Job Description

Requisition No: 859215 

Agency: Children and Families

Working Title: SENIOR CHILD PROTECTIVE INVESTIGATOR - 60023071

 Pay Plan: Career Service

Position Number: 60023071 

Salary: AGENCY TO UPDATE 

Posting Closing Date: 09/02/2025 

Total Compensation Estimator 

SENIOR CHILD PROTECTIVE INVESTIGATOR

Leon County

This is professional work protecting children, working with families and conducting investigations of alleged abused, abandoned, neglected or exploited children. This position will assume an individual contributor role and be a model of child protection practice to other Child Protective Investigators (CPIs).

Current employees will be compensated in accordance with the Department's internal salary policy guidelines

Duties and Responsibilities

• Stands in as acting supervisor and completes all supervisory duties and activities when the unit supervisor is away from the office;
• Effectively conducts and completes case consultation with other investigators;
• Be an effective and active model and mentor for other the other investigators in the unit;
• Conducts investigations regarding allegations of abuse, neglect, abandonment and/or special conditions for children;
• Works closely with law enforcement;
• Collects information through observation and interviews with the children, parents, relatives, neighbors, and other parties associated with the case, as well as analysis of criminal, past service history and other records;
• Engages families to understand the family’s perspectives about family dynamics, challenges and solutions, identifies needs and determines the level of intervention needed to include voluntary services or court ordered dependency services;
• Assesses danger threats, child vulnerabilities and caregiver protective capacities in order to determine whether a child is safe or not safe;
• Develops with family and other persons as necessary any required present and/or impending danger plans based on analysis of danger threats in operation;
• Manages and modifies safety plans as necessary during the course of the investigation;
• Arranges emergency placement for any child that cannot safely remain in the home;
• Notifies state attorney, law enforcement, child protection team and other required individuals as appropriate;
• Provides written present and impending danger assessments;
• Completes Risk Assessment on families investigated and explains risk score to family;
• Conducts staffings required for families with risk scores that are High and Very High Risk;
• Presents safety plan and impending danger assessment at case management case transfer staffing and participates in discussion as to recommended follow-up actions;
• Provides families with services linkages to agency and community resources based on needs assessment and provides recommendations for development of case plan to Case Manager;
• Conducts initial/ongoing child present and impending danger assessments;
• Develops with the family a signed Present Danger Plan and a signed safety plan for any identified threats and interventions;
• Notifies state attorney, law enforcement, child protection team and other required individuals as appropriate;
• Schedules and gathers information for and participates in case staffing;
• Prepares appropriate reports/documentation in coordination with Children’s Legal Services and provides testimony in court;
• Maintains thorough documentation in the client records/appropriate information system(s) and maintains organized client files;
• Reports indication of abuse, neglect and/or abandonment to the Florida Abuse Hotline;
• Establishes and maintains cooperative and professional working relationships with organizations and other agencies involved with child protective investigations such as community based providers, Children’s Legal Services, law enforcement, medical personnel, schools, and other community/agency resources;
• Ensures effective communication with deaf or hard-of hearing customers or companions in accordance with the ADA and/or Section 504 and shall manage service records and report this data and any resources and/or training needs to their designated program point of contact.

EXAMPLES OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Ability to conduct fact finding interviews and take statements to secure accurate information.

• Ability to conduct field investigations to gather evidence.

• Ability to interact with individuals appropriately.

• Ability to analyze problems and to affect an appropriate course of action.

• Combining, evaluating, and reasoning with information and data to make decisions and solve problems. These processes involve making decisions about the relative importance of information and choosing the best solution.

• Communicating with persons outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged face-to-face, in writing, or via telephone/electronic transfer.

• Making judgments about or assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.

• Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.

• Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in either written form or by electronic/magnetic recording.

Senior CPI

Qualification 1:

A high school diploma or GED equivalent AND (4) years of law enforcement experience or active military service (honorably discharged or status that current service reflects serving honorably); AND (1) Year of Child Protective Investigative Experience

Qualification 2:

AA Degree or 60+ credit hours from an accredited college or university AND (2) years of professional work experience (see examples below) OR two years of law enforcement experience or active military service (honorably discharged or status that current service reflects serving honorably)

• Guardian Ad Litem or similar child advocate role  
• Family Support Worker  
• Group Home Worker  
• Teacher's Assistant/Aide
• Daycare Provider/Worker  
• Therapeutic Assistant  
• Behavioral Health Technician
• Family Intervention Specialist  
• Home Health Aide  
• Nurse (LPN or RN) or similar profession  
• Nursing Facility Assistant  
• EMT  
• Other welfare, education or medical professional jobs that occur in high-paced, high-stress environments that require critical decision-making to occur AND (1) Year of Child Protective Investigative Experience

Qualification 3: A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work or related field preferred. AND (1) Year of Child Protective Investigative Experience

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE. Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply. Certain service members may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements. Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative Code. Veterans’ Preference documentation requirements are available by clicking here . All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement. 

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