	Child Protective Services

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

PA-CPS 4: Screening

Child abuse and neglect reports are screened promptly.

NA The agency only provides Child Protective Case Management Services.

PA-CPS 4.01

The agency maintains a well-publicized, 24-hour access line to receive reports of suspected abuse and neglect.

Interpretation: The agency must keep the community informed about how to report suspected abuse and neglect, including in jurisdictions where police have the initial responsibility to respond to reports. When screening is conducted by another organization, the child protective service program provides appropriate follow-up. When multiple access numbers are used the agency provides a clear description of the appropriate means of reporting.

PA-CPS 4.02

Reporters of abuse and neglect are informed about:

the agency's responsibilities, including protection of the reporter’s identity;
the screening and investigation process and any ongoing role of the reporter; and
the result of the screening or investigation, unless prohibited by law or court order.

Interpretation: The agency should clarify if the reporter can have any possible ongoing role in the screening or investigation process.

PA-CPS 4.03

The agency identifies Indian children during screening and collaborates with the tribe or Indian organization to:

determine the applicability of, and ensure compliance with, the Indian Child Welfare Act;
determine jurisdiction;
assess the child's needs;
provide the family with information regarding their rights under the Indian Child Welfare Act;
determine the most appropriate plan for the child; and
maintain connections between the child and his or her tribe.

Interpretation: If the tribe is unknown, the agency should document efforts to identify the tribe and notify the regional office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Interpretation: The agency should have established procedures for identifying Indian children that do not depend on the child’s physical appearance.

Interpretation: Notification procedures must meet the requirements specified in the Indian Child Welfare Act and the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act.

Note: Evidence of tribal participation should be documented in the case record.

Research Note: The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) authorizes states and federally recognized tribes to enter into agreements governing the care and custody of Indian children and jurisdiction over child custody proceedings. Agencies should refer to tribal-state agreements and ICWA to determine what role each party should play in cases involving Indian children, and to ensure compliance with all relevant legal requirements.

PA-CPS 4.04

Standardized decision-making criteria are used, in consultation with supervisory personnel, to determine if the report meets statutory and agency criteria, and if the case will be:

screened out;
referred for alternative response services;
investigated; and/or
reported to other authorities.

Interpretation: Decision-making criteria should specify critical indicators or risk factors and the appropriate level of response. The agency should define factors that are inappropriate for use in decision-making and monitor decisions through supervision or performance and quality improvement efforts.

Research Note: Literature has identified factors that can impact decision-making including: cultural competence of staff, caseload size, availability of resources, source of the referral, characteristics of the child and family such as ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, and age.

PA-CPS 4.05

Cases are assigned for investigation, referred, or screened out, within 24 hours.

Interpretation: The agency should ensure it has appropriate staffing or an alternative provider to meet these timeframes.

QUICK JUMP TO


	PURPOSE: Child Protective Services protect children from abuse and neglect and increase child well-being and family stability.

RELATED FILES


	SERVICE One or more organization-operated programs or activities that have a common general objective and deploy the organization's material and human resources in a planned and systematic manner. An organization that publicly promotes or identifies itself in writing as offering a service, is licensed to deliver a service, assigns personnel and/or space to a service, or allocates financial resources to a service is considered to offer that service.


	FAMILY Two or more people who consider themselves family and who assume obligations, functions, and responsibilities generally essential to healthy family life. Child care and child socialization, income support, long-term care, and other caregiving are among the functions of family life. The definition of "family" will rest with an individual's indication of who plays a family member role, including current or former foster family, adoptive family, extended family members, fictive kin, or significant others. Organizations that believe family is the central constellation in a child's life, and that family attachments are of primary importance for human development, will strive to work with professional staff to develop a common understanding of "family."


	CASE A general term used to designate clients (including individuals, families, and groups) served by an organization for purposes of monitoring the provision of services. A foster care case is generally based on the placement of an individual child, although casework for the child may include services to the child's family. A child protective services case is based on an entire family household if a family assessment model is used; otherwise a case is defined as a child.


	COMMUNITY A specific group of people living in the same locality and who may share a common culture, values, and norms. Communities can also be defined by race, religion, ethnicity, age, occupation, political status, tribal affiliation, interest in particular problems or outcomes, or other common bonds. The term "community" encompasses worksites, schools, tribes, residential neighborhoods, business districts, recreational areas, and health and human service sites.


	PROGRAM A system of services offered by an organization. For example, an organization providing a mental health service may offer several mental health programs to different populations, e.g., a mental health program for adolescent teens. The word "program" can be used interchangeably with the word "service" or to describe specific programs.


	INDIAN ORGANIZATION As defined in ICWA, "Any group, association, partnership, cooperation, or other legal entity owned or controlled by Indians, or a majority of whose members are Indians."


	INDIAN CHILD As defined in the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), "Any unmarried person who is under age eighteen and is either (a) a member of an Indian tribe or (b) eligible for membership in an Indian tribe and is the biological child of a member of an Indian tribe." For purposes of compliance with ICWA, the definition provided in the Act shall apply. For purposes of access to services and resources, other more inclusive definitions may apply (e.g. Indian Education Act, tribal definitions, etc.).


	PREVENTION Actions taken to minimize and/or eliminate social, psychological, or other conditions. Prevention can occur at the individual, group, community, and societal levels and enhances opportunities to achieve positive fulfillment.


	CASE RECORD A written compilation that describes the client and the services delivered. Records can be in hard copy and/or electronic format. The case record can be used as a source of information for quality improvement or other evaluation activities, for research purposes, or to demonstrate accountability to funding bodies.


	CUSTODY The care, control, and maintenance of a child. The court legally can award custody to an agency in abuse and neglect cases or to parents in divorce, separation, or adoption proceedings. Child welfare departments retain legal custody and control of major decisions for a child in foster care; foster parents do not have legal custody of the children for which they provide care.


	MANAGEMENT See ADMINISTRATION


	CRITERIA Systematically developed, objective, and quantifiable statements used to assess the appropriateness of specific decisions, services, and outcomes.


	INDICATOR A described activity, event, outcome, or benchmark used for measurement in monitoring the quality and outcome(s) of service.


	SUPERVISION Assumption of responsibility for directly overseeing and evaluating the work or work products of personnel within an organization. Also includes inspecting the act or process of accomplishing a function or activity.


	PERSONNEL The body of employees and/or volunteers that carries out the organization's tasks under the organization's administration and/or supervision. This definition does not include foster parents who are specifically referenced in relevant standards


	PERFORMANCE A measure of how well an organizational system provides services to consumers. Performance is often based on key indicators, such as rates of service, cost per consumer, degree of satisfaction with services, and extent of consumer access to services.


	QUALITY In this context, the extent to which contemporary and generally recognized standards for professional practice are met and exceeded, and desirable service outcomes achieved.


	CULTURAL COMPETENCE The degree to which an organization modifies or tailors the system of service delivery to the ethnic, racial, cultural, religious, and national diversity in its service population. Such tailoring includes personnel selection, training and development; assessment; service planning and implementation; and program evaluation and consumer care monitoring. Sometimes referred to as "cultural sensitivity" or "cultural responsiveness." See also SERVICE POPULATION and DEFINED COMMUNITY.


	CASELOAD The aggregate number of clients and/or consumers of service (including individuals, families, and groups) for whom a given employee is responsible. See also WORKLOAD


	ETHNICITY An orientation toward and identification with a population group that shares national origin, religion, race, or language.