Civil Liability: Protecting a Family's Fundamental Rights

This interactive training is designed to assist social workers, supervisors, and management staff to protect parents’ and children’s constitutional rights during an investigation, removal, and once the child is in care. Participants will explore issues of civil liability if these fundamental rights are violated, and practice ensuring that information contained in a declaration for protective custody warrant is accurate and complete.

After attending this training, participants will be able to:

  • Understand the historical progression of civil liability and how it influences their work with families

  • Define consent and exigency

  • Determine when a warrant is necessary to protect a parent or child’s fundamental due process rights

  • Understand the process for seeking a warrant and the required contents of a supporting declaration for protective custody

  • Identify the similarities and differences for when law enforcement or the social worker can remove a child from the home without a warrant

  • Appreciate the critical balance between the need to protect children from abuse and neglect and the parent and child’s constitutional protections in support of familial association and against unwarranted search and seizure

Course Code
509507