Assign an immediate to 24 hour response time to reports alleging abuse or neglect to a child in the legal custody of DFCS

							Child Protective Services: Special Investigations

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2106.16 Intake Procedures for Reports of Abuse and Neglect in
        Private Agency and State Operated Homes
Requirement

•   Screen all reports of child abuse and neglect in private agency and state
    operated homes to determine if the allegations meet CPS criteria for
    investigation.

•   Question reporters about the legal status of children in the home to determine
    legal responsibility in the event the children's removal from the home is
    necessary.

•   The county director/designee verbally notifies the RFPS or the RD if the
    investigator is unavailable, at the time of a report of a serious injury or death
    of a child, known to DFCS, in a private agency or state operated home. (See
    2108.2)

•   Open reports meeting CPS criteria for investigation.

• Assess reports of the serious injury or death of a child in the legal custody
  of DFCS/DHR, placed in a private agency or state operated home by:
 Screening out and referring reports where maltreatment is not suspected and
  the death was anticipated or expected and is medically documented in the
  case file to the RFPS for an evaluation (See 2108.3), or
 Opening all other reports for investigation.

•   Calculate response times according to CPS policies and procedures. Assign
    an immediate to 24-hour response time to reports alleging abuse or neglect to
    a child in the legal custody of DFCS/DHR.

• Notify the agency with oversight responsibility for the home of receipt of the
  report and determine if a joint investigation will be conducted. Contact:
 ORS if the report involves a private agency home.
 The Regional Mental Health Advocate if the report involves a MH/MR/SA
  home or a home under their contract.
 DJJ if the report involves a home under their contract.

•   Notify the director of the private agency/state operated home of receipt of the
    CPS report.




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Child Protective Services: Special Investigations

•   Complete and forward the Child Death/Serious Injury Report to the
    Program Planning & Policy Development Unit and the RFPS by the close of
    business on the day the county is notified of the serious injury or death of a
    child known to DFCS. (See 2108.2 and 2110.)

•   Screen out reports that do not meet the criteria for a CPS investigation.

•   Forward all reports alleging child abuse and neglect to law enforcement.

Procedures/Practice Issues

The Reports of serious injury or death of a child in the legal custody of
DFCS/DHR warrants the highest response priority by the Division. These reports
are discussed by the county director/designee and the RFPS/RD to determine
the level of response by the RFPS.

The RFPS, based on the allegations in the report, the needs of the county,
and their availability may:

•   Assume primary responsibility for the CPS investigation,

•   Assist the county with any part of the investigation that is mutually agreed
    upon by the county director/designee and the RFPS /RD,

•   Consult with the county on the investigation, or

•   If maltreatment is not suspected or if the death was anticipated/expected and
    is medical documentation to that effect is in the case file, then conduct an
    evaluation of the circumstances of the death of the child in the DFCS custody,
    rather than a CPS investigation.

The county where the private agency or state operated home is located has
primary responsibility for coordinating and managing the CPS investigation until
case disposition. That county will request assistance from other county DFCS
offices, as needed, to interview children or other witnesses residing in another
county or state. A county receiving a request to conduct interviews of witnesses
will conduct the interviews and forward documentation of the interviews to the
requesting county within the time frames agreed upon by the counties involved.

Notification of the agency with oversight responsibility for the home allows the
agency to evaluate and assess the report for possible violations of policy or
licensing infractions even though the report may be screened out for a CPS
investigation.



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Child Protective Services: Special Investigations

If the report is accepted for investigation, the RFPS/CPS case manager will
discuss the allegations with the representative for the agency with oversight
responsibility to determine if a joint investigation will be conducted. In joint
investigations, the CPS investigator focuses on investigating abuse and neglect,
while the agency with oversight responsibility evaluates policy and licensing
issues.

Assigned response times must be met whether a joint investigation is conducted
or not.

The RFPS/CPS case manager determines, in coordination with the agency
having oversight responsibility for the home, when notification of the director of
the private agency or state operated home will occur. Placement and adoption
staff may participate in this decision if time permits.

The county director/designee will immediately notify the Adoption Exchange,
State Adoption Unit, in the event a CPS report is received on a family in the
adoptive process (when a child in the home has a permanency goal of adoption)
but prior to finalization.

CPS reports received on private agency homes with a child in the adoptive
process require attempts DFCS to delay adoption finalization proceedings until
permission to proceed is granted from the DFCS Social Services Section Director
and the State Adoption Unit. If the Affidavit of Release and Consent has been
requested or sent to the family's attorney, the county director or designee
immediately notifies the S.A.A.G. and family's attorney to delay the finalization
process until the CPS investigation is completed and approval to proceed with
adoption finalization is secured from the Social Services Section Director.
(Adoptions Manual Section 107.6.)

Forward screened-out reports to the agency having oversight responsibility for
the home.

(See Section 2103, for CPS intake requirements and procedures.)




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