How to Conduct Internal Investigations

May 13, 2026

This webinar is included in the Head Start Training Package.

Head Start programs are frequently confronted with allegations of wrongdoing by staff, employees, and officers. For example, common accusations include suspicions of:

  • Mistreatment of children, parents, or guardians
  • Poor quality of care and/or education of children in the program
  • Unsafe conditions
  • Misuse of funds

Regardless of the type of accusation, your organization must be able to promptly and effectively distinguish credible allegations from false and baseless statements. Also, agencies from time to time receive Office of Head Start’s requests to investigate and report on complaints or other types of communications delivered to OHS officials concerning an agency’s fiscal, operational or governance issues.

Head Start programs operate under relatively high scrutiny from federal and state funders or licensing authorities, parents, the media, and other interested individuals or organizations. Properly conducted internal investigations can be a vital tool to evaluate, assess, and respond to issues of concern. Sometimes it may be appropriate for a Head Start program to investigate a matter with internal resources and other situations may call for the agency to hire outside services to ensure objective evaluation by professionals who hold no stake in the issues at hand.

Join us on this webinar where we will discuss when it is appropriate for your organization to launch an internal investigation, how to promote fairness, transparency, and accountability, and how to process findings and implement recommendations. We will also discuss best practices in conducting interviews, reviewing documents, reporting findings, addressing remedial measures or seeking outside help.

The on-demand version of this webinar will be available for purchase one week after the conclusion of the live webinar. 

Target Audience

  • Executive Directors
  • Head Start Directors
  • Senior Management
  • Compliance Officers
  • Compliance Committee members
  • Board of Directors

Learning Objectives

After this webinar, you will be able to:

  • Articulate the who, what, why, when and how of internal investigations
  • Identify factors to consider before deciding to begin an internal investigation
  • Discuss the significance and challenges of making disclosures, including important legal considerations
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.25 Certificate of Attendance
  • 1.50 CPE
Course opens: 
10/27/2025
Course expires: 
06/14/2026
Event starts: 
05/13/2026 - 1:00pm EDT
Event ends: 
05/13/2026 - 2:15pm EDT
Cost:
$185.00
Add to calendar: 

Ted Waters

Serving as Managing Partner of the firm and a member of the Health Care and Federal Grants practice groups, Ted is a national authority in the area of federal grants, particularly in the health and community service spheres. He advises clients on all aspects of program requirements, including issues such as cost-based reimbursement, governance and the never-ending list of grant administration matters. Ted’s experience in financial, cost reporting, reimbursement, and administrative issues is widely recognized and he routinely handles government audits, internal investigations, and litigation. [Full Bio]

Participants can earn up to 1.50 CPE credits in Specialized Knowledge and Applications upon completion of all course requirements.

ATTENDEE REQUIREMENTS FOR CPE CREDIT

If you purchase CPE credit for this webinar you must satisfy the following conditions in order to receive your certificate:

  1. Answer at least 5 of the polling questions during the webinar
  2. Complete the evaluation survey after the conclusion of the webinar or in the follow-up email

Upon completion of these requirements, we will email you your CPE Certificate within two (2) weeks.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  • Prerequisites: None 
  • Target Audience: Executive Directors, Head Start Directors, Senior Management, Compliance Officers, Compliance Committee members, Board of Directors
  • Advanced Preparation: None  
  • Program Level: All
  • Delivery Method: Group Internet Based

Feldesman LLP is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website www.nasbaregistry.org (formerly www.learningmarket.org).

Available Credit

  • 1.25 Certificate of Attendance
  • 1.50 CPE

Price

Cost:
$185.00
Please login or register to take this course.

Access to the recorded version of this webinar is included in your purchase.

You will have access to the recordings for 180 days after enrollment. Once posted to your account, you can view each webinar anytime on-demand during the access period identified in your purchase confirmation. For additional information on viewing and accessing webinars, view our full terms and conditions here.

Payment Policy

We accept the following forms of payment: American Express, Mastercard, Visa, ACH, PayPal, electronic check, and check. For information about the methods of payment we accept, please review our Payment FAQs. 

Refunds/Cancellations

Review our Cancellation Policies.

Required Hardware/Software

Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox are the preferred browsers.