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.
The Children’s Law Center's annaul conference, addressing issues affecting children involved in South Carolina’s child protection and juvenile justice systems, will be held on Friday, November 7, 2025, from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm. in a new location - the SC Archives and History Center in Columbia.
The fee is $100.
SCDJJ and SCDSS staff should contact their supervisor to register.
This training, designed for individuals who have already attended a CLC Mandated Reporter training or Train the Trainer session includes a review on the role and responsibilities of the mandated reporter, long-term consequences of child abuse and neglect, and recent legislative changes to the statutes that govern mandated reporting.
This 2-hour virtual training will provide an overview of the multi-disciplinary team
(MDT) approach to child death minvestigations in South Carolina. This training will
address the manner and causes of child deaths, the expectations of an MDT response
according to the SC Child Abuse Protocol, and applicable criminal statutes for child
death investigations.
This virtual training will be offered February 3, 2025 from 9-11:00 am.
Topics will include causes and manners of deaths; response and review of a child death,
to include an overview of the Child Death Investigation Task Force; proper procedures
for conducting reenactments; interviewing parents/caregivers and witnesses; documenting
investigative findings; multi-disciplinary coordination of investigations; and the
appropriate roles of DSS and law enforcement.
This full-day training will be held at the Children's Law Center Training Center in
Columbia on November 18, 2025 and March 24, 2026..
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 in Columbia
January 26-30, 2026; additional dates in 2026 TBA .
This registration is not for DSS staff. If you are a DSS employee, register for this
course on the DSS LMS only.
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 training will be held at the Children’s Law Center’s Training Center in Columbia
on December 16, 2025.
This monthly lunchtime virtual training series, hosted by the SC Children’s Justice
Act Task Force, will focus on topics surrounding children with disabilities. The
goal of this speaker series is to improve advocacy skills for professionals working
with children with disabilities and provide specific information about various disabilities
and special needs issues, available state resources, best practices, and federal guidelines.
These training sessions will be offered on the third Thursday of each month from 12:00-1:15
pm, unless otherwise noted, as follows:
This presentation will provide an overview of the work conducted by Disability Rights
South Carolina’s Monitoring and Investigations Team, with a focus on abuse and neglect
investigations and monitoring efforts involving children with disabilities. We will
highlight how our team exercises access authority to conduct routine visits and respond
to allegations in various settings, including juvenile justice facilities, psychiatric
residential treatment facilities (PRTFs), and community-based placements. Additionally,
we will discuss Medicaid/EPSDT services, intellectual and developmental disability
(IDD) services, and access to evaluations as a key component in supporting and protecting
youth with disabilities across systems.
Presenters:
Anna Maria Conner, JD, Senior Attorney, Disability Rights SC
Samantha Favor, MSW, Monitoring and Investigations Advocate Coordinator, Disability Rights SC
This training, designed for Richland County law enforcement officers and DSS human
services staff, was developed in an effort to enhance collaboration between DSS and
law enforcement to prevent EPC when children can safely remain in their homes and/or
their communities. Data regarding the extent of emergency placements of youth in Richland
County and across the state will be presented as well as information on the potential
negative impacts of foster care on youth. An explanation of a trauma-responsive system
and its importance will be provided. Finally, the training will focus on the legal
restrictions and requirements of taking a child into emergency protective custody
in South Carolina.
This training is being held in Columbia , SC on December 4, 2025 and February 3, 2026 from 9:00 am - 12:30 pm.
This virtual training will cover the general principles and techniques of good investigative
interviews. The presenter will cover the aim and purpose of the investigative interview
and the importance of recognizing one’s own biases and their potential effect on the
decision-making process.
This virtual training si being offered from 2-3 pm on January 16, 2026 and May 1, 2026.
This virtual training, offered exclusively for current guardians with the Cass Elias
McCarter GAL Program and Richland County CASA, will explore services that are available
to fathers and families through the South Carolina Center for Fathers and Families.
This traning will be held on November 21, 2025 from 9-10 am.
This three-day course, offered to coroners, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, forensic medical professionals, and DSS investigators in South Carolina, will focus on the responsibilities of investigating infant deaths. This training is being held in-person November 12-14, 2025 at the Myrtle Beach Police Department.
The 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.
This virtual training will take place November 19, 2025
from 1:00-2:15 pm.
This three-day training will educate and prepare 10 child-serving professionals to
deliver the START NOW training. START NOW is a structured, evidence-based program
developed to support individuals with impulse control, emotional regulation, and
relationship challenges.
This trainig is being offered December 10-12 (9:30 am – 5 pm) at JusticeWorks BehavioralCare, 2711 Middleburg Drive, Suite 212,
Columbia, SC
In this free training, participants will learn how to deliver the Children’s Law Center’s
Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect (Mandated Reporter) Training and
answer frequently asked questions about mandated reporting. Participants will be required
to attend the full training, pass a quiz, and present a 30 minute presentation the
following week.
This virtual training will be be held on the following dates:
- October 22 & 29, 2025
- January 21 & 28, 2026
- April 22 & 29, 2026
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.
In this training, trainees will learn the legal process for youth “arrest” and detention in South Carolina, identify which youth are eligible for juvenile detention and for what offenses, describe the importance of consulting with the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice in the detention decision, and explore factors officers should consider in exercising their discretion, as well as limits on their discretionary authority. Finally, this training introduces a Juvenile Detention Decision-Making Tool to guide law enforcement through the steps in deciding whether juvenile detention is appropriate. This course has been approved for 0.5 hours of continuing education credit by the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy.