Integrating Social Work with Court Systems

Social Workers Interview: Interviewing a Child Protection Investigator

The five questions to ask the child protection investigator during the interview are listed in Appendix 1.

I had an interview with Ms. Z, a Child Protection Investigator based in New York. The interview took place in her office on February 8, 2022, at 10 am. I had met Ms. Z before in court as she was handling a case of interest to me. Scheduling the interview was not difficult as I approached her and inquired if I could interview her regarding her professional experiences representing children and families in court. She was receptive and agreed to the interview, though our initial timetable had to be changed twice due to disruption on her court schedule. I appreciated that she kept me informed on the disruptions, and she was genuinely disappointed with the cancelations. I looked forward to the interview since it would offer insights into how the court system handles cases of children and families, and Ms. Z was more than willing to provide the information I sought. When securing the interview, the only challenge I faced was agreeing on a suitable location. Initially, we had thought we could do it at a coffee shop, but we realized we might be discussing some sensitive information regarding some of the cases she handles, which would have affected the privacy and confidentiality of the children. We settled on her office since it was more private, and she could lock it to prevent any disruptions.

Ms. Z ushered me into her office when I arrived for the interview. She had been expecting me and had told me to let her know when I entered the building. The reception was welcoming, which eased my anxiety since I had not met her outside the court, and she always looked serious in court. It was a pleasant surprise to see her smile and welcome me like an old friend. My expectations were different since I assumed we would have a direct interview and there would be no small talk. The initial small talk focused on what I was doing and what I wanted to become after completing my studies. These questions made me feel welcome as she gave me advice on the different career paths one can pursue and some of the challenges she had faced. It all led to my first question, “What are the major responsibilities of a Child Protection Investigator?” According to Ms. Z, a child protection investigator investigates reported incidences of child violation, collects court evidence of child abuse, and keeps children under safe custody for protection. A child protection investigator will conduct field investigations, interview witnesses, and analyze similar violence cases.

From the get-go, the interview proceeded like a conversation we were having with each other. I liked the mode used since it made the discussion enjoyable, and I could gather more information than a formal method. There was no tension experienced, but I figured some hesitation when I asked her, “How do you prepare for court?” The hesitation could have been her way of thinking since, from her response, it was clear she did not have a particular format she used before each court appearance. “Before any court appearance, I go over my documents either a day before or on a material day and ensure I have all the relevant documents.” She was quick to clarify that, at times, she is forced to appear in court without any preparation due to a lack of enough prep time. Therefore, you should always be prepared for such scenarios.

The interview process was only interrupted once, and this was by a colleague who had come to collect some documents for a case she was working on. The allocated time was one hour, and we spent over 1 and half hours in the interview. The increased time was welcome since it allowed me to clarify some of the things that were not clear. When I asked her, “What challenges do you face with the court system?” she spoke about different items that were not directly related to the court system, and I had to clarify to ensure I understood what she meant. Eventually, her response focused on the court system, where she said, “The court system has challenges regarding trying to find the best solution for the child. It is never the desire of the court to separate families, and the system tries to keep families together. However, there are challenges since some parents will pretend to have changed, and they will follow through with all the court requirements before they are united with their child. Afterward, they will disappear and not make mandatory court appearances.” She noted that while she can tell thorough intuition parents whose aim is to abscond once they get custody, she has no way of proving otherwise to the judge.

Her response to the question opened my eyes to another perspective of parents who only want custody of their children. I always assumed parents want the best for their children and never thought that the parental bond could make parents do some things. Ms. Z indicated she tried to find out more details and investigated further to try and find anything she could use to prevent the parent from having custody of the child. Unmotivated clients can make one question their role in the whole process. However, one needs to look at the bigger picture. Helping them is most vital, and at times the client is dealing with other issues, making them seem unmotivated. With the desire to assist families and children, she is motivated to go the extra mile and support parents and children who seem to have lost the will to fight. The major hindrance to her work is other professionals. From the question “Do other professionals working in the courts respect social workers?” Ms. Z responded, “most professionals see social workers as blocking their work. Probation officers prefer to deal directly with their clients, and when a social worker is involved, they assume social workers are defending the client. For example, a social worker had a 16-year-old boy sentenced to one year in jail for drug dealing. She pleaded with the judge and requested the boy be placed on parole since this was his first time, and he only did it due to peer influence, and he was remorseful. The judge was merciful and agreed. However, the parole officer assigned the case did not want to handle it and saw as the social worker had added to their already full workload.” Her focus is on rehabilitation and prevention since these two can modify behavior. Punishment to a certain degree is acceptable, provided it does not involve the incarceration of the minor.

Social workers play a vital role in the system since they offer assessments to the psychological issues a client might be facing, stated Ms. Z. She uses social workers after conducting her investigation to determine if a client needs mental health services or they are fit to face trial. Social workers offer information regarding potential child abusers, and they can recommend families or areas where they can investigate to determine if there are abuse cases.

Social workers fit into this arena since they work closely in the community and can identify abuse or other cases that need further investigation. Also, working in schools offers social workers the opportunity to interact with children and identify children being mistreated or abused at home. Challenges would be the children refusing to confirm or report the abuse cases. Sometimes children will hide their abuse and pretend they hurt themselves playing. The final question for Ms. Z was, “How do you collaborate with probation officers to assist clients?” She responded by saying, “most probation officers willingly accept assistance from child protection investigators because they will receive information regarding their adult client’s behavior at home. Probation officers dealing with children are glad to have someone investigating a child to discover if they are following the requirements of their probation and they welcome the services offered,”