How to get a job in child protection services

Types of Jobs in Child Protective Services

Abuse and neglect is a huge problem that affects the lives of tens of thousands of children in Texas each year. Every day in communities across Texas, thousands of CPS employees work to protect the safety and well-being of our state's children.

CPS is a rewarding career that gives you the opportunity to work with children and their families to make their homes safe and a place where children can thrive. In the small percentage of cases where that's not possible, CPS finds other safe places for children to live. This can be with relatives, in foster care or adoptive homes.

What jobs are available at CPS?

• Investigator Specialist

• Family-Based Safety Services Specialist

• Conservatorship Specialist

• Special Investigator

• Foster Adoptive Home Development

• Preparation for Adult Living

• Human Services Technician

In this first video, CPS caseworkers tell us why they love their jobs:

Job Preview Video: Working for Child Protective Services

Working for CPS - Watch caseworkers in action in this in-depth look at the jobs of the five types CPS caseworkers, and what it takes to be successful. You'll learn about the challenges and rewards of these important jobs directly from real caseworkers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to have a degree?

No. Entry level Child Protective Services Specialist can have one of the following:

• A  Bachelor's degree OR an Associate's degree plus 2 years of relevant work experience.
• 60 college credit hours plus 2 years of relevant work experience.
• 90 college credit hours plus 1 year of relevant work experience.

Relevant work experience includes:

• Social, human, or protective services.
• Paid or volunteer work with social service agencies or communities that provide services to families or at-risk populations.

I think I could do this job, but will I be trained?

Yes! You will get lots of great training before beginning your job, including on the job training. While you will be visiting clients on your own, you will have the support of your co-workers and supervisor any time you need it.

Are there opportunities for career advancement?

Yes! You will receive ongoing training to prepare you to advance in your career with CPS. Caseworkers have a career ladder based on levels of certification.

Becoming a Child Protection Social Worker | Work

By Ashley Miller Updated December 17, 2021

A child protective services office, also known as the Department of Children and Families or the Administration for Children's Services in different states, provides assistance to abused or neglected children and their families. In 2019, there were more than 3.4 million referrals to child protective service agencies based on suspicions of neglect, physical abuse or sexual assault.

Further, an estimated 1,840 children died from maltreatment in 2019. This information comes from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, or NCANDS, part of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. With statistics like these, the need for social workers in this area is clear.

Child Protection Social Worker Education

Child protection social workers need to have at least a bachelor's degree in social work or a related field, such as psychology or sociology, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS. However, an increasing number of child protective social workers have a master's degree in social work, or MSW, and some even have doctoral degrees.

In some cases, your employer may pay for your education, although this is highly dependent on need and location. Although the educational requirements vary by state, there is often a preference for candidates who are bilingual, especially for positions in metropolitan or urban areas.

Specialized Training

Child protection social workers need to complete job-specific training before they can work in the field. Some cities and states have established training academies that provide training to child protective specialists, while others may send potential employees to off-site training. New York City, or NYC, for example sends newly hired child protection social workers to the 6-week James Satterwhite Training Academy to learn investigation skills.

During your training period, you will learn specific techniques related to child protective work, including off-site assessments, investigative procedures and trauma reduction. Additionally, you will receive on-going supervision. You may attend in-service training on related topics, such as family mental illness or substance abuse.

Duties and Responsibilities

Child protection social work requires excellent time management and organizational skills. You will conduct off-site assessments to determine the safety of your clients, including investigating allegations of abuse. You will interview family members or other involved parties, make judgment calls as to whether a child should be removed from his home and placed in foster care or protective custody and testify in family court proceedings. You also will maintain accurate case notes and consult with other professionals. You may need to be on-call for at least part of your work week for crisis intervention or emergencies.

Other Considerations

Maintaining realistic expectations is necessary for being an effective child protection social worker. The field is stressful and demanding, although it can also be fulfilling and rewarding. Due to the nature of the work, you will need to work constantly at maintaining appropriate professional boundaries and be diligent about separating your work and personal lives.

You also need to engage in self-care measures and have a good personal support network, as it can be emotionally draining and devastating to work with children who are maltreated, abused and neglected. Participating in regular supervisory sessions, either with your direct supervisor or with peers, can be helpful for managing compassion fatigue and preventing burnout, a common occurrence for child protection social workers.

Top 6 reasons to get a job in the social sphere

February 2, 2021

Social workers help more than 1000 Muscovites every day. During the pandemic, they learned to provide assistance remotely. Some services have been simplified, and some services, such as recognizing a citizen as unemployed, have become established online. The social sphere is multifaceted and constantly changing. Here, first of all, people work according to the call of their hearts, and the greatest gratitude for a specialist is to benefit society. Svetlana Ryabova, a specialist in social work at the Pechatniki family center, spoke about why it is still worth going to work in this area. nine0006