Child Advocacy Studies Certificate

Child Advocacy Studies (CAST) is a dynamic, evidence-based program that prepares students and professionals to recognize, react to, and respond effectively to child maltreatment. CAST is officially offered under the Zero Abuse Project, a national leader in child protection education.

Child maltreatment is a growing national crisis:

• Over 3.5 million children received a child protective services (CPS) investigation in a single year.
• CPS workers average 72 cases each year, often without adequate training.
• Turnover rates in child protection can reach 90% in some areas.

CAST was created to bridge this gap — equipping professionals with trauma-informed skills, resiliency strategies, and a multidisciplinary approach that strengthens both families and communities.

With this certificate, you’ll gain hands-on experience, practical tools, and career-ready expertise to make an immediate difference in your field.

Program Highlights

Students in the CAST Certificate program will:

• Gain real-world skills through engagement-based curriculum and applied projects.
• Build core competencies for identifying, investigating, reporting, and responding to child abuse and neglect.
• Learn trauma-informed, ethical approaches to protect children and strengthen families.
• Develop strategies to collaborate across systems — from education and social services to law enforcement and healthcare.
• Build resiliency tactics to reduce burnout and turnover in child protection careers.

WHO

Should Enroll

This certificate is an excellent add-on credential for:

• Human Services students (feeds directly into Mayland’s AAS in Human Services).
• Professionals or students in Criminal Justice, Social Work, Psychology, Education, Law, and Healthcare.
• Anyone preparing for a career where they may interact with children and families in vulnerable situations.

OUR

Advantage

One of only a handful of community colleges in the nation offering CAST.

• Connection to the Zero Abuse Project, ensuring our curriculum is nationally recognized and backed by research.
• Dedicated faculty with real-world experience in Human Services and advocacy.
• Fully online program with flexible scheduling — making it accessible for working professionals and busy students.