Probation officer vs child protective investigator

The differences between probation officers 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 probation officer and a child protective investigator. Additionally, a child protective investigator has an average salary of $47,903, which is higher than the $47,252 average annual salary of a probation officer.

The top three skills for a probation officer include criminal justice, mental health and rehabilitation. The most important skills for a child protective investigator are patrol, social work, and local law enforcement.

Probation officer vs child protective investigator overview

	Probation Officer	Child Protective Investigator
Yearly salary	$47,252	$47,903
Hourly rate	$22.72	$23.03
Growth rate	-	9%
Number of jobs	55,952	15,938
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	44	42
Years of experience	4	4

What does a probation officer do?

A probation officer is responsible for monitoring probationers' cases, evaluating terms, and overseeing rehabilitation processes. Probation officers strategize probational operations, as well as recommending treatment plans to achieve probational objectives. They also maintain progress reports, deciding on release requirements and other conditional services to motivate the probationers on adhering to their treatment procedures. A probation officer assesses the probationers' behaviors during the probationary period, regularly interacting with them to identify their challenges, and administering remedial actions.

What does a child protective investigator do?

A child protective investigator is responsible for investigating incident reports for child-violating cases, collecting court evidence of child abuse, and keeping the child under safe custody for protection. Child protective investigators conduct field investigations by locating the area of concern, interviewing witnesses, and analyzing similar cases of violence. They coordinate with medical professionals to check the child's condition and record any signs of trauma and injuries. A child protective investigator may also attend court procedures to represent the child and testify to press charges with the abuser.

Probation officer vs child protective investigator salary

Probation officers and child protective investigators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Probation Officer	Child Protective Investigator
Average salary	$47,252	$47,903
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $69,000	Between $37,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	Camden, NJ
Highest paying state	Nevada	New Jersey
Best paying company	Hamilton	Saks Fifth Avenue
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between probation officer and child protective investigator education

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

	Probation Officer	Child Protective Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 73%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	SUNY at Albany

Probation officer vs child protective investigator demographics

Here are the differences between probation officers' and child protective investigators' demographics:

	Probation Officer	Child Protective Investigator
Average age	44	42
Gender ratio	Male, 45.4% Female, 54.6%	Male, 32.4% Female, 67.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 14.3% Unknown, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 2.2% White, 63.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	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%

Differences between probation officer and child protective investigator duties and responsibilities

Probation officer example responsibilities.

Manage significant DUI caseload to court-ordered and conditional probation completion.
Create comprehensive case plans that identify needs of offenders in order to facilitate public safety and rehabilitation of the offender.
Promote positive changes in offender behavior that have been release from TDCJ to pursue their sentence.
Assist in the screening and selection of GPS offenders that are release from custody as a condition of bond.
Clerk probate, guardianship, commitment and juvenile, prepare minutes, schedule hearings and draft legal documents and correspondence.
Complete pre-sentence interviews and investigations.

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.

Probation officer vs child protective investigator skills

Common probation officer skills

Criminal Justice, 12%
Mental Health, 10%
Rehabilitation, 6%
Juvenile Offenders, 6%
Community Resources, 5%
Court Orders, 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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Probation Officer vs Child Protective Investigator

Updated January 8, 2025

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