records per company and HIPPA regulations.
Child support officer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 20% of Child Support Officers are proficient in Child Support Cases, Child Support Orders, and Paternity. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Empathy, and Good judgment.
We break down the percentage of Child Support Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Child Support Cases, 20%
Managed and enforced interstate child support cases-Maintained court portfolios on clients-Reviewed incoming foreign support orders for local enforcement-Scheduled office and court hearings
- Child Support Orders, 9%
Prepared documents relating to legal and administrative actions to establish/enforce child support orders and documented all actions taken.
- Paternity, 8%
Receive and review referred application to establish paternity and support obligations and enforce existing court orders for child support.
- Court Orders, 8%
Enforced Minnesota court orders and used all legal remedies available to encourage payment and support child economically.
- Customer Service, 7%
Responded to customer needs and provided customer service to case participants by effectively communicating with the appropriate team within the department.
- Absent Parents, 4%
State of Texas Attorney General -Investigator* Conduct detailed in office investigations to locate absent parents, verify employment and determine assets.
Common skills that a child support officer uses to do their job include "child support cases," "child support orders," and "paternity." You can find details on the most important child support officer responsibilities below.
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a child support officer to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what child support officers do because "police and detectives must be able to speak with people and to express details in writing about an incident." Additionally, a child support officer resume shows how child support officers use communication skills: "provide quality customer service to customers through mediated communication regarding child support cases. "
Empathy. Many child support officer duties rely on empathy. "police officers need to understand the perspectives of a variety of people in their jurisdiction and be willing to help the public.," so a child support officer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways child support officer responsibilities rely on empathy: "facilitate clients in obtaining and understanding different states court systems and child support laws. "
Good judgment. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of child support officers is good judgment. This skill is critical to many everyday child support officer duties, as "police and detectives must be able to determine the best way to solve an array of problems." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "service and explain legal actions and documents, and generate stipulations for judgment and stipulation and orders for child support matters. "
Leadership skills. A big part of what child support officers do relies on "leadership skills." You can see how essential it is to child support officer responsibilities because "police officers must be comfortable with being a highly visible member of their community, as the public looks to them for help in emergencies." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical child support officer tasks: "handle escalated technical issues as assigned by leadership. "
Physical strength. Another crucial skill for a child support officer to carry out their responsibilities is "physical strength." A big part of what child support officers relies on this skill, since "police officers must be strong enough to physically apprehend suspects and to assist people in precarious situations." How this skill relates to child support officer duties can be seen in an example from a child support officer resume snippet: "provided care for adults with profound mental and physical developmental disabilities on a daily basis. "
The three companies that hire the most child support officers are:
- Xator
2 child support officers jobs
- Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service2 child support officers jobs
- barrios-technology1 child support officers jobs
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Child support officer vs. Marshal
The duties of a marshal primarily depend on their line of work or place of employment. They typically have high positions in various areas such as in the fire department, law enforcement, and even in aviation. Although the extent of their duties varies, it typically includes enforcing law and order, responding to distress, developing action plans, spearheading programs to protect lives and properties, and maintaining peace and security in facilities. Moreover, a marshal must be proactive in dealing with issues as there can be dangers on the job.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, child support officer responsibilities require skills like "child support cases," "child support orders," "paternity," and "customer service." Meanwhile a typical marshal has skills in areas such as "safety standards," "cleanliness," "sales floor," and "safety procedures." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that marshals earn slightly differ from child support officers. In particular, marshals are 5.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a child support officer. Additionally, they're 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Child support officer vs. Federal air marshal
An internal affairs investigator is responsible for investigating an alleged violation committed by a person or company, such as misuse of funds, misconduct, corruption among company officials, or other concerns involving employees and staff. They also monitor wrongful accusations. Other duties include writing investigative data and reports, conducting interrogations and interviews with all parties involved in an accusation, and providing testimony.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that child support officer responsibilities requires skills like "child support cases," "child support orders," "paternity," and "court orders." But a federal air marshal might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "federal air," "surveillance detection," "emergency situations," and "firearms proficiency."
Federal air marshals earn similar levels of education than child support officers in general. They're 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Child support officer vs. Internal affairs investigator
A special investigation unit investigator works at an insurance company to detect and thwart fraudulent claims and activities. To carry out their duties, they must coordinate with staff to gather and analyze client information, perform research and analysis, travel to different sites to observe and investigate, and conduct interviews as needed. They may also investigate employees, examine their actions and information. Moreover, a special investigation unit investigator must maintain an active communication line with staff for an efficient and smooth workflow.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from child support officer resumes include skills like "child support cases," "child support orders," "paternity," and "court orders," whereas an internal affairs investigator is more likely to list skills in "patrol," "background checks," "conduct interviews," and "law enforcement agencies. "
Internal affairs investigators typically earn similar educational levels compared to child support officers. Specifically, they're 0.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Child support officer vs. Special investigation unit investigator
Even though a few skill sets overlap between child support officers and special investigation unit investigators, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a child support officer might have more use for skills like "child support cases," "child support orders," "paternity," and "court orders." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of special investigation unit investigators require skills like "bsa/aml," "fincen," "anti-money laundering," and "law enforcement agencies. "
In general, special investigation unit investigators hold similar degree levels compared to child support officers. Special investigation unit investigators are 1.8% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of child support officer
Updated January 8, 2025











