Welfare investigator vs child welfare specialist

The differences between welfare investigators 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 welfare investigator and a child welfare specialist. Additionally, a welfare investigator has an average salary of $55,239, which is higher than the $50,377 average annual salary of a child welfare specialist.

The top three skills for a welfare investigator include law enforcement, child protective and court system. The most important skills for a child welfare specialist are social work, foster care, and child safety.

Welfare investigator vs child welfare specialist overview

	Welfare Investigator	Child Welfare Specialist
Yearly salary	$55,239	$50,377
Hourly rate	$26.56	$24.22
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	4,828	76,508
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Welfare investigator vs child welfare specialist salary

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

	Welfare Investigator	Child Welfare Specialist
Average salary	$55,239	$50,377
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $67,000	Between $35,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	-	Cherry Hill, NJ
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	University of California
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between welfare investigator and child welfare specialist education

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

	Welfare Investigator	Child Welfare Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Social Work
Most common college	Hunter College of the City University of New York	SUNY at Albany

Welfare investigator vs child welfare specialist demographics

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

	Welfare Investigator	Child Welfare Specialist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 36.8% Female, 63.2%	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%

Differences between welfare investigator and child welfare specialist 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 welfare specialist example responsibilities.

Manage TANF program, in turn this help clients develop skills to enter the workforce.
Provide comprehensive case management to DCFS clients and their families to achieve case goals as outlined in the client service plan.
Manage a caseload TANF clients, assess clients eligibility to receive benefits, assist with placement of clients in various programs.
Complete behavior, mood and communication sections assign to social services on the MDS.
Advocate for the rights of incapacitate adults who are the alleged victims in APS referrals.
Assist clients in resolving conflicts with DHS workers or service providers while maintaining professionalism in an emotionally charge climate.

Welfare investigator vs child welfare specialist 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 welfare specialist skills

Social Work, 30%
Foster Care, 16%
Child Safety, 4%
Child Welfare, 4%
Court Hearings, 3%
Community Resources, 3%

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Welfare Investigator
Welfare Investigator vs Child Welfare Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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