Detention worker vs child protective investigator

The differences between detention workers and child protective investigators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a detention worker and a child protective investigator. Additionally, a child protective investigator has an average salary of $47,903, which is higher than the $35,072 average annual salary of a detention worker.

The top three skills for a detention worker include crisis intervention, perform intake and incident reports. The most important skills for a child protective investigator are patrol, social work, and local law enforcement.

Detention worker vs child protective investigator overview

	Detention Worker	Child Protective Investigator
Yearly salary	$35,072	$47,903
Hourly rate	$16.86	$23.03
Growth rate	10%	9%
Number of jobs	21,863	15,938
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Detention worker vs child protective investigator salary

Detention workers and child protective investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Detention Worker	Child Protective Investigator
Average salary	$35,072	$47,903
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $55,000	Between $37,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	-	Camden, NJ
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Saks Fifth Avenue
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between detention worker and child protective investigator education

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

	Detention Worker	Child Protective Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	SUNY at Albany

Detention worker vs child protective investigator demographics

Here are the differences between detention workers' and child protective investigators' demographics:

	Detention Worker	Child Protective Investigator
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9%	Male, 32.4% Female, 67.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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	8%	10%

Differences between detention worker and child protective investigator duties and responsibilities

Detention worker example responsibilities.

Lead support groups with an emphasis on recovery and strength base techniques, DBT, CBT, self-care and coping skills.
Recognize risk factors quickly, collaborate with interdisciplinary team, nurture positive relationships with patients through consistency and modeling healthy boundaries.
Examine injured persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.

Child protective investigator example responsibilities.

Utilize locating systems, negotiate agreements, file motions and prepare subpoenas.
Review and approve time sheets, mileage reports for CPI assign to the unit.
Complete timely findings including determining if someone should be place on the child abuse registry.
Investigate reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation that are report to the state abuse hotline.
Respond to Hotline reports, conduct child safety assessments, and determine immediate risk to child.
Review child safety assessments as submitted by CPI, and provide direction and guidance in the investigation.

Detention worker vs child protective investigator skills

Common detention worker skills

Crisis Intervention, 22%
Perform Intake, 13%
Incident Reports, 13%
Emergency Situations, 12%
CPR, 7%
Juvenile Programs, 5%

Common child protective investigator skills

Patrol, 35%
Social Work, 16%
Local Law Enforcement, 7%
CCTV, 4%
Child Protective, 4%
Family Dynamics, 3%

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Detention Worker vs Child Protective Investigator

Updated January 8, 2025

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