Working for Child Protective Services

Work in the field of Public Child Welfare is rewarding and meaningful and is also demanding and challenging. Workers must be able to work with abused and neglected children as well as with those children's families. Additionally, workers testify in court proceedings, write legal reports to the courts, coordinate with multiple agency providers, and provide crisis intervention. The work hours are not always limited to 8 to 5 and workers in the rural districts are required to rotate performing on-call, after-hours duties.

We advise all applicants to the Stipend Program to explore whether a career in child welfare would be a good fit for them.  Listed below are several ways you can gain more information about the work of Child Protective Services. 

• click here to see a Realistic Job Preview video about working for CPS in Arizona  
• click here to review a document about the role of a CPS Case Manager
• To review CPS job requirements and salary visit their website at: http://www.azdes.gov/dcyf/cmdps/cps/job.asp
• to visit one of the Child Welfare Training Units and talk about CPS work with one of our staff or supervisors, please call Tonia Stott at 602-496-0081 to arrange a visit.   

 Stipend Student Employment Obligations

Stipend students must work for the Arizona Department of Economic Security, Child Protective Services for 18 months (advanced standing students) or 2 years (standard program students) upon graduation. Employment location is based upon the agency's need. Please be sure that you meet the DES/CPS Work Requirements outlined on the Stipend Program page.  

There are 6 Child Protective Services (CPS) Districts within AZ which encompass about 62 CPS offices. Historically, stipend students have been able to apply to districts or offices where there are openings. Thus far, no stipend graduates who have requested employment placement in either District I (the Phoenix metropolitan area) or District II (the Tucson metropolitan area) have been required to take employment in another area. However, placement in specific offices within those districts is based upon the agency's need (in other words, you might be placed in District I, but in an office in Avondale, even though you live in Tempe). CPS has not always been able to accommodate stipend graduates' requests for placement in specific rural offices. 

Once employed at CPS, stipend students are treated the same as all other CPS employees.  They are full state employees with all the associated benefits.  They may request a lateral transfer to another office once they are off of original probation (typically one year).  They may also continue their career at CPS long after their work obligation has ended and apply for supervisory and management positions.   

For a listing of CPS offices, go to: http://www.azdes.gov/dcyf/cps/contactcps.asp