CPI Alternative Response Worker Trainee

FALL CREEK FARM & NURSERY; Wichita Falls (TX); On-site; USD 43,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plans

Paid time off

Dental/vision/life insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Employee discounts

Job summary

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services in Wichita Falls is hiring a CPI Alternative Response Worker Trainee. This full-time, field-based role involves investigating reports, protecting children and families, and coordinating with schools, law enforcement, and courts.

The job requires flexibility, strong judgment, and the ability to manage urgent safety concerns, with up to 75% travel across the state. The position is not telework.

Responsibilities

• Determine causes of abuse/neglect and assess current or future risk to children.
• Collaborate with families to identify strengths, needs and actions to reduce immediate threats.
• Enter contact, documentation and narratives into the agency system within required time frames.
• Develop and maintain thorough case documentation and records.

Job description

Career Opportunities: CPI Alternative Response Worker Trainee (21624)

Posting ID21624-Posted09/21/2026-Dept of Family & Protectve Svc-CPS Investigations Region 2-Protective Services-Not Eligible for Telework- Additional Shifts available (1) -b. $3000 - $4999 per month

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) works to build on strengths of families and communities to keep children and vulnerable adults safe, so they thrive. We do this through investigations, services, and referrals.

What You Get Beyond Your Paycheck

When you join the State of Texas, your monthly paycheck is just one part of your real income. Our benefits provide extra value that many private employers simply don’t match—often adding hundreds of dollars each month to what you take home or save.

Here’s what you get as a full-time employee:

• 100% paid health insurance for you, and 50% paid for eligible family members—saving you hundreds every month in out-of-pocket medical costs
• Retirement plans with lifetime monthly payments after five years of state service, plus options to save even more with 401(k) and 457 plans
• Paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave so you can recharge and take care of life outside work (that’s time off you’re actually paid for)
• Optional dental, vision, and life insurance —at rates much lower than most private plans
• Flexible spending accounts for added tax savings on health and dependent care
• Employee discounts on things like gym memberships, electronics, and entertainment

Functional Title: CPI Alternative Response Worker Trainee
Job Title: CPI Alt Response Spec Trainee
Agency: Dept of Family & Protectve Svc
Department: CPS Investigations Region 2
Posting Number: 21624
Closing Date: 10/05/2026
Posting Audience: Internal and External
Occupational Category: Protective Services
Salary Range: $3,816.65-$5,372.41
Pay Frequency: Monthly
Salary Group: TEXAS-B-17
Shift: Day
Additional Shift: Days (First)
Telework: Not Eligible for Telework
Travel: Up to 75%
Regular/Temporary: Regular
Full Time/Part Time: Full time
FLSA Exempt/Non-Exempt: Nonexempt
Facility Location: Job Location City: WICHITA FALLS
Job Location Address: 925 LAMAR ST
Other Locations: None
MOS Codes: 0149,5805,5821,5822,5832,14N,14NX,183X,1N0X1,230X,311A,31D,351L,351M,35L,35M,42SX,43HX,4C0X1,4E0X1
5IX,683X,68X,71SX,73A,783X,HM,INV,IS,ISS,IV,MST,NC,OAP12

Child Protective Investigations (CPI), Family Investigations and Alternative Response (FIAR) Investigators play a critical role in protecting children and strengthening families. Investigators respond to reports of alleged child abuse or neglect, gather and assess information, evaluate child safety and future risk, and work with families to address concerns and reduce the likelihood of future harm. They are responsible for making informed decisions that can significantly impact the lives of children and families.

This is a mobile, field-based position where the work occurs where children and families live, learn, and receive services. Investigators spend much of their time in homes, schools, hospitals, childcare facilities, law enforcement agencies, courts, and other community locations. This is not a traditional office job and is not a work-from-home position. The core responsibilities of the job require regular face-to-face contact with children, families, caregivers, and community partners. While technology supports the work, the work itself happens in the field. Employees may also be required to work from an office location when directed by their supervisor.

The position requires flexibility, sound judgment, and the ability to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances. A typical day may involve interviewing children and families, coordinating with schools, medical professionals, law enforcement, attorneys, and courts, responding to urgent safety concerns, and completing extensive documentation. Investigators must quickly absorb, assess, and act upon large amounts of information while balancing multiple active cases, urgent child safety concerns, court obligations, extensive documentation requirements, and competing demands from families, community partners, supervisors, and agency leadership. The work requires the ability to make informed decisions under pressure, adapt to rapidly changing circumstances, and maintain thorough and timely documentation despite a fast-paced and unpredictable workload.

The work is often physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding. Investigators may encounter families experiencing crisis, substance abuse, family violence, mental health challenges, or other significant stressors. They may enter environments ranging from professional settings such as hospitals and courtrooms to homes that are unsanitary, isolated, or potentially unsafe. Investigators must remain professional, objective, and compassionate while addressing difficult and emotionally charged situations.

Work schedules are dictated by the safety needs of children and families, not by a traditional 8-to-5 workday. Extended workdays, after-hours responses, weekend work, and holiday work are common aspects of the job. Investigators frequently encounter situations that require immediate action and may remain on duty until a child's safety has been assured, regardless of the hour. Significant travel is required and may include unexpected long-distance trips across the state with little advance notice. Investigators must be prepared to adjust plans, manage competing demands, and respond to emerging situations whenever and wherever the work requires.

This career is not for everyone. The workload is demanding, the subject matter can be heartbreaking, and the responsibility is significant. However, for individuals who are mission-driven and committed to making a difference in the lives of vulnerable children and families, the work provides a unique opportunity to create meaningful and lasting impact. People who thrive in this role are those who remain focused on the mission, even during the most challenging days, because they understand that their efforts can profoundly change the trajectory of a child's life.

Newly hired employees holding a Master's Degree in Social Worker may qualify for an increase at the point of hire.

DFPS is committed to its employees' professional development and ongoing success and offers the DFPS Certification Program to enhance skills and advance careers within our organization. The program is tailored specifically for DFPS employees, provides the opportunity to earn additional compensation through a supportive learning environment that fosters growth and innovation, and equips participants with the knowledge and skills needed to deepen their expertise in their respective role.

Essential Job Functions (EJFs)

• Determines the causes/factors of abuse/neglect to children to assess current or future risk to children by gathering information from parents, family members, and others; interviewing and examining children; assessing home environment; and gathering pertinent information from other sources.
• Collaborates and works with the family to determine strengths, needs and action to be taken to remove or to reduce an immediate threat to the safety of a child to include referring family for crisis intervention therapy or other community resources, testifying in court to seek emergency protective services, and placing children in substitute care.
• Enters contact, documentation information and narratives into the Information Management Protecting Adults and Children System within required agency time frames.
• Develops and