Family law professionals are no strangers to working with families when there are questions or concerns about child safety. This can lead to confusion or lingering questions: Shouldn’t CPS take the lead when there is verifiable child abuse/neglect? Why is/was CPS involved and what is the current relevance? How does CPS make decisions? While these two systems operate independently, there is significant overlap and intersection. For legal and mental health professionals, it is imperative to understand how these systems intersect and interact so that children are protected when they need to be and are connected with their parent when it is safe.
Participants will get an inside look at how child protection agencies make decisions, including hotline calls, emergency response interventions, preventative services, dependency court interventions, and closing a case. Additionally, this training will cover the role of safety plans, the “protective parent”, and collaborating with CPS.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will be able to describe three scenarios where family law and child protective services intersect.
- Participants will be able to identify the evidence-based tool used by CPS to inform decisions and interventions.
- Participants will be able to explain the difference between safety threats and complicating factors.