Welfare investigator vs child protective investigator

The differences between welfare investigators 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 welfare investigator and a child protective investigator. Additionally, a welfare investigator has an average salary of $55,239, which is higher than the $47,903 average annual salary of a child protective investigator.

The top three skills for a welfare investigator include law enforcement, child protective and court system. The most important skills for a child protective investigator are patrol, social work, and local law enforcement.

Welfare investigator vs child protective investigator overview

	Welfare Investigator	Child Protective Investigator
Yearly salary	$55,239	$47,903
Hourly rate	$26.56	$23.03
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	4,828	15,938
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Welfare investigator vs child protective investigator salary

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

	Welfare Investigator	Child Protective Investigator
Average salary	$55,239	$47,903
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $67,000	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 welfare investigator and child protective investigator education

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

	Welfare Investigator	Child Protective Investigator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	Hunter College of the City University of New York	SUNY at Albany

Welfare investigator vs child protective investigator demographics

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

	Welfare Investigator	Child Protective Investigator
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 36.8% Female, 63.2%	Male, 32.4% Female, 67.6%
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%

Differences between welfare investigator and child protective investigator duties and responsibilities

Welfare investigator example responsibilities.

Monitor suspicious individuals by utilizing CCTV surveillance and floor surveillance.
Perform related adoptions and supervisory visits for state adoptions.

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.

Welfare investigator vs child protective investigator skills

Common welfare investigator skills

Law Enforcement, 65%
Child Protective, 11%
Court System, 6%
Community Resources, 5%
Conduct Investigations, 5%
Court Hearings, 4%

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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Welfare Investigator
Welfare Investigator vs Child Protective Investigator

Updated January 8, 2025

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