We offer trainings throughout the year on various topics related to children's law and child well-being. All of our programs are developed by former practitioners with years of experience and expertise in the topic area and are designed to ensure you get the most out of your training experience. Please check back for updates - trainings are added throughout the year.
This year’s annual Children’s Law Conference, featuring Dr. Zenobia Edwards, will address various issues affecting children involved in South Carolina’s child protection and juvenile justice systems.
The Conference will take place on Friday, November 1, 2024 from 9:00 am - 4:30 pm at the Cooperative Conference Center in Columbia. The fee is $100, and continuing education credits will be offered.
This online training is designed for professionals who have already completed the
Children’s Law Center’s Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect Training
(Mandated Reporter Training) and would like to gain further knowledge related to mandated
reporting. This training is being offered:
September 23, 2024 (9 am – 11 am)
September 23, 2024 (12 pm – 2 pm)
December 4, 2024 (9 am – 11 am)
December 4, 2024 (12 pm – 2 pm)
March 20, 2025 (9 am – 11 am)
March 20, 2025 (12 pm – 2 pm)
This training seeks to provide South Carolina law enforcement with vital information that will inform their decision-making process related to the juvenile justice system during their contact with youth. This training will be offered on Friday, September 20th at the USC Joseph F. Rice School of Law in Columbia.
This full day training, focusing on the basics of child death investigations, will be held in Columbia at the Children's Law Center's Training Center on November 12, 2024.
ChildFirst® South Carolina is an intensive five-day course in which students learn the necessary skills to conduct
an investigative interview—also known as a forensic interview—of a suspected child
abuse victim. This interactive course combines lectures and demonstrations supplemented
with homework assignments and a written examination at the end of the course.
This training will be offered at the Children’s Law Center's Training Center on October
14-18, 2024.
This registration is not for DSS staff. If you are a DSS employee, register for this
course on the DSS LMS only.
This all day training, focusing on the basics of child physical abuse and neglect investigations with an emphasis on multidisciplinary coordination, will be held in Columbia at the Children's Law Center's Training Center on November 19, 2024.
This full day training, focusing on the basics of child sexual abuse investigations with an emphasis on multidisciplinary coordination, will be held in Columbia at the Children's Law Center's Training Center on October 24 and December 9, 2024.
This 1-day, in-person training focuses on conducting reenactments with caregivers in child death investigations and incorporates hands-on practice in a mock crime scene apartment.
This trainining is being held at the Children's Law Center's Training Center in Columbia on October 29th and December 17th.
This training, offered exclusively for current staff, guardians, and attorneys with the Cass Elias McCarter Guardian ad Litem Program and Richland County CASA, will explore and identify a variety of prescription and illicit drugs and behaviors associated with those drugs. The training will also include a review of drug screens, how to read drug levels, and the differences in screening types. This virtual traning will be held on September 20, 2024.
The Children’s Law Center is offering focused presentations on various medical aspects of child abuse investigations. Each presentation will cover the unique medical aspects of a different form of maltreatment. These virtual trainings will be offered as follows:
Medical Aspects of Physical Abuse
October 2nd (1:00 - 2:15 pm)
Medical Aspects of Physical Abuse
November 5th (9:00 - 10:15 am)
Medical Aspects of Sexual Abuse
November 21st (11:00 am - 12:15 pm)
Medical Aspects of Sexual Abuse
December 18th (9:00 - 10:15 am)
Recognizing Medical Neglect & Failure to Thrive
December 6th (11:00 am - 12:15 pm)
Recognizing Medical Child Abuse
December 12th (11:00 am - 12:15 pm)
Understanding Medical Aspects of Abusive Head Trauma
December 19th (9:00 - 10:15 am)
This three-day course, offered to coroners, law enforcement, prosecutors, and forensic medical professionals in South Carolina, will focus on the responsibilities of investigating infant deaths. This training is being held September 25 - 27, 2024 at the Greenville County Sheriff’s Office Training Center.
This is a live webinar, designed for mandated reporters and professionals who have
frequent contact with children. This webinar is being offered to anyone wishing to
attend, from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm::
Wednesday, August 28, 2024
Monday, September 16, 2024
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
This training is also being offered to organizations upon request.
This training will identify myths, describe sexual development of children and adolescents,
outline considerations in determining whether the behavior is problematic or inappropriate,
and identify co-occurring behavioral problems and family dynamics. The presentation
will include a discussion of current treatments or commonly used interventions and
risk and recidivism.
Training dates: October 23, 2024 (11:30 am - 1:00 pm) and November 21, 2024 (9:00
- 10:30 am).
This training is for professionals who have attended a basic mandated reporter training
with the Children’s Law Center and are interested in conducting mandated reporter
training within their organization. This free, online training is being offered from
9 am - 4 pm on:
• October 10, 2024 (Participants will also be required to conduct a virtual presentation on Oct. 17th)
• January 23, 2025 (Participants will also be required to conduct a virtual presentation on Jan. 30th)
• May 15, 2025 (Participants will also be required to conduct a virtual presentation on May 22nd)
This training will provide an overview of South Carolina’s juvenile justice system and explore the dynamics behind why abused or neglected youth are more likely to become delinquent. Topics will include the prevalence of and risk factors associated with juvenile justice and child welfare involvement and the role of complex trauma. The training will also cover best practices and current efforts that effectively serve these youth and their families.
This recorded webinar is a multidisciplinary training designed for professionals who may have contact with potentially abused or neglected children with communication barriers. This includes children with autism, speech impairments, intellectual disabilities, visual impairments or blindness, and trauma- induced communication barriers; and children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The training will provide participants with a basic overview of these disabilities, communication challenges that may be encountered, and strategies to effectively communicate with these children. Part 1 will address children with autism, speech impairments, and intellectual disabilities. Part 2 will address children with a visual impairment or blindness, children who are deaf or hard of hearing, and children with trauma-induced communication barriers.
This live webinar for mandated reporters and professionals who have frequent contact with children is being offered to organizations upon request.
This interactive online training is designed to equip mandated reporters with information regarding their role and responsibilities as mandated reporters and to increase their awareness, knowledge, and skills in reporting child abuse and neglect.
This on-line, self-paced training consists of approximately 3.5 hours of instruction and includes the following topics: Introduction to the SC Child Abuse Response Protocol; The Initial Child Abuse Response for DSS and Law Enforcement First Responders; Referral to a SC Children’s Advocacy Center and Services Provided; The Forensic Medical Exam and the SC Children’s Advocacy Medical Response System; The Investigative Process, Joint Investigation (DSS and law enforcement), and Special Issues; The GAL and Court Appointed Special Advocate; The Court Process and Preparing the Child for the Courtroom; and Resources, Revisions, and Maintenance of the Protocol.