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 Center Conference, addressing issues affecting children involved in South Carolina’s child protection and juvenile justice systems, will be held on Friday, October 23, 2026, from 9:00 am - 4:30 pm in Columbia at the SC Archives and History Center.
This two-hour virtual course is designed for individuals who have already attended a Children’s Law Center Mandated Reporter training or Train the Trainer session.
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
October 26-30, 2026; additional dates in 2027 TBA .
This registration is not for DSS staff. If you are a DSS employee, register for this
course on the DSS LMS only.
This training focuses on the basics of child sexual abuse investigations with an emphasis on multidisciplinary coordination. It will include an explanation of the roles and function of the multidisciplinary team (MDT), the dynamics of child sexual abuse, legal issues and common evidentiary hearsay exceptions used in child abuse cases, and unique child hearsay statutory exceptions. The training will also cover interviewing techniques, and methods and strategies to corroborate a child’s disclosure of abuse. This full-day in-person training will be held in Columbia on December 15th.
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 full-day training is being offered on December 8th.
This training will provide an overview of statutory requirements for taking a child into EPC, response time requirements, and other procedural and substantive information. This virtual training is being offered on October 30th and December 1st from 9-10:30 am.
This training will cover the aim and purpose of the investigative interview and the
importance of recognizing one’s own biases and its potential effect on the decision-making
process and will also address rapport building, open-ended questioning, active listening,
identification of subjective vs. objective language, and red flag responses.
This training is being offered on December 14th from 2-3:30 pm.
This training, offered exclusively for indigent defense contract attorneys for family court, will cover a range of topics addressing the representation of parents and caregivers in family court child protection proceedings. Attendees will learn practice tips and discuss the latest issues and challenges faced by indigent defense contract attorneys. This training will be held on December 11th at a location to be determined.
This virtual training will cover techniques and guidance on how to evaluate the three main elements of a medical neglect case: “adequate,” “remedial health care,” and “has caused or presents a substantial risk of causing physical or mental injury.” This training is being offered on October 29th and November 6th from 2-3:30 pm.
The Children’s Law Center is offering focused presentations by medical experts on
various medical aspects of child abuse investigations as follows:
Medical Aspects of Sexual Abuse- October 15, 2026 (2-3:15 pm)
Recognizing Medical Child Abuse - October 28, 2026 (9:30 - 10:45 am)
This three-day course is being offered to coroners, law enforcement, prosecutors, forensic medical professionals, and DSS investigators in South Carolina to focus on the responsibilities of investigating infant deaths. It is being offered October 21-23 in Charleston.
This webinar is designed for mandated reporters of child abuse and neglect, and professionals who have frequent contact with children, who play a key role in protecting children by identifying possible maltreatment and reporting it to the agencies responsible for investigation and intervention. This training will be offered virtually from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm.
This training, offered exclusively for GAL and CASA attorneys, will cover a range
of topics addressing the representation of volunteers appointed to represent the best
interest of children in child protection cases.
This in-person training will be held on December 4th from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm at a location
to be determined.
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 Jan. 21, 2027 and May 12, 2027 (Participants will also be required to conduct a virtual presentation the following week.)
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.