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The differences between child support specialists and child welfare specialists 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 specialist and a child welfare specialist. Additionally, a child welfare specialist has an average salary of $50,377, which is higher than the $38,271 average annual salary of a child support specialist.
The top three skills for a child support specialist include customer service, social work and child support cases. The most important skills for a child welfare specialist are social work, foster care, and child safety.
| Child Support Specialist | Child Welfare Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $38,271 | $50,377 |
| Hourly rate | $18.40 | $24.22 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 143,623 | 76,508 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A child support specialist is primarily in charge of monitoring child support payments, ensuring individuals with financial obligations comply with the legal settlement terms. They mainly work in the legal industry, where their responsibilities include assessing the clients' financial situations, gathering and analyzing financial statements, performing interviews and follow-up calls, and producing regular progress reports. Furthermore, as a child support specialist, it is essential to maintain records of all transactions and procedures, resolving issues and concerns should there be any.
Child welfare specialists are professionals who are responsible for protecting children and youngsters from harm by visiting their homes and other residential facilities to investigate their living conditions. These specialists are required to determine the suitability of the homes and resources of foster and adoptive parents for child placement. They must serve as child advocates by attending court proceedings to provide inclusive court proceedings. Child welfare specialists must also work closely with local enforcement to ensure the safety of children.
Child support specialists and child welfare specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Support Specialist | Child Welfare Specialist | |
| Average salary | $38,271 | $50,377 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $49,000 | Between $35,000 And $71,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rockville, MD | Cherry Hill, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | University of Rochester | University of California |
| Best paying industry | Government | Technology |
There are a few differences between a child support specialist and a child welfare specialist in terms of educational background:
| Child Support Specialist | Child Welfare Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Social Work |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | SUNY at Albany |
Here are the differences between child support specialists' and child welfare specialists' demographics:
| Child Support Specialist | Child Welfare Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 19.9% Female, 80.1% | Male, 20.2% Female, 79.8% |
| 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, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |