Where and what kind of education is needed to become a case worker for child support?

Answer 1

Answer 1: The qualifications to become a case worker will vary from locality to locality. Most child support case workers are county employees, but what kind of education is required of them will differ from county to county.

That said, it's a fairly safe bet that a four-year bachelors degree in some kind of social service area would be a good first step. Some counties may even accept an only two-year associates degree in some kind of social service area. However, many counties require a masters degree in social work or something like that. Some counties may even require that the case worker have a state license in something like "Marriage and Family Therapy" (MFT); or they may even require that the worker be a "Licensed Clinical Social Worker" (LCSW). If so, then a masters degree is the minimum requirement, plus thousands of hours of clinical practicum.

You will need, in any case, to inquire of the county in which you'd like to work to discover what, precisely, are the educational requirements for child support case workers... because, again, it will vary from county to county, state to state, etc.

As to the "where" part of your question: Most local -- and certainly many online -- colleges and universities offer such degrees. They're quite common. Just make sure that whatever college/university you choose is accredited by an agency approved by the US Department of Education (USDE), and/or the USDE-sanctioned Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). And do not take the school's word for it that it's so accredited. Always look-up the school in the USDE and/or CHEA online databases and make sure that the school in question really and truly is accredited by a USDE- and/or CHEA-approved agency.

To play it safe, you may want to ensure that the school is not merely accredited by a USDE- and/or CHEA-approved agency, but, additionally, that said agency is one of the United States's six big "regional" accreditors. Most employers, college/universities, and state licensing offices tend to prefer that their applicants' educational credentials are "regionall" accredited. Other kinds of USDE- and/or CHEA-approved accreditation may be acceptable; but "regionally" accredited credentials are nearly alwaysacceptable.

Only the county where the case workers work will be able to tell you, though, what kind of education (and how it should be accredited) will be acceptable. That, ultimately, is your final authority; so just contact them and find out what kind of education is required.