Child Protection Investigation Specialist (CPIS) Practice Exam

What information is typically contained in a timeline?

1. Who, What, When, Where Statements

2. Parental consent forms

3. Therapeutic recommendations

4. Insurance documentation

The correct answer is: Who, What, When, Where Statements

A timeline serves as a structured representation of events in chronological order, providing clarity and context to a case. Typically, it includes essential details such as who was involved in the events, what those events were (including significant actions taken or incidents that occurred), when each event happened, and where they took place. This format helps investigators visualize the sequence and context of interactions or incidents, which is crucial in child protection investigations to ascertain patterns or concerns. The other options focus on specific documentation that is important in different contexts but do not directly relate to the chronological recounting of events. For example, parental consent forms are necessary for legal and procedural compliance but do not convey the timeline of occurrences in a case. Similarly, therapeutic recommendations and insurance documentation are also critical documents but serve different purposes and do not encapsulate the chronological framework that a timeline provides. This clarity makes the timeline a valuable tool for investigators in analyzing cases and supporting their findings with a logical flow of events.