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Family Services (DFS) & Child Protective Services (CPS) Investigator Training

Completed by 2 learners
Ages 13-17
Live Group Class
In this career exploration class, learners will become investigators as they sift through evidence and discuss real and fictional cases while learning to identify and respond abuse and neglect. This is a great class for those interested in law enforcement, social work, child welfare, and other criminal justice & family services sectors.
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:
(118 reviews)
Popular

Live video meetings
1x per week
2-8 learners per class
45 min

What's included

1 live meeting
45 mins in-class hours per week

Class Experience

In this course, learner will learner about the inner working of the child welfare system. Each week, there will be a different topic, as outlined below. There will be lectures, activities, worksheets, and case studies. Each will be described within the schedule below. Given the content of this course, parental discretion is advised. Though abuse and neglect do happen, they can be difficult to talk about. At the beginning of each class, I will remind learners they can leave if anything ever becomes too overwhelming. Additionally, though most of what we discuss will be applicable across the US and other countries, laws and practices may differ. 

Week of September 3-9
Mandatory reporting laws and procedures
Some people have to report concerns they have. We will go over who falls into this category and different ways to report these concerns. Learners will be given case information and a link to a Google form. They will then report the case given. After they fill out the form/report on their own, we will come together as a class to fill it out together. 

Week of September 10-16
Jurisdiction & Civil versus Criminal
We will describe where CPS has jurisdiction- the types of cases investigated by CPS, jointly with law enforcement, and by law enforcement only. In doing this, we will also define civil and criminal jurisdictions. As a class, we will decide whether a case would be worked by CPS and/or law enforcement and why. 

Week of September 17-23
Define child abuse and neglect including human trafficking
This week's lecture will be a little bit longer than other week's. We will define the different types of abuse: neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse (not recognized in all states), sexual abuse***, and human trafficking (which sometimes does and sometimes does not fall under the jurisdiction of CPS). 

Week of September 24-30
Safety and Risk Assessment
We will define high risk, low risk, and safe, and work through a risk assessment via Google Forms together using a case. We will look at the overall risk upon completion, discuss it, then learners will complete a risk assessment on their own or with partners, possibly in breakout rooms. I will check in the breakout rooms every couple of minutes. 

Week of October 1- 7
Working within a Multidisciplinary Team
We will discuss all of the working parts of the child welfare team including law enforcement, child advocacy centers, prosecutors/CA/DA, mental health professionals, SANE nurses, CASA, and ad litems.

Learning Goals

-Students will refine critical thinking skills.
-Students will learn how to use evidence to criticize and support theories. 
-Students will work on public speaking and social skills with learners who share the same interests.
-Students will explore their imaginations. 

Skills Practiced in this class include but are not limited to:
-Oral expression and comprehension
- The interconnected nature of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking
- Developing and sustaining foundational language skills
-Inquiry
-Critical thinking and analysis
-Literacy
-Building connections to themselves and their prior knowledge
-Creating relationships among ideas

Other Details

Parental Guidance
Parental guidance is suggested as we will discuss mature content and have real life case studies in class. Some cases may involve murder and/or death.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
Case studies will either be fictional or will come from cases I have work myself, as well as cases that have made headlines. When we cover cases I did not work myself, only information from court documents will be used, and that info will be linked and updated here as needed. The perpetrator name will also be listed in the class listing, under the week we discuss it. If cases studies are from cases I have worked, all names and identifiers will be changed. All cases discussed August 20-September 30 will be inspired by cases I have worked.

Meet the teacher

4.9
118reviews
Popular
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
Texas Teaching Certificate in English/Language Arts
Master's Degree in Education from University of Texas of the Permian Basin
I have an Associate's degree in Criminal Justice and went on to study it for two more years. After accruing about 120 hours worth of coursework, I changed my major to anthropology. The skills I learned in both made me a very critical and objective person and paved the way for my career with Child Protective Services. While working with the State of Texas, I went through continuous and extensive training in regards to investigating allegations of abuse and neglect and keeping children safe. I was an important member of a multidisciplinary team consisting of law enforcement, child advocacy centers, CASA (guardian ad litems), attorneys, foster families, families of origin, and other community members. I testified in court countless times and spend hundred (probably thousands) of hours on the most tedious task- documentation. I spent nights and holidays in CPS offices waiting for children to have placements, then drove hours to drop them off. I interviewed hundreds of children and their families. I participated in fundraising events. I was called to crime scenes, and, unfortunately attended funerals. After just four months in the role, I became the most tenured investigator in the three counties I served- that means I had been there longer than everyone else, other than my supervisor. I trained, provided guidance for, and mentored many other investigators. All of this has given me the intimate knowledge necessary to teach this class, and to teach it without bias. 

Reviews

Ms. Chelsea M. Ed. | ELA, Paranormal, & True Crime suggests this class next...
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Ms. Chelsea M. Ed. | ELA, Paranormal, & True Crime
4.9
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