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UW School of Social Work

Child Protection Services (CPS) In-Service: Placement Prevention and Court Preparation

  • By Winter Miller
  • Published: Aug 20, 2026
  • Duration 6h
    • Credential For Completion

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • Explain the legal and procedural requirements for child removals, including when removal is necessary and the role of court orders.

  • Identify strategies for preventing removals, including family engagement, in-home safety planning, and leveraging community-based services.

  • Describe the safe child consultation process, including when and how to conduct consultations and who should be involved.

  • Outline the key components of effective safety planning, including assessing risk, engaging families, and identifying protective actions.

  • Explain the court preparation process, including gathering evidence, writing a clear and defensible dependency petition, and preparing for testimony.

  • Describe best practices for defending a dependency petition, including responding to opposing arguments, demonstrating safety concerns, and supporting case decisions with documentation.

  • Assess risk and protective factors to determine when removal is necessary and explore all possible alternatives before making a removal decision.

  • Implement removal prevention strategies, including creating in-home safety plans, engaging family networks, and coordinating wraparound services.

  • Prepare for safe child consults, ensuring a structured, team-based approach to making removal decisions.

  • Present well-organized and professional testimony in court, responding effectively to cross-examination and defending CPS decisions with confidence.

  • Develop systems to efficiently gather information, document and complete family contacts to support timely and through assessments.

The goal of this training is to prepare Child Protection Services (CPS) caseworkers to make informed, ethical and legally sound decisions regarding child removals while prioritizing family preservation and child safety.

You will develop a thorough understanding of legal requirements, risk assessment and prevention strategies to explore all possible alternatives before removal. Through practical skill-building, you will enhance your ability to conduct safe child consultations, develop effective safety plans and prepare strong court documentation and testimony.

Child Protection Services (CPS) caseworkers understand the emotional and psychological impact of removals on children and families and will use trauma-informed decision-making strategies to reduce ongoing negative impacts.

Completion of this course confers 6 credit hours.

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