Child Support Specialist Family
Career series with 3 positions across 3 levels
New Jersey classifies Child Support Specialist as a 3-level family, 3 titles in all, built for step-by-step advancement.
Entry is typically through Child Support Specialist 1, advancing through the ladder toward Child Support Specialist 3. Pay across the family spans $63,663 to $92,953, around the 23rd percentile of all civil service job families by top pay. State payroll records show 49 people across the family's titles, most concentrated at Human Services.
Child Support Specialist commonly advances into Program Specialist and Hazardous Site Mitigation Specialist.
Positions in This Family
- CHILD SUPPORT SPECIALIST 1 (61971) $63,663 - $92,953/year
- CHILD SUPPORT SPECIALIST 2 (61972)
- CHILD SUPPORT SPECIALIST 3 (61973)
What the Child Support Specialist family covers
Child Support Specialist covers 3 title codes arranged into 3 levels of responsibility. Every title in it is a state title, so the employer is a state department, commission or authority rather than a county or municipality.
Case-carrying titles are the largest civilian block in New Jersey government outside clerical work. They run through the Department of Children and Families, Human Services, county welfare and social services boards, and the guardianship and child support programs. The families are usually built as clean numbered ladders because caseload complexity is what separates one rung from the next, not a change of profession. A social work degree is common at the professional levels, though many of the specialist and technician titles admit experience instead.
What each title does
Reading the definitions side by side is the quickest way to see what changes as you move through the family.
- Child Support Specialist 1: Under the direction of a Child Support Specialist 3, or a higher level supervisory official in the Office of Child Support Services, Department of Human…
- Child Support Specialist 2: Under the direction of a Child Support Specialist 3, or a higher level supervisory official in the Office of Child Support Services, Department of Human…
- Child Support Specialist 3: Under the guidance of the Chief or a higher level supervisory official in the Office of Child Support Services, Department of Human Services, supervises…
Requirements across the family
Across the 3 titles we have parsed, the education requirements read as a master's degree on 3 of them. Stated experience runs from 1 year at the lowest rung to 2 at the highest, which is the main thing separating one level from the next.
On how the jobs are filled: 1 is competitive, filled from an eligible list after an open competitive or promotional examination.
Who actually employs these titles
49 people appear on the state payroll under 3 of these titles, at 1 agency. Human Services alone accounts for about 100% of them.
- Human Services — 49 employees
Median actual pay varies across the family, from $64,340 for Child Support Specialist 1 up to $111,094 for Child Support Specialist 3. Those are medians of what people are really paid, not schedule minimums and maximums.
State payroll only, deduplicated by payroll title; local employers file separately, so a family with local codes looks smaller here than it is. How this is counted.
How the pay is set
Titles in this family are paid on the A-P-R-S salary schedule. See every step in that schedule. Bargaining is handled by CWA. Union contracts and rights are collected here.
Where these jobs exist
Hiring for this family runs through state service. Departments, commissions and boards fill these titles from eligible lists built by the Civil Service Commission, so the route in is an announcement and a filing deadline rather than a posting you apply to directly. What state jurisdiction means, and a breakdown of who employs what.
Related titles elsewhere in the plan
Other classifications built on the same terms as Child Support Specialist. Worth checking if this family has no current opening.
- Child Support Specialist Trainee ($58,222 to $60,876, state jurisdiction)
- Chief Child Support and Paternity Programs ($71,879 to $100,638, state jurisdiction) — in the Chief family
- Coordinator Child Support and Paternity Program (local jurisdiction)
- Program Specialist, Special Child Health Services (local jurisdiction)
- Senior Program Specialist, Special Child Health Services (local jurisdiction) — in the Program Specialist family
- Technical Support Specialist 1 ($63,663 to $92,953, state jurisdiction) — in the Technical Support Specialist family
Common questions about Child Support Specialist jobs
How many separate Child Support Specialist classifications does New Jersey have?
The Child Support Specialist family holds 3 title codes arranged across 3 levels. Each code is a separate classification with its own published specification, requirements and salary treatment.
How much is a Child Support Specialist paid?
Child Support Specialist 1 is published at $63,663 to $92,953. Salary depends on the salary range assigned to the title and the step the employee has reached.
Is there a civil service test for Child Support Specialist?
Yes for most of the family. 1 of the 3 titles are in the competitive division, which means appointment comes from an eligible list built by an open competitive or promotional examination.
What are the requirements to become a Child Support Specialist?
The most common education requirement in this family is a master's degree, named on 3 of the 3 titles. Stated experience ranges from 1 to 2 years depending on the rung. Read the individual specification for the exact wording, including any experience substitution.
Which agencies employ Child Support Specialist staff?
State payroll records show 49 people in this family across 1 agency, with Human Services the largest at 49. Local government employers are not covered by that extract.