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The differences between child support specialists and social services assistants 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 support specialist, becoming a social services assistant takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a child support specialist has an average salary of $38,271, which is higher than the $37,445 average annual salary of a social services assistant.
The top three skills for a child support specialist include customer service, social work and child support cases. The most important skills for a social services assistant are social work, patients, and rehabilitation.
| Child Support Specialist | Social Services Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $38,271 | $37,445 |
| Hourly rate | $18.40 | $18.00 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 143,623 | 152,760 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
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.
A social services assistant is responsible for supporting the social needs of citizens within society. Social services assistants work within the community office or health institutions to assist patients and their families in processing their needs and obtaining medical information. They also coordinate with other organizations to gather additional resources and financial assistance to plan community programs that will be beneficial for society. A social services assistant provides counseling to the families to identify the services and referrals they needed.
Child support specialists and social services assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Child Support Specialist | Social Services Assistant | |
| Average salary | $38,271 | $37,445 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $49,000 | Between $29,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | Rockville, MD | Tacoma, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | University of Rochester | Research Foundation of The City University of New York |
| Best paying industry | Government | Government |
There are a few differences between a child support specialist and a social services assistant in terms of educational background:
| Child Support Specialist | Social Services Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Social Work |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | SUNY at Binghamton |
Here are the differences between child support specialists' and social services assistants' demographics:
| Child Support Specialist | Social Services Assistant | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 19.9% Female, 80.1% | Male, 17.0% Female, 83.0% |
| 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, 11.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 6.7% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |