Child Custody Investigator
Salary & Role of Custody Investigators

A child custody investigator saves lives. Learn what the role of a child family investigator is & why child support investigators are rewarding careers.

When a marriage is broken, a family is separated, or the courts suspect a parent is abusing their children in some way, a child family investigator (or child family investigator) steps into the picture to uncover the truth.

Through the special investigative tactics and training that these professionals employ, they are able to determine whether or not a child is being mishandled or mistreated by authority figures.

Role of a Child Custody Investigator

Using various means of detection, the children custody investigator is responsible for finding out what exactly happens when a parent is with a child.

The custody investigator can be hired by either the accuser or the accused to help prove guilt or innocence by collecting evidence and data to corroborate the hirer's plea.

A few methods of such detection include:

Surveillance
Background investigation
Interviewing accuser, accused, children, and witnesses
Records search
Computer forensics investigation

Through these and many more processes, a child family investigator is able to document all kinds of excessive or abusive behavior in irresponsible guardians. Such behaviors include:

Reckless driving
Alcohol or drug abuse
Criminal activity
Child neglect
Physical/psychological violence

With gathered evidence, the custody investigator is able to help his or her employer accelerate the case towards an acceptable conclusion.

Sometimes, the work of a child custody investigator is more about corralling people than nailing them to the wall. There are many cases in which a parent simply doesn't know or understand their child custody rights. In these cases, lives may not be saved by the child custody investigator and his or her team, but certainly minds will be eased.

Child custody rights are usually set forth by a family court judge and refer to the agreement of who will take care of the child, for how long, and when. Sometimes, this agreement has a geographic stipulation, keeping both parents and their children within the city or county limits until a final custody negotiation can be made. If a parent is suspected of taking a child beyond these limits for any duration of time, the child custody investigator may be called into action to sort out the truth.

It's a lot of paperwork, a lot of patience, and a lot of exposure to the absolute worst in people, but it's also a highly rewarding job.

You are not just working to catch criminals (which, in some cases, you certainly are), but are working to preserve the lives of the innocent.

Becoming a Child Support Investigator

Like most other forms of private detective, in order to become a child custody investigator you must be licensed. Many employers only require a minimum of a high school diploma as far as education goes, but they would prefer a candidate with a college degree.

If you are interested in becoming a child family investigator, consider getting your degree in criminal justice or political science.

This type of classroom training can help prepare you for understanding your duty, the rights of the children, the responsibility of the parents, and the function of the law in determining appropriate actions.

Think about earning your degree from a great web-based institution.

By going to college online you can save money, set your own schedule, and keep your day job.