CPI CERTIFICATION STUDY GUIDE 2025/2026 QUESTIONS
WITH ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔When conducting an initial interview with an alleged perpetrator, you must ensure
that the person being interviewed:
-a. Consent, denies, or admits to allegations
-b. Has been informed of his or her legal rights
-c. Has been informed of general investigative procedures
-d. Speaks openly with you - ✔✔b. Has been informed of his/her legal rights
✔✔An immediate response is required when a:
-a. child is not picked up from daycare on time
-b. 5-year-old child is home alone
-c. report is made by a doctor
-d. parent has not returned a child from a visit - ✔✔b. 5 yo is home alon
✔✔One responsibility of the CPI is to:
-a. Investigate supplemental reports to the hotline
-b. Document the findings of the investigations in the FFA
-c. Determine what service the family needs
-d. Do an on-going FFA before closing the investigation - ✔✔b. document the findings of
the investigations in the FFA
✔✔Standards of proof in the dependency courts are:
-a. Probable cause, preponderance of the evidence, beyond reasonable doubt
-b. Clear and factual, Probable cause and Preponderance of evidence
-c. Probable cause, preponderance of the evidence and clear and convincing
-d. Beyond reasonable doubt, clear and convincing and probable cause - ✔✔c.
Probable cause, preponderance of the evidence and clear and convincing
✔✔Probable cause means:
-a. There is enough evidence to create the probability that significant impairment to the
child safety may occur if the child is left at home
-b. The allegations are serious enough and the family has priors and the child needs
court intervention for their safety
-c. The evidence to support the removal is more than 50%
-d. None of the above - ✔✔a. There is enough evidence to create the probability that
significant impairment to the child safety may occur if the child is left at home
✔✔Types of Petitions that can be filed in court are:
-a. Shelter, change of placement and dependency
-b. Dependency, TPR, Shelter
-c. Expedited TPR, Shelter review, and non-dependency
-d. Voluntary Services, Shelter, and Dependency - ✔✔B. dependency, TPR, Shelter
,✔✔What information CLS needs regarding possible witness
-a. Demographic information
-b. Name, address, evidence they can provide in court
-c. Name, type of testimony they can provide
-d. Their relationship to the parents - ✔✔c. Name, type of testimony they can provide
✔✔An example of non-critical indicator of abuse
-a. Delay in seeking medical attention
-b. Bruises/injuries in inaccessible places of the body
-c. History of repeated, suspicious bruises
-d. Belief that as a parent you can raise your child as you please - ✔✔d. Belief that as a
parent you can raise your child as you please
✔✔An intake comes in that a young child is in a bus stop alone. What is the first thing
you do?
-a. Try to locate parents
-b. Take the child into custody
-c. Take the child to your home and try to get information about the parents
-d. Call police and report the parents - ✔✔a. try to locate the parents
✔✔When a child is taken into custody, what is the PI or case manager authorized to do
WITHOUT parental consent or a court order?
-a. Allow the child to go on vacation with the shelter parents
-b. consent for routine medical treatment for the child
-c. - ✔✔
✔✔If the child is sheltered on Friday at 10:00 p.m., the shelter hearing must be held by:
-a. 10:00am Monday
-b. 10:00am Saturday
-c. 10:00pm Saturday
-d. 10:00am Tuesday at the shelter review - ✔✔c. 10:00pm Saturday
✔✔Purpose of the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act is to eliminate discrimination on the basis
of race, color or national origin of the child or foster/adoptive parent
-a. True
-b. False - ✔✔a. True
✔✔When assessing physical injuries to a child, who would be MOST appropriate to
involve?
-a. County health department
-b. Child Protection Team
-c. Child's pediatrician
-d. Hospital emergency room - ✔✔b. child protection team
, ✔✔The court relies upon the Judicial Review Social Summary Report to explain:
-a. Information about a family that might serve as a potential placement option
-b. Placement recommendations made by the Department/Agency
-c. The degree of progress made towards the permanency goal
-d. The results of the Initial Child Safety Assessment - ✔✔c. The degree of progress
made towards the permanency goal
✔✔What is one thing a counselor can do to ensure continued federal funding for the
Department?
-a. Know when federal time frames are not applicable for court and act accordingly
-b. Let the family and their needs determine when time frames are set for attending
court hearings
-c. Meet federal time frames in preparing for and attending court hearings
-d. Use best judgement regarding when it is the right time to go to court - ✔✔c. Meet
federal time frames in preparing for and attending court hearings
✔✔Gather, document, assess, and make decision are steps in which of the following
processes?
-a. Child safety
-b. Critical thinking
-c. Decision making
-d. Family safety - ✔✔c. Decision making
✔✔Which of the following statements would BEST set the stage for gathering needed
information before writing a case?
-a. How have you tried to address these issues? What do you think led to the
circumstances that got the Department involved?"
-b. "Please give me your family history and all the reasons that caused the trouble in
your family."
-c. Fill out this family history form, and then we will discuss what got your family into
trouble."
-d. "We've got to do a case plan for court. We have to finish it by the deadline, so please
answer the following questions as quickly as possible." - ✔✔a. "How have you tried to
address these issues? What do you think led to the circumstances that got the
Department involved?"
✔✔If the child is removed, who has priority when placing the child?
-a. The person the child knows the best
-b. The closest relative
-c. The non-custodial parent
-d. A good foster home - ✔✔c. the non-custodial parent
✔✔A child health check-up must be completed within how many hours of removal
-a. 72 hours
WITH ANSWERS RATED A+
✔✔When conducting an initial interview with an alleged perpetrator, you must ensure
that the person being interviewed:
-a. Consent, denies, or admits to allegations
-b. Has been informed of his or her legal rights
-c. Has been informed of general investigative procedures
-d. Speaks openly with you - ✔✔b. Has been informed of his/her legal rights
✔✔An immediate response is required when a:
-a. child is not picked up from daycare on time
-b. 5-year-old child is home alone
-c. report is made by a doctor
-d. parent has not returned a child from a visit - ✔✔b. 5 yo is home alon
✔✔One responsibility of the CPI is to:
-a. Investigate supplemental reports to the hotline
-b. Document the findings of the investigations in the FFA
-c. Determine what service the family needs
-d. Do an on-going FFA before closing the investigation - ✔✔b. document the findings of
the investigations in the FFA
✔✔Standards of proof in the dependency courts are:
-a. Probable cause, preponderance of the evidence, beyond reasonable doubt
-b. Clear and factual, Probable cause and Preponderance of evidence
-c. Probable cause, preponderance of the evidence and clear and convincing
-d. Beyond reasonable doubt, clear and convincing and probable cause - ✔✔c.
Probable cause, preponderance of the evidence and clear and convincing
✔✔Probable cause means:
-a. There is enough evidence to create the probability that significant impairment to the
child safety may occur if the child is left at home
-b. The allegations are serious enough and the family has priors and the child needs
court intervention for their safety
-c. The evidence to support the removal is more than 50%
-d. None of the above - ✔✔a. There is enough evidence to create the probability that
significant impairment to the child safety may occur if the child is left at home
✔✔Types of Petitions that can be filed in court are:
-a. Shelter, change of placement and dependency
-b. Dependency, TPR, Shelter
-c. Expedited TPR, Shelter review, and non-dependency
-d. Voluntary Services, Shelter, and Dependency - ✔✔B. dependency, TPR, Shelter
,✔✔What information CLS needs regarding possible witness
-a. Demographic information
-b. Name, address, evidence they can provide in court
-c. Name, type of testimony they can provide
-d. Their relationship to the parents - ✔✔c. Name, type of testimony they can provide
✔✔An example of non-critical indicator of abuse
-a. Delay in seeking medical attention
-b. Bruises/injuries in inaccessible places of the body
-c. History of repeated, suspicious bruises
-d. Belief that as a parent you can raise your child as you please - ✔✔d. Belief that as a
parent you can raise your child as you please
✔✔An intake comes in that a young child is in a bus stop alone. What is the first thing
you do?
-a. Try to locate parents
-b. Take the child into custody
-c. Take the child to your home and try to get information about the parents
-d. Call police and report the parents - ✔✔a. try to locate the parents
✔✔When a child is taken into custody, what is the PI or case manager authorized to do
WITHOUT parental consent or a court order?
-a. Allow the child to go on vacation with the shelter parents
-b. consent for routine medical treatment for the child
-c. - ✔✔
✔✔If the child is sheltered on Friday at 10:00 p.m., the shelter hearing must be held by:
-a. 10:00am Monday
-b. 10:00am Saturday
-c. 10:00pm Saturday
-d. 10:00am Tuesday at the shelter review - ✔✔c. 10:00pm Saturday
✔✔Purpose of the Multi-Ethnic Placement Act is to eliminate discrimination on the basis
of race, color or national origin of the child or foster/adoptive parent
-a. True
-b. False - ✔✔a. True
✔✔When assessing physical injuries to a child, who would be MOST appropriate to
involve?
-a. County health department
-b. Child Protection Team
-c. Child's pediatrician
-d. Hospital emergency room - ✔✔b. child protection team
, ✔✔The court relies upon the Judicial Review Social Summary Report to explain:
-a. Information about a family that might serve as a potential placement option
-b. Placement recommendations made by the Department/Agency
-c. The degree of progress made towards the permanency goal
-d. The results of the Initial Child Safety Assessment - ✔✔c. The degree of progress
made towards the permanency goal
✔✔What is one thing a counselor can do to ensure continued federal funding for the
Department?
-a. Know when federal time frames are not applicable for court and act accordingly
-b. Let the family and their needs determine when time frames are set for attending
court hearings
-c. Meet federal time frames in preparing for and attending court hearings
-d. Use best judgement regarding when it is the right time to go to court - ✔✔c. Meet
federal time frames in preparing for and attending court hearings
✔✔Gather, document, assess, and make decision are steps in which of the following
processes?
-a. Child safety
-b. Critical thinking
-c. Decision making
-d. Family safety - ✔✔c. Decision making
✔✔Which of the following statements would BEST set the stage for gathering needed
information before writing a case?
-a. How have you tried to address these issues? What do you think led to the
circumstances that got the Department involved?"
-b. "Please give me your family history and all the reasons that caused the trouble in
your family."
-c. Fill out this family history form, and then we will discuss what got your family into
trouble."
-d. "We've got to do a case plan for court. We have to finish it by the deadline, so please
answer the following questions as quickly as possible." - ✔✔a. "How have you tried to
address these issues? What do you think led to the circumstances that got the
Department involved?"
✔✔If the child is removed, who has priority when placing the child?
-a. The person the child knows the best
-b. The closest relative
-c. The non-custodial parent
-d. A good foster home - ✔✔c. the non-custodial parent
✔✔A child health check-up must be completed within how many hours of removal
-a. 72 hours
