Child Protective Investigator
Department of Children and Families
Fort Walton Beach, FLJob$50K/yrSeen 1w agoSeen in employer's feed 3 days ago
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At a glance
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Job overview
The Child Protective Investigator conducts investigations involving child abuse, neglect, abandonment, and special conditions to assess children’s safety. The role gathers information through observation and interviews, evaluates danger and caregiver protective capacities, arranges emergency placements when needed, and connects families with agency and community resources. The posting accepts either a high school diploma or GED with qualifying experience or service, or an associate degree or 60+ college credit hours with qualifying experience or service.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Full job description
Requisition No: 881570 Agency: Children and Families Working Title: CHILD PROTECTIVE INVESTIGATOR - 60048288 Pay Plan: Career Service Position Number: 60048288 Salary: $50,000.08 annually / $1,923.08 bi-weekly Posting Closing Date: 10/28/2026 Child Protective Investigator Department of Children and Families Fort Walton Beach, Crestview and Niceville, Florida Open Competitive This posting will be used to fill position vacancies in OPS and Career Service. Current employees will be compensated in accordance with the DCF salary policy. How you will make an impact: Be The One Who Shows Up! Children in crisis need quick action from strong, compassionate individuals dedicated to ensuring their safety. This demanding and challenging career could be your opportunity to speak for those with no voice and fight to help ensure the safety of those who cannot protect themselves. We are looking for people who are detailed- oriented, possess good decision-making skills, and can thrive in a high-pressure, fast-paced environment. When seconds count, your career decision may be the critical difference in the life of a child. What you will do : - Conduct investigations of abuse, neglect, abandonment and/or special conditions for children; - Collect information through observation and interviews with the children, parents, relatives, and neighbors; - Assess danger threats, child vulnerabilities and caregiver protective capacities in order to determine whether a child is safe; - Arrange emergency placement for any child that cannot safely remain in their home; - Notify state attorney, law enforcement and child protection teams; - Provide families with service linkages to agency and community resources; - Conduct initial/ongoing child present and impending danger assessments; - Report indication of abuse, neglect and/or abandonment to the Florida Abuse Hotline. Qualifications: - []{#_Hlk107236388} A high school diploma or GED equivalent and four years of law enforcement experience or active military service (honorably discharged or status that current service reflects serving honorably); OR - An associate degree or 60+ credit hours from an accredited college or university and two years of professional work experience (see examples below) or two years of law enforcement experience or active military service (honorably discharged or status that current service reflects serving honorably); Examples of professional work experience could be, although not limited to : Guardian Ad Litem or similar child advocate role Family Support Worker Group Home Worker Teacher /Teacher's Assistant/Aide Daycare Provider/Worker Therapeutic Assistant Behavioral Health Technician Family Intervention Specialist Home Health Aide/ CNA Healthcare Practitioner (LPN, RN) or similar profession Nursing Facility Assistant Paramedic
How this job compares
Set against the 659 open Social Services jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 3, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$50K/yr
- US median$55–60K/yr191 salary ranges
This rate, $50K, is 15% below the US median midpoint ($59K) — in the middle half of Social Services salary ranges across the US.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 26 open Social Services jobs in Florida and 659 across the US. 2% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most in Florida
- MyFlorida6 open
- WestCare Foundation5 open
- BayCare Health System4 open
- Experience
- Social Services postings that state a minimum ask for 2 years of experience at the median; the middle half ask for 1 to 3 years (376 postings).
- Education
- 160 of the 659 open Social Services jobs (24%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 3, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
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