	Child Protective Services

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

PA-CPS 5: Investigation

Information is gathered in a timely and efficient manner to make a disposition and determine if additional services are needed to keep children safe.

Interpretation: The agency should refer to tribal-state agreements, the Indian Child Welfare Act, and the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act to determine investigative roles and responsibilities, and to ensure the investigation complies with all necessary legal requirements.

NA The agency does not conduct investigations.

PA-CPS 5.01

Every child determined during screening to be in imminent danger is seen immediately, and in all other cases children are seen within a timeframe that ensures their safety.

Interpretation: Generally, in all other cases an initial visit occurs within 72 hours. Timely visits following screening should take into account such key variables as: the agency's definition of imminent danger (how broad or narrow); the risk assessment used to determine type of services needed; how risk assessment information is used as a basis for setting timeframes; supervisory review and support for decision making and follow-up; percentage of children who receive an initial visit after 72 hours and after a period of time that exceeds any state requirement, and type of allegations for these children; and how the program conducts formal administrative or PQI reviews of repeat maltreatment cases, including overall safety and fatality data.

Interpretation: In some cases, authority to make an initial in-person visit may be delegated to other professionals, such as law enforcement officials. When contact is delegated child protection personnel provide appropriate follow-up.

PA-CPS 5.02

At the first meeting, parents are informed of:

their rights and responsibilities;
the allegations under investigation; and
the process that will be followed to investigate the report.

Interpretation: Information about rights and responsibilities is provided in writing, and includes information regarding the Indian Child Welfare Act and its potential applicability.

PA-CPS 5.03

The investigation process minimizes duplication of effort and, thereby, reduces trauma to the child and family.

Interpretation: The presence of the alleged perpetrator can be traumatizing and can compromise the interview. Some communities provide joint investigations with law enforcement and child protection workers or delegate responsibilities and share information. In such cases, roles and responsibilities are clearly defined.

PA-CPS 5.04

The investigator visits the home at least once during the investigation, and conducts interviews with the reporter, other service providers, and all family members, including extended family as appropriate.

Interpretation: When the alleged abuse or neglect occurs outside the home, the investigator visits that location during the investigation.

PA-CPS 5.05

The investigator conducts a comprehensive, culturally-relevant evaluation of risk and protective factors that include:

child safety;
family strengths and needs;
history and impact of prior child abuse or neglect, domestic violence, or substance use; and
family connections.

Research Note: While evidence on the effectiveness of risk and safety assessment tools is still emerging, some literature and research suggests that consensus-based, actuarial, and combined models and instruments can improve the consistency and accuracy of decision making.

Research Note: Research has identified child and family characteristics associated with repeat maltreatment, including: age; type of maltreatment; experiencing multiple types of maltreatment; severity of maltreatment; prior history of maltreatment; and substance use, domestic violence, lack of social support, or stress; low motivation or cooperation; and income. Additionally, research suggests that repeat maltreatment often occurs soon after the first reported incident of maltreatment.

PA-CPS 5.06

When there are concerns about a child’s safety, the agency immediately initiates a safety plan, and when there are unmet basic needs, the agency immediately obtains resources or services.

Interpretation: Basic needs can include food, clothing, and shelter. When the case involves an Indian child, resources available through the tribe or local Indian organization should be considered.

PA-CPS 5.07

The investigation is completed within 30 days, and a determination is made to:

close the case;
close and refer the case to community providers; or
open the case for ongoing protective services.

Interpretation: Although many circumstances and events can delay the completion of an investigation, efforts are made to complete investigations in a timely manner. Some agencies combine investigation and assessment and allow longer timeframes for completion. In such cases, the agency should specify which components of the investigation are to be completed within 30 days.

Interpretation: Collaborative efforts with families are initiated before cases are closed to determine needs and identify community resources.

Interpretation: When the case involves an Indian child, services offered by the tribe or local Indian organization should be considered when closing and referring the case to community providers.

PA-CPS 5.08

When a case is opened, the agency provides or recommends the most beneficial and least intrusive service that maintains a child’s safety.

Interpretation: Reasonable efforts are made to preserve families whenever possible and appropriate. Services can include, and are not limited to: Child Protective Case Management, Family Preservation and Stabilization, and out-of-home care services.

Research Note: The Indian Child Welfare act outlines miminum federal requirements, called active efforts, to prevent unnecessary removal of Indian children from their homes. The act requires that the agency be able to demonostrate that active efforts were made to preserve families. The difference between reasonable and active efforts is not explicitly defined in the Act but it is generally accepted that active efforts require full engagement with the family, the provision of more intensive remedial and rehabilitative services, and that the caseworker actively assists the family in accessing necessary services from outside resources. Early consultation with the child’s tribe is critical to ensuring that a full range of resources have been made available to the family and that active effort requirements are fulfilled.

Research Note: One study suggests that severity of maltreatment and risk of repeat maltreatment are critical factors to be considered when making decisions about service delivery.

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	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."


	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 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.


	ASSESSMENT An evaluation, which utilizes professional expertise and skills in the collection and analysis of data to understand and describe the nature of service needs of an individual, family, or group. Assessment, as in needs assessment, is also used to determine priorities of program planning and service development for the organization as a whole. See also DIAGNOSIS.


	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.


	PARENTS Parents can include: birth, foster, kinship, and adoptive parents. Please see service standards for more specific information about use of this term.


	EVALUATION The review and assessment of organizational operations, programs and services.


	RESEARCH For purposes of COA accreditation, all forms of internal or external research involving persons served except internal program evaluation and outcomes research, or educational projects performed by students and interns that are part of their professional training.


	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."


	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.


	MANAGEMENT See ADMINISTRATION


	OUT-OF-HOME CARE Services for persons living in environments outside of their usual households. Foster Care Services are considered to serve persons in out-of-home care.