System

This registration is not for DSS staff. If you are DSS, you register for this course on the DSS LMS only.  This registration is for non-DSS attendees only.

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. Participants also must conduct a 30-minute interview of a professional actor playing the role of a sexually abused child after which the interviewer is critiqued by a professional forensic interviewer and a group of fellow students. Completion of this training does not result in any recognized professional “certification” to conduct forensic interviews.

Requirements. This course is designed for investigative teams of law enforcement officers, social workers, prosecutors, child protection attorneys, and forensic interviewers. However, you must meet the basic requirements of any team member:

(1) You must be a South Carolina state professional, unless otherwise approved in writing by Zero Abuse Project and your ChildFirst® state coordinator, AND,

a. You work in a job, through formal professional affiliation with a children’s advocacy center, in which you conduct forensic interviews of suspected child abuse victims, OR

b. You refer children to a children’s advocacy center for forensic interviews as part of a child maltreatment investigation or defend forensic interviews in court. Most frequently, these professionals are law enforcement officers, DSS attorneys, DSS caseworkers, and prosecutors. Your participation in this training is focused on understanding the forensic interview process and how it fits into your comprehensive investigation.

(2) You must commit to attending every session. Anyone who misses a session, does not complete the practical exercises, or fails the examination will not be awarded a certificate of course completion.

Tuition is $450 per person. After registering, you will receive an email regarding payment. Participants are responsible for their own lodging arrangements and per diem expenses. In the event of a cancellation within 7 days of the start of the course, any refund will be assessed a $50 administrative fee.

2025 Location. The course will be conducted at the Children’s Law Center’s Training Center, 1114 Pickens Street, Columbia, SC 29208.

This registration is not for DSS staff. If you are DSS, you register on the DSS LMS only.