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.