Child protective services (CPS) casework practice can encompass a variety of interventions. Effective casework practice allows child protection staff to work together with families to identify strengths, needs, goals, and desired outcomes. Often, the goals focus on enhancing caregiver protective capacity, which can help maximize children's safety and minimize their risk of harm.
This section includes resources ranging from decision-making and safety-planning phases to case planning and management. Specific resources include information on in-home services, working with families involved with CPS, and cultural competence. Evidence-based and promising interventions are also shared.
- Decision-making
- Safety planning
- Case planning & management
- In-home services
- Evidence-based practices
Casework: What it Really Takes
Child Welfare Information Gateway (2018)
Offers guidance and examples from former caseworkers on how to manage time, energy, and emotion for new or future caseworkers, along with tips on how to perform the work.
Child Protection Manuals for Professionals
State Guides and Manuals Search
Offers State-specific information about child protection. These resources can be accessed by selecting the State of interest, the child protection topic, and the professionals audience.
Child Neglect: A Guide for Prevention, Assessment and Intervention
Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, Children's Bureau
DePanfilis, Diane.
This manual provides detailed information on neglect, including its definition, causes, impact, assessment, prevention and intervention strategies, and more.
A Coordinated Response to Child Abuse and Neglect: The Foundation for Practice
Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, Children's Bureau
Goldman, J.;Salus, M. K.;Wolcott, D.;Kennedy, K. Y.
This manual provides child protective services workers and other child welfare and related professionals with an overview of child maltreatment, including the definition, scope, causes, and consequences of child abuse and neglect. It also briefly discusses prevention efforts and the child protection process, from identification and reporting through investigation, assessment, service provision, and case closure.
Effective Child Protection
Munro (2nd ed.) (2008)
View Abstract
Examines how to improve services to children and families by strengthening CPS workers' analytic and intuitive reasoning skills.
Exploring Child Welfare: A Practice Perspective
Crosson-Tower (5th ed.) (2008)
View Abstract
Provides introductory information about child welfare services, including its history, programs, service models, interventions, and more. The textbook also includes a summary of important concepts, exploration questions, and case studies.
The Role of First Responders in Child Maltreatment Cases: Disaster and Nondisaster Situations
Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, Children's Bureau
Cage, Richard.;Salus, Marsha K.
This manual, written for first-response professionals, such as emergency medical technicians, child protective services caseworkers, and law enforcement officers, discusses the various types and signs of child maltreatment they may encounter in their work, what they and their agencies can do to respond to suspected child maltreatment in emergencies and disasters, and how to prepare for such situations.
Recent Trends in Local Child Protective Services Practices
Westat (2009)
Examines changes in policies and procedures in local CPS agencies between 2002 and 2005–2006. The analysis is intended to identify changes or developments in administration and staffing, screening and intake procedures, investigation of maltreatment allegations, and alternative CPS responses.
The Guide to Texas Child Protective Services (PDF - 3,430 KB)
Burstain (2010)
Center for Public Policy Priorities
Discusses how Texas fits into a national context and recent State reform efforts and describes how the State's system is structured, including data on how children and families move through the system.
Supervising Child Protective Services Caseworkers
Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, Children's Bureau
Salus, Marsha K.
This manual provides the foundation for effective supervisory practice in child protective services (CPS). It outlines the roles and responsibilities of the CPS supervisor and provides practice-oriented advice on how to effectively carry out supervisory responsibilities, with a focus on best practices and critical issues in supervisory practice.