Project

Proposal
Courtney Points

A. Abstract
Mr. Hodges will be my consultant for my senior project, Child Protective Services: An
Unbalanced Tug of War. My paper will address Child Protective Services (CPS) policy
concerning the appeals process. After CPS investigates a report about child abuse and/or
neglect a formal decision is made: founded, unfounded, or unable to determine. This
decision can then be appealed and the only person allowed to be present at the hearing is
the appellant. This means that the victim and their non-offending parent(s) may not not
attend if the abuser/neglector appeals. Essentially, this dynamic would be like having a
criminal trial where the prosecutor could not come to court and present their case but the
defendant and their lawyer could. This creates an unfair advantage where the scales of
justice are supposed to be balanced. I will explore victims rights in a general sense, and
their rights specifically in criminal cases and compare that to victims rights in the Child
Protective Services process. I will look into the overlap of CPS and criminal
proceedings.
My project will be a tug of war seminar in First Colonials gymnasium and mat room. I
will begin with a presentation about my research and have a guest speaker from Child
Protective Services or another relevant agency. People who want to participate in a tug of
war game will get a t-shirt with a part of the appeals process written on it, like different
types of evidence, testimony, appellant, victim, etc. I will set up the teams so that the
appellant/abuser side has an unfair advantage (so they most likely end up winning). I will
field any questions, comments, or concerns about how the teams are possibly stacked.
Hopefully, someone realizes that the teams favor the appellant and I will then even out
the teams and see if the results come out more balanced. At the end, I will speak briefly to
analyze the results of the different games. There will be some sort of food and drink, like

soda and chips. I will need the following materials: tug of war rope (probably more than
one), food and drink previously mentioned, a sign in log, tape to mark the middle, and a
game outcome sheet. I will advertise to FC students and welcome their families.
B. Learning Skills
I will have to enhance the following skills:
Public Speaking
o Speaking in front of strangers
Communication
o Articulating my thoughts in a way that other people understand, not just
the way I understand
Time Management
Objectivity where I am passionate
I will have to learn the following skills:
How to book a venue
How to effectively advertise an event
o get people interested in attending an event that may not have any
importance to them
Create a presentation for a non-academic setting
C. Project Steps
STEP 1:
STEP 2:
STEP 3:
STEP 4:
STEP 5:
STEP 6:
STEP 7:
STEP 8:
STEP 9:
STEP 10:
STEP 11:
STEP 12:
STEP 13:
STEP 14:
STEP 15:

Meet with advisor

Start preparing presentation
Contact people about being a guest speaker
Book venue and sort out details with FCHS, Mrs.
Godfrey, and Mr. Hodges
Meet with advisor
Start getting the word out about my event
Meet with advisor
Get the word out about my event
Verify guest speaker and solidify presentation
Gather tug of war supplies
Talk to classmates and get a rough headcount. Continue
to get the word out.
Make t-shirts
Meet with advisor. Have practiced delivering presentation
several times.
Buy food and drinks
Make sure doors are unlocked and anything necessary for
presentation is working.
Set up food, drinks, rope, tape, and anything left for

1 Hour
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0.5 Hours
2 Hours

presentation.
Brief any needed volunteers
Greet people as they arrive, sign people in, and give out
preliminary surveys.
Give presentation.
Guest Speaker
Tug of War Game (Record out comes)
Wrap up (Brief discussion about the game and its
connection)
Thank people for coming and do survey
Clean up.
Thank anyone who helped and is present and write thank
you cards to everyone.
TOTAL
HOURS

21.5 Hours

A. Project Documentation
I will document my project with the following methods:
Photos of preparation for my project
Photos of my event
Event sign in sheet
Preliminary and Post-event surveys
Tug of war game outcome record
Any flyer or social media post used to get the word out
Contact log between myself and anyone needed for my project (including but not
limited to email, text, and phone call)
Interview questions
Interview notes
Some version of my event presentation uploaded to my weebly
Weebly site
Log of presentation practice
B. Project Justification
My topic is rather specific and I will have a hard time finding court cases that directly
relate, but I am up for the challenge. My project will force me out of my comfort zone
because I am not the type of person who hosts any kind of event, but I know that will
hard work and dedication I will be able to pull it off. I have known this was my senior
project since I applied for the academy. I am passionate about this topic and that will be

my first and overreaching problem. I will have to continue to make sure that I remain
objective, but after my ethics project and with continued effort, I am positive that I will
be able to do it and grow from this.
C. Project Connection
My presentation will cover my research and paper and my guest speaker will further
enlighten the attendants on their job and how that relates to my paper. The tug of war
game will be a simulation of the Child Protective Services appeals process and will
demonstrate the unbalance and bias in the current policies. A trial is like a tug of war
game. There are two teams on opposite sides who pull with all their force or argue with
all their evidence, in an attempt to bring the middle of the rope or jury/judge over to their
side. In a court of law, these teams are a defendant (and their attorney) and the prosecutor
or plaintiff. In CPS appeals, the abuser/neglector has an unfair advantage and I will
mirror that by stacking the first set of tug of war teams so that abuser/neglector team
should win. After that team wins several times, I will ask if any participants have any
questions, comments, concerns or notice anything wrong. Hopefully, they catch on to the
advantage that the abuser/neglector teams were given, and I will even out the teams. This
second team make up is meant to show how appeal outcomes would be different and
more balanced if the victim was represented in some way.
D. Academic Honesty
I understand that any academic dishonesty by me on any part of the project will result in
failure of the Senior Project and forfeiture of the Legal Studies Seal on my High School
diploma.
E. Completion Dates
STEP 1:
STEP 2:
STEP 3:
STEP 4:

Meet with advisor

Start preparing presentation
Contact people about being a guest speaker
Book venue and sort out details with FCHS, Mrs. Godfrey,
and Mr. Hodges

1/29/16
2/2/16
2/2/15
2/5/16

STEP 5:
STEP 6:
STEP 7:
STEP 8:
STEP 9:
STEP 10:
STEP 11:
STEP 12:
STEP 13:
STEP 14:
STEP 15:

Meet with advisor

Start getting the word out about my event
Meet with advisor
Get the word out about my event
Verify guest speaker and solidify presentation
Gather tug of war supplies
Talk to classmates and get a rough headcount. Continue to
get the word out.
Have t-shirts completed
Meet with advisor. Have practiced delivering presentation
several times.
Buy food and drinks
Make sure doors are unlocked and anything necessary for
presentation is working.
Set up food, drinks, rope, tape, and anything left for
presentation.
Brief any needed volunteers
Greet people as they arrive, sign people in, and give out
preliminary surveys.
Give presentation.
Guest Speaker
Tug of War Game (Record out comes)
Wrap up (Brief discussion about the game and its connection)
Thank people for coming and do survey
Clean up.
Thank anyone who helped and is present and write thank you
cards to everyone.

F. Facilities Impact Form

Pending approval.

2/12/16
2/19/16
2/26/16
2/26/16
3/1/16
3/1/16
3/4/16
3/6/16
3/7/16
3/9/16
3/9/16