3000 Intake and Screening

3100 Definitions for Child Care Investigations

3130 Allegations of Child Trafficking (Sex and Labor Trafficking)

CCI May 2022

CCI investigates allegations of child trafficking when an employee, volunteer, or other person working under the auspices of a licensed or unlicensed child care operation does either of the following:

Knowingly causes, permits, encourages, engages in, or allows a child to be trafficked.
Fails to make a reasonable effort to prevent a child from being trafficked.

Texas Family Code §261.001(1)(G) and (L)

When Allegations Are Outside CCI Jurisdiction

If the investigator becomes aware or suspects that a child in the care of a child care operation is a victim of child trafficking, but the alleged perpetrator is not a person working under the auspices of the child care operation, the investigator does all of the following:

Contacts Special Investigations for assistance for the duration of the investigation. Special Investigations notifies law enforcement within 24 hours after DFPS determined, or began to suspect, the child’s victimization.
Notifies the agency that has investigative jurisdiction. See 1151 Referring Additional Allegations to Appropriate Agencies During an Ongoing Investigation.
Answers Yes to the appropriate question or questions in the Child Sex/Labor Trafficking Questions section of the Investigation Conclusion page in IMPACT.
Completes documentation and referral. See 3133 Confirmed and Suspected Victims of Child Sex or Labor Trafficking.

3131 Informing Special Investigations of Child Sex or Labor Trafficking

CCI January 2021

After receiving a report of child sex or labor trafficking the investigator must immediately do the following:

Send an email to the regional special investigator mailbox or notify the special investigator program director.
Assign the SI secondary on the case to work a joint investigation. The SI will complete notification to local law enforcement.
Contact the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) to jointly determine whether a multidisciplinary team (MDT) response is needed based on local protocol, and whether a forensic interview of the child is appropriate. See 4422.2 Contacting a Children’s Advocacy Center About Certain Allegations.
Contact the child’s caseworker, if the child is in the conservatorship of DFPS.

3132 Informing Law Enforcement of Child Sex or Labor Trafficking

CCI January 2021

When child sex or labor trafficking is alleged or suspected, the investigator must contact CPI Special Investigations immediately to request a joint investigation.

The SI must notify law enforcement no later than 24 hours after the investigator has determined an incident of child sex or labor trafficking may have occurred. Law enforcement does the following:

Determines whether to participate in the joint investigation with CCI and SI or to coordinate a new or ongoing criminal investigation with the CCI investigation.
Ensures worker and victim safety, as necessary.

3133 Confirmed and Suspected Victims of Child Sex or Labor Trafficking

CCI January 2021

When a child in an open investigation is identified as a victim or suspected victim of trafficking, the investigator must do the following:

Document the child’s trafficking victimization status in IMPACT.
Refer to appropriate services as needed.

Determining Whether a Trafficking Event Is Suspected-Unconfirmed or Confirmed

A trafficking event is Suspected-Unconfirmed when specific information regarding the child and the surrounding circumstances creates a reasonable belief the child has been trafficked.

A trafficking event is Confirmed when evidence supports the conclusion the child has been trafficked. Note: The supporting evidence must be more than just an allegation or suspicion but does not have to be a direct outcry from the child.

Documenting a Trafficking Event in IMPACT

When a child is Suspected-Unconfirmed or Confirmed to be a victim of sex or labor trafficking, the investigator must enter a trafficking event in IMPACT on the Tracking Detail page within 48 hours of suspecting or confirming the child’s victim status.

The investigator must add each Suspected-Unconfirmed or Confirmed sex or labor trafficking event into IMPACT as a trafficking event on the Trafficking Detail page.

Each trafficking event should only have one entry on the Trafficking Detail page. If a Suspected-Unconfirmed event is later confirmed, that event would have both a Suspected-Unconfirmed and a Confirmed event listed.

Corresponding Dispositions with Suspected-Unconfirmed or Confirmed Victims of Trafficking

If a sex or labor trafficking allegation results in a disposition of Reason to Believe or Unable to Determine,there must be a corresponding trafficking event entered into IMPACT on the Trafficking Detail page.

Trafficking events may be entered into IMPACT on the Trafficking Detail page without a corresponding allegation if the sex or labor trafficking allegation is investigated by a different agency or DFPS program.

Referral to Services for Child Sex or Labor Trafficking

When a child in an open investigation has been identified as a Confirmed or Suspected-Unconfirmed victim of trafficking, the investigator must refer the child to appropriate services, as available on the Human Trafficking Resources page of the DFPS website. The caseworker documents the referrals in a contact in IMPACT.

Notifying the Caseworker of a Child in DFPS Conservatorship

The investigator notifies a child’s caseworker when both of the following are true:

Child in an open investigation has been identified as a Confirmed or Suspected-Unconfirmed victim of trafficking
Investigator has determined that the child is in the conservatorship of DFPS.

The child’s caseworker determines appropriate resources for referral.

3140 Allegations Involving Child Sexual Aggression or Child-on-Child Physical Abuse

CCI August 2020

If a report involves an allegation of child sexual aggression or child-on-child physical abuse, the investigator evaluates the caregiver’s role and may determine that the abuse is the result of either of the following:

Neglectful supervision on the part of the caregiver.
Failure to prevent abuse by another person.

In these situations, the caregiver is given the role of Designated Perpetrator on the Allegation Detail page in IMPACT. A child in the care of an operation subject to regulation is never designated as a perpetrator of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

CCI staff may determine that child-on-child physical abuse occurred if a child caused, by act or omission, another child in the care of an operation to sustain a physical injury resulting in substantial harm.

If CCI staff suspect that child sexual aggression occurred, after determining that sexual conduct harmful to a child’s mental, emotional, or physical welfare occurred and may have been caused by another child, CCI consults with the staff identified below, depending on whether the children involved are in DFPS conservatorship.

Child Sexual Aggression Involving a Child in DFPS Conservatorship

If the allegations involve an incident of child sexual aggression by a child currently in DFPS conservatorship, both Child Care Investigations (CCI) and Child Protective Services (CPS) must jointly staff the investigation to determine whether the child’s behavior meets the definition of sexually aggressive behavior.

CCI staff are responsible for the following:

The investigator or supervisor first notifies the CCI program administrator, who determines whether the incident meets the definition of sexually aggressive behavior.
Then, the CCI program administrator confers with the conservatorship (CVS) program administrator to reach a consensus about whether the definition of sexually aggressive behavior was met.
If the CCI program administrator and the CVS program administrator do not agree on whether the incident meets the definition of sexually aggressive behavior, the CCI program administrator must elevate the decision to the CCI division administrator.
The CCI division administrator reviews the incident with the CPS regional director to determine whether the definition of sexually aggressive behavior was met.
If the CCI division administrator and the CPS regional director do not agree, the decision is then elevated to the CCI director and CPS director of field.

At any time that CCI staff require a safety plan, the contents of the safety plan must be shared with the CVS caseworker.

Child Sexual Aggression Involving a Child Not in DFPS Conservatorship

If the allegations involve an incident of child sexual aggression by a child not currently in DFPS conservatorship, the investigator or supervisor staffs the determination with the program administrator. The program administrator determines whether the Child Sexual Aggression checkbox in CLASS must be selected.

See:

Definitions of Terms, child sexual aggression

2244.4 Investigation Findings

3332.1 Selecting Allegations of Violations in CLASS

2132 Special Notifications for Investigations Involving Children in DFPS Conservatorship

2244.41 Findings Involving Child Sexual Aggression

3141 Documenting Child Sexual Aggression Determinations for a Child in DFPS Conservatorship

CCI March 2021

When CCI and CPS jointly staff an investigation to determine whether the behavior of a child currently in DFPS conservatorship meets the definition of sexually aggressive behavior, the investigator documents the staffing in the IMPACT CCI record.

The investigator documents the staffing in IMPACT with the CSA Staffing label in the Contact/Summary Type drop-down menu. The date and time of the contact must match the date and time of the staffing.

3200 Types of Intake Reports

3210 Merging Investigations about the Same Allegations

CCI November 2020

If DFPS receives multiple intake reports for the same allegations, CCI may investigate them as one investigation when all of the following criteria apply:

The intake reports are about the same incident or incidents.
The intake reports involve the same alleged perpetrator and alleged victim.
The new intake report does not include new allegations or identify new alleged perpetrators or alleged victims.
An investigation is currently open.

When a new investigation is merged into an existing investigation, the investigator must complete a new face-to-face contact with each alleged victim to confirm the child’s safety and to ensure that all reported allegations have been addressed. The required time frame for this face-to-face contact is as follows:

Within 24 hours from the date and time of the new intake report if the investigation is a Priority 1.
Within 72 hours from the date and time of the new intake report if the investigation is a Priority 2.

Texas Human Resources Code §42.042(c)

3211 Merging and Linking Investigations in IMPACT and CLASS

CCI November 2020

In order for CCI to investigate multiple intake reports as one investigation, the investigations must be merged in IMPACT and linked in CLASS.

If DFPS receives an Information and Referral (I&R) related to an investigation, an associated CLASS intake report is automatically created in CLASS. The associated CLASS intake report is then automatically linked to the investigation in CLASS. The investigator, supervisor, or designee closes the I&R in IMPACT.

Once an investigation is closed, no merge actions may be performed. A closed investigation cannot be merged with an open investigation or with another closed investigation.

3220 Repeated Reports with No New Allegations

CCI October 2020

A repeated report is an intake report that meets both of the following criteria:

It contains allegations that have previously been investigated.
It does not contain new allegations that have not previously been reported or investigated.

If a repeated report is received, the investigator consults with the supervisor to determine which of the following actions the investigator should take:

If the new reporter is the same as the original reporter, the investigator contacts the reporter to obtain information about his or her previous report and explores the reporter’s reason for calling again.
If the new reporter is a different person, the investigator contacts the new reporter and explains that the allegation has previously been reported and investigated.

If the investigator determines that there are no new allegations, the investigator does both of the following:

Consults with the supervisor to confirm a disposition of Administrative Closure.
Submits the investigation to the supervisor for approval.

3230 Reports of Incidents That Occurred in the Past

CCI October 2020

If the supervisor or designee receives information about an incident that happened in the past, the supervisor or designee gathers as much information as possible.

The supervisor or designee considers the following questions:

How long ago did the incident occur?
What motivated the reporter to report now?
Are current staff at the operation the same staff who were present at the time of the incident?
Is the child who was involved in the incident still being cared for at the operation?
Did other people witness the incident?
Is other information or evidence (such as photographs) available to help determine whether the abuse, neglect, or exploitation occurred?
Is there a current risk to other children in care of the operation?
Were there any subsequent problems?

If the intake report is about a residential child care operation, and there are allegations that CCI did not previously investigate, the report must be sent to the field for investigation.

3240 Incidents Reported by an Operation, Known as Self-Reports

CCI December 2012

Policy

An intake report is identified as a Self Report if the director, administrator, or other representative of the operation reports an incident that occurred at the operation.

The Licensing staff who processes the intake report must identify the report as a Self Report in CLASS to ensure that the intake report is identified as a Self Report on the DFPS website.

Procedure

In CLASS the staff identifies an intake report as a self-report by checking the Self Report checkbox on:

• the Intake Report page; and

• the Investigation Main page.

3250 Reports Requiring Special Handling

CCI December 2012

Policy

The following checkboxes must be selected either in the intake report or in the investigation in IMPACT and CLASS, as appropriate:

a. Sensitive

b. Media Attention

c. Disaster Relief

d. H1N1

3251 Processing Sensitive Intake Reports

CCI December 2012

Policy

An intake report or investigation is considered sensitive when:

a. A DFPS employee, volunteer, or intern is:

• the alleged victim or alleged perpetrator, or

• a spouse, significant other, relative, or household member of the alleged victim or alleged perpetrator.

b. A non-DFPS employee housed in the same office as DFPS staff is the alleged victim or alleged perpetrator;

c. The alleged victim or alleged perpetrator is a high profile individual such as a judge, legislator, or district attorney;

d. The situation has significant media interest or coverage;

e. Personal or family issues involving a DFPS employee are reported that do not involve abuse or neglect; or

f. Work-related issues or a breach of confidentiality by a DFPS employee are reported.

When the Sensitive checkbox in IMPACT is checked, only the following persons may review the investigation in IMPACT:

a. The assigned investigator

b. The supervisor and above

c. Anyone designated by a DFPS employee in one of the positions mentioned in this list

d. Any DFPS employee with designated security clearance to view sensitive cases

Processing Sensitive Intake Reports in IMPACT

Procedure

A report of abuse or neglect can be identified as a sensitive report either in the Intake stage or the Investigation stage in IMPACT. If the SWI staff that processes the report of abuse or neglect is aware of the sensitive information at the time the intake is being recorded, the SWI staff is responsible for selecting the Sensitive Case checkbox in the intake report.

If the Sensitive Case checkbox is not selected in the intake report and the investigator becomes aware that the report contains sensitive information, the investigator may identify the investigation as sensitive either in the Intake stage or in the Investigation stage by:

• selecting the Sensitive Case checkbox on the Case Summary page in IMPACT; and

• documenting the reason why the investigation is marked sensitive in the Comments field.

SWI staff may also identify an I&R as containing sensitive information by selecting the Sensitive Case checkbox in the I&R.

Processing Sensitive Intake Reports in CLASS

Procedure

Either a report of abuse or neglect or a report of violations of statute, administrative rules, or minimum standards may be identified as containing sensitive allegations in CLASS. If the SWI staff selects the Sensitive Case checkbox in the intake report or I&R in IMPACT, the Sensitive checkbox is automatically checked in the Intake Report in CLASS.

If the SWI staff did not select the Sensitive Case checkbox in IMPACT, the investigator may identify the report in CLASS as sensitive by selecting the Sensitive checkbox in the Intake Report or on the Investigation Main page in CLASS, depending on when the investigator becomes aware of the sensitive information.

3252 Processing Intake Reports Receiving Media Attention

CCI December 2012

Policy

The Media Attention checkbox is used to indicate when an investigation has received or may receive attention from the media.

Processing Intake Reports Receiving Media Attention in IMPACT

Procedure

A report of abuse or neglect that receives media attention is identified as a Sensitive Case in IMPACT in order to restrict the number of people who can access the investigation. Investigations receiving media attention can be identified as a Sensitive Case either in the Intake stage or the Investigation stage in IMPACT. If the SWI staff that processes the report of abuse or neglect is aware that the allegations have received media attention at the time the intake is being recorded, the SWI staff is responsible for selecting the Sensitive Case checkbox in the intake report.

If the Sensitive Case checkbox is not selected in the intake report and the investigator becomes aware that the report has received or may receive media attention, the investigator may identify the investigation as sensitive either in the Intake stage or in the Investigation stage by:

• selecting the Sensitive Case checkbox on the Case Summary page in IMPACT; and

• documenting the reason why the investigation is marked sensitive in the Comments field.

SWI staff may also identify an I&R as receiving media attention by selecting the Sensitive Case checkbox in the I&R.

Processing Intake Reports Receiving Media Attention in CLASS

Procedure

Either a report of abuse or neglect or a report of non abuse or neglect may be identified as containing allegations receiving media attention in CLASS. The investigator may identify that the report has received or may receive media attention by selecting the Media Attention checkbox on the Intake Report or on the Investigation Main page in CLASS, depending on when the investigator becomes aware of the media attention.

3253 Processing Intake Reports Involving Disaster Relief

CCI December 2012

Policy

The Disaster Relief indicators are used to identify intake reports or investigations involving a disaster, such as a hurricane or other natural disaster.

Processing Intake Reports Involving Disaster Relief in IMPACT

Procedure

SWI staff is responsible for identifying a report of abuse or neglect or a report of non abuse or neglect (an I&R) in IMPACT as involving a disaster by selecting the appropriate Disaster Relief option in the intake report or I&R.

If a report of abuse or neglect involves a disaster, the investigator selects the appropriate option from the Disaster Relief drop-down box on the Person Detail page (found under the Person tab in the Investigation stage in IMPACT) for each person involved in the disaster if SWI staff has not already made the designation in the intake report.

Processing Intake Reports Involving Disaster Relief in CLASS

Procedure

Either a report of abuse or neglect or a report of non abuse or neglect may be identified as involving a disaster in CLASS. Depending on when the investigator becomes aware that the intake report involves a disaster, the investigator completes the following fields on either the Intake Report page or the Investigation Main page in CLASS:

a. Disaster Relief checkbox

b. Disaster Type drop-down box

c. Disaster Name field

3254 Processing Intake Reports Involving H1N1

CCI December 2012

Policy

The H1N1 checkbox is used to indicate when an intake report contains information that either an employee of or a child in care of a child care operation has contracted the H1N1 virus.

Procedure

The Licensing staff may identify that the intake report involves the H1N1 virus by selecting the H1N1 checkbox on the Intake Report page or on the Investigation Main page in CLASS, depending on when the investigator becomes aware that the report involves the H1N1 virus. There is no H1N1 indicator in IMPACT.

Texas Human Resources Code §42.063

3300 Assessing and Processing Intake Reports

3310 Reports Received from Statewide Intake (SWI)

CCI October 2020

All reports of violations of law or administrative rules, or of possible abuse, neglect, or exploitation, must be both of the following:

Generated by DFPS Statewide Intake (SWI).
Entered into the IMPACT case management system.

Texas Human Resources Code §42.042(c)

Texas Family Code §261.101

Texas Family Code §261.103

DFPS Rules, 40 TAC §707.711

If a report alleges abuse, neglect, or exploitation, SWI staff do the following:

Process the report as an intake.
Prioritize the intake report as Priority 1 (P1) or Priority 2 (P2).
Route the intake report to the appropriate CCI routing coordinator.

CCI routing coordinators route the intake to the regional investigative unit or to CCL, as appropriate.

3311 SWI RCCI Screening Unit

CCI October 2020

After SWI receives an intake report and enters it into IMPACT, the SWI Residential Child Care Investigations (RCCI) Screening Unit completes an assessment. After the assessment, the intake report is assigned to a residential child care investigator for investigation.

The SWI RCCI Screening Unit reviews the intake report to confirm that it is appropriate for investigation by the residential branch of CCI. Assessments are conducted according to the policy of CCI and SWI, and statutory authority to investigate.

The SWI RCCI Screening Unit may do any or all of the following:

Determine that an intake report should be a higher or lower priority than that originally assessed by the intake specialist.
Conduct additional research in CLASS and IMPACT.
Make additional contacts to the reporter or professional collaterals.

3311.1 RCCI Intake Reports Determined Appropriate for Priority None (PN)

CCI October 2020

If SWI RCCI Screening Unit Identifies PN

Intake reports about residential child care operations may be reclassified to a Priority None (PN) for closure in IMPACT by the SWI RCCI Screening Unit only if one of the following situations applies:

The allegations in the intake report clearly reflect that another DFPS division, another state agency, or law enforcement has investigative jurisdiction. That is, the intake report is outside RCCI jurisdiction.
The allegations in the intake report have already been investigated in a closed investigation, and the intake report does not include new allegations. The intake involves the same incident that was previously investigated, with the same alleged victim and same alleged perpetrator.

If RCCI Identifies Possible PN

RCCI staff does not reclassify an intake report to a PN. If the RCCI investigator determines that an investigation meets one of the above criteria and is not appropriate for investigation by CCI, the investigator does one of the following:

If the investigator’s determination is based on information available in CLASS or IMPACT before conducting any investigation activities, the investigator consults with his or her supervisor. The supervisor consults with the SWI RCCI Screening supervisor, and if the SWI RCCI Screening supervisor agrees, the investigation is routed to the SWI RCCI Screening Unit for administrative closure. The SWI RCCI Screening Unit makes the final determination of whether the intake report requires investigation before RCCI gathers new information.
If the investigator’s determination is based on new information gathered while conducting the investigation, the investigator submits the investigation to his or her supervisor for approval for administrative closure.

3311.2 Contacting the SWI RCCI Screening Unit Outside Regular Business Hours

CCI October 2020

Priority 1 intake reports received after regular business hours are assigned to the on-call investigator after call-out notification.

If the on-call investigator reviews the information in the intake report and determines the intake report is not appropriate for investigation (see 3311.1 RCCI Intake Reports Determined Appropriate for Priority None (PN)), the investigator consults with the on-call supervisor. If the on-call supervisor agrees, the investigator contacts the on-call SWI RCCI screener.

If the SWI RCCI screener agrees, the investigator assigns the intake report to the SWI RCCI screener for reclassification to a PN.

If the SWI RCCI screener does not agree with the reclassification to a PN, the screener consults with the on-call SWI RCCI Screening supervisor for a final determination. The SWI RCCI Screening supervisor makes the final determination and contacts the on-call investigator and on-call RCCI supervisor to notify them of the decision. The on-call SWI RCCI Screening supervisor assigns the investigation to the on-call investigator.

3312 Intake Reports That Do Not Require Screening

CCI April 2021

Certain intake reports do not require screening by the SWI RCCI Screening Unit. These intake reports fall under either of the following criteria:

Intake reports regarding day care operations.
Intake reports assessed as a Priority 1 that have been received outside regular business hours.

CCI staff must ensure all of the following tasks, if applicable, are completed before an intake report is stage progressed to an investigation in IMPACT:

Notification to the caseworker of a child under DFPS conservatorship (see 2112 Notifications of Investigations Involving a Child in DFPS Conservatorship).
Notification to the Residential Contracts 24-Hour Awake Night Monitoring Unit mailbox if the intake report alleges the operation failed to provide 24-hour awake night supervision (see 1313.1 Twenty-Four-Hour Awake Night Supervision (Residential Child Care Only).

3320 Assessing an Intake Report for Type of Investigation and Priority

CCI December 2012

Policy

All intake reports require an evaluation to determine:

a. whether the information involves allegations of abuse or neglect;

b. whether the information involves possible violations of the statute, administrative rules, or minimum standards;

c. the immediate safety of children;

d. the degree of risk to children;

e. whether the operation is subject to a Licensing investigation; and

f. the appropriate Licensing priority.

3321 Assessing an Intake Report for Type of Investigation

CCI October 2020

The supervisor or designee assesses intake reports about day care operations to confirm whether each report should be investigated or closed without an investigation.

The SWI RCCI Screening Unit assesses intake reports about residential child care operations. The SWI RCCI Screening Unit makes the final determination on whether each of these reports should be investigated or closed without an investigation. See 3311.1 RCCI Intake Reports Determined Appropriate for Priority None (PN).

3321.1 Intake Reports to Be Investigated

CCI October 2020

The supervisor or designee determines that an intake report about a day care operation will be investigated if the intake report contains any of the following:

An allegation of abuse or neglect.
A child fatality.
An allegation of exploitation, depending on the nature and extent of the alleged exploitation.

Texas Family Code §261.401

3321.2 Intake Reports to Be Closed Without an Investigation

CCI October 2020

The supervisor or designee determines that an intake report about a day care operation will be closed without an investigation if the information in the report meets any of the following criteria:

Clearly reflects that there is no alleged abuse, neglect, or exploitation to investigate.
Clearly reflects that another DFPS division, another state agency, or law enforcement has investigative jurisdiction.
Has already been investigated in a closed investigation and does not include new allegations.

3322 Assessing an Intake Report for Priority

CCI August 2020

Each intake report that warrants an investigation must be assessed to determine the correct priority. This review must be completed quickly enough to meet requirements for time frames for initiating investigations.

All intake reports are assigned priorities based on the following factors:

The information available at the time of intake.
The presence of current threats to the child’s immediate safety.
The degree of harm the child has sustained or may sustain in the foreseeable future.
The allegation that presents the greatest risk to the child, if multiple allegations are reported.

A screener, supervisor, or designee reviews and assesses each intake report containing an allegation of abuse, neglect, or exploitation to assess the priority and may change the priority assigned by SWI, if necessary.

HHSC Rules, 1 TAC §351.503(b)(5)

DFPS Rules, 40 TAC §707.715

Prioritizing an Intake Report Involving an Illegal Operation

An intake report involving an operation that is operating without a permit is prioritized according to the same policies as an intake report involving an operation that is operating legally, if there are allegations of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

3322.1 Classifying an Intake Report as a Priority 1 Investigation

CCI August 2020

An abuse or neglect intake report is classified as a Priority 1 (P1) investigation in IMPACT and CLASS, if the report concerns either of the following:

The death of a child.
An immediate threat of serious physical or emotional harm or death of a child caused by abuse or neglect.

3322.2 Classifying an Intake Report as a Priority 2 Investigation

CCI August 2020

An abuse, neglect, or exploitation intake report is classified as a Priority 2 (P2) investigation in IMPACT and CLASS, if the report concerns an allegation of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, and either of the following applies:

The child is currently safe.
The child is not at immediate risk of serious physical or emotional harm as a result of the abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

3322.3 Selecting the Priority of an Intake Report in CLASS

CCI August 2020

The priority assigned to an abuse, neglect, or exploitation intake report in IMPACT automatically transfers to the IMPACT Priority field in the IMPACT Information section of the Intake Report in CLASS.

The screener, supervisor, or designee must select the correct CLASS priority from the drop-down list in the Priority section in the Intake Report. The priority assigned to a report of abuse, neglect, or exploitation in CLASS must be consistent with the IMPACT Priority.

The table below outlines the appropriate CLASS options to prioritize intake reports. Refer to the Definitions of Terms for:

Impairment
Serious harm
Serious incident
Serious injury
Substantial harm

Options for Intake Priority in CLASS	Explanation
Priority 1: Death of a child	A child dies while in the care of an operation that is subject to regulation.
Priority 1: Immediate danger of death	A child has been abused or neglected, and the abuse or neglect places the child or other children at immediate risk of death or substantial harm.
Priority 2: Abuse, neglect, or exploitation that does not indicate an immediate danger of death or serious injury	A child has been abused, neglected, or exploited while in the care of an operation that is subject to regulation, but the child and other children are currently safe from risk of death or substantial harm.

3330 Assessing an Intake Report for Allegation Types

CCI December 2012

An investigator, supervisor, or designee must review every intake report and determine the types of allegations to be investigated:

• For reports of abuse or neglect, staff review allegation types in both IMPACT and CLASS.

• For reports of non-abuse or neglect, staff review allegation types in CLASS only.

3331 IMPACT Allegation Types

CCI December 2012

Allegations of abuse or neglect entered in the Intake (INT) stage in IMPACT:

a. are entered by the SWI staff who records the intake report;

b. may not be deleted from IMPACT; and

c. will automatically transfer from the intake report in IMPACT to the intake report in CLASS.

Allegations of abuse or neglect entered in the Investigation (INV) stage in IMPACT:

a. are entered by the investigator;

b. may be edited until the investigation is closed in IMPACT; and

c. will automatically transfer from the INV stage in IMPACT to the Investigation Main page in CLASS.

Allegations of abuse or neglect on the Investigation Main page in CLASS:

a. are indicated by a checkmark to the left of the allegation type;

b. appear checked regardless if the allegation was entered in the INT stage or INV stage in IMPACT; and

c. are not editable in CLASS.

3331.1 Selecting Allegations of Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation in IMPACT

CCI May 2022

The table below lists the allegations of abuse, neglect, or exploitation that are available in IMPACT and explains where to find the definition of each.

IMPACT Category of Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation	Explanation
Physical Abuse	Allegation meeting the definition of physical abuse in 40 TAC §707.789
Emotional Abuse	Allegation meeting the definition of emotional abuse in 40 TAC §707.787
Sexual Abuse	Allegation meeting the definition of sexual abuse in 40 TAC §707.791
Physical Neglect	Allegation meeting the definition of neglect of the physical health of a child in the care of an operation subject to regulation, as established in 40 TAC §707.801
Medical Neglect	Allegation meeting the definition of neglect of the medical needs of a child in the care of an operation subject to regulation, as established in 40 TAC §707.801
Neglectful Supervision	Allegation meeting the definition of neglect of the supervision needs of a child in the care of an operation subject to regulation, as established in 40 TAC §707.801
Exploitation	Allegation meeting the definition of exploitation in 40 TAC §707.799
Labor Trafficking	Allegation meeting the definition of labor trafficking in 40 TAC §707.793
Sex Trafficking	Allegation meeting the definition of sex trafficking in 40 TAC §707.795

Texas Family Code §261.001

DFPS Rules, 40 TAC §§707.787-801

3332 CLASS Allegation Types

CCI August 2020

In CLASS, the investigator, screener, supervisor, or designee reviews each report of abuse, neglect, or exploitation and selects the appropriate allegation types on the Intake Report or Investigation Main page, depending on when staff become aware of the allegation.

3332.1 Selecting Allegations of Violations in CLASS

CCI August 2020

Regardless of the priority or whether an intake report is assigned for investigation, the Allegation Type checkboxes must accurately reflect the allegations in the intake report. If additional allegations arise during the investigation, any additional boxes related to those allegations should be checked on the Investigation Main page. The table below outlines the allegations of violations of minimum standards in CLASS:

Allegation Types in CLASS	Explanation
Standard/Law Violation	Allegation of a violation of a law, administrative rule, or minimum standard.
Illegal Operation	Allegation that care is being provided to children by an operation that does not have a permit, and the operation may be subject to regulation.
Suicide Attempt	Allegation that a child attempted suicide while in care of a residential operation.
Child Death	A child dies while in the care of an operation that is subject to regulation.
Serious Harm/Injury	Any physical injury to a child that requires medical treatment and resulted or may result in impairment to the child’s overall health or well-being.
Near Fatal	Near fatal injuries (previously known as critical injuries) are a subset of serious injuries in which the child would likely have died as a result of the injury or medical condition if the child had not gotten medical attention. In most circumstances, medical intervention includes admittance to an intensive care unit.
Child Arrest	A child in care of a residential operation is arrested.
Illness Requiring Hospitalization	A child in care of an operation has an illness requiring hospitalization.
Child Run Away	A child in care of a residential operation runs away from the residential operation.
Caregiver Drug Abuse	Allegation that a caregiver in a residential operation is abusing drugs.
Domestic Violence	Report from law enforcement that law enforcement responded to a domestic violence call at a foster home.
Endangering Person	Allegation that a sex offender’s address listed in the sex offender registry matches a child care operation’s address.
Child Sexual Aggression	Allegation of sexual behavior in which a child takes advantage of another person in a sexual way through seduction, coercion, or force. Must document the number of children involved.
Child-on-Child Physical Abuse	Allegation of child-to-child behavior that results in a child sustaining observable substantial harm requiring medical treatment. Must document the number of children involved.
Abuse/Neglect Physical Abuse	Allegation meeting the definition of physical abuse in 40 TAC §707.789.
Abuse/Neglect Emotional Abuse	Allegation meeting the definition of emotional abuse in 40 TAC §707.787
Abuse/Neglect Sexual Abuse	Allegation meeting the definition of sexual abuse in 40 TAC §707.791
Abuse/Neglect Physical Neglect	Allegation meeting the definition of neglect of physical health in 40 TAC 707.801
Abuse/Neglect Medical Neglect	Allegation meeting the definition of neglect of medical needs in 40 TAC 707.801
Abuse/Neglect Neglectful Supervision	Allegation meeting the definition of neglect of supervision needs in 40 TAC 707.801
Abuse/Neglect Exploitation	Allegation meeting the definition of exploitation in 40 TAC 707.799

3332.2 Allegation Involving a Child Under the Age of 6 (Child-Placing Agency Only)

CCI December 2012

For an abuse or neglect or non abuse or neglect investigation of an agency foster or group home, it is required that the investigator, supervisor, or designee indicate whether or not the report involves a child under the age of 6 by selecting the appropriate radio button on the Intake Report or Investigation Main page in CLASS.

Staff select Yes if a child is:

a. in care of the child-placing agency;

b. is directly involved in the incident or allegation being investigated; and

c. is younger than age 6.

Staff select No if a child is:

a. not in care of the child-placing agency (such as a biological child);

b. is not directly involved in the incident or allegation being investigated; or

c. is age 6 or older.

Human Resources Code §§42.044(2) and 42.044(3)

3340 Processing Intake Reports in IMPACT and CLASS

CCI August 2020

The screener, supervisor, or designee must process the intake report in IMPACT, CLASS, or both. Processing an intake report involves making the decision to investigate, downgrade, or close a report of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.

3341 Investigate, Downgrade, or Close an Intake Report

CCI August 2020

An intake report remains in the Intake (INT) stage in IMPACT until the screener, supervisor, or designee does one of the following:

Leaves the priority unchanged and assigns the intake report in IMPACT and the associated intake report in CLASS to an investigator as an investigation of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
Changes the priority from P1 to P2 or from P2 to P1 and assigns the intake report in IMPACT and the associated intake report in CLASS to an investigator as an investigation of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
Downgrades the priority to Priority None (PN) and refers the associated intake report in CLASS to the Child Care Licensing division of Texas Health and Human Services.
Downgrades the priority to Priority None (PN) and closes the intake report in IMPACT and the associated intake report in CLASS with no investigation.

3341.1 Changing the Priority of an Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation Intake Report

CCI August 2020

A screener, supervisor, or designee may change the priority of an intake report of abuse, neglect, or exploitation received by SWI if the screener, supervisor, or designee determines that the priority assessed by SWI is not the correct priority.

The screener, supervisor, or designee changes the priority and documents the reason for the change on the Priority Closure page under the Case Management tab in IMPACT.

Once the changes have been entered in IMPACT, the screener, supervisor, or designee must ensure that the IMPACT Priority also changes in the associated CLASS Intake Report in the IMPACT Information section.

Also see 3351 Progressing an Intake Report to an Investigation in IMPACT.

3341.2 Reclassifying an Intake Report to a Priority None (PN) Intake Report

CCI October 2020

An intake report received by SWI may be reclassified to a Priority None (PN) intake report when the information in the report does either of the following:

Suggests that a minimum standard was violated, but not that a child was abused, neglected, or exploited.
Indicates that risk to children existed in the past, but does not allege current abuse, neglect, or exploitation (see 3230 Reports of Incidents that Occurred in the Past).

A supervisor or designee may reclassify an intake report to a Priority None (PN) only if the intake report is about a day care operation.

Only the SWI RCCI Screening Unit may reclassify intake reports about residential child care operations. See 3311.1 RCCI Intake Reports Determined Appropriate for Priority None (PN).

If the supervisor or designee determines that an intake report meets the above criteria, the supervisor or designee reclassifies the priority to a Priority None (PN), meaning no priority, and documents the reason for the change on the Priority Closure page under the Case Management tab in IMPACT.

If the supervisor or designee is not able to enter a full explanation for closing the intake report in the Comments field on the Priority Closure page, the supervisor or designee may create a contact in the Intake (INT) stage in IMPACT to document additional information about the priority change and closure.

Once the priority change is entered in IMPACT, the supervisor or designee ensures that the IMPACT Priority also changes in the associated CLASS Intake Report in the IMPACT Information section.

The IMPACT intake report must not be closed until the priority of the CLASS Intake Report matches the priority of the IMPACT intake report.

3341.3 Notification of Priority None (PN) Intake Reports Involving a Child in DFPS Conservatorship

CCI October 2020

If an intake report involving a foster home or a child in DFPS conservatorship is reclassified to a Priority None (PN), the SWI RCCI Screening Unit, CCI supervisor, or designee must notify the following people as soon as possible, but no later than 48 hours after DFPS received the intake:

The CPS caseworker and supervisor assigned to the alleged victim.
The CPS caseworkers and supervisors assigned to any other children in the foster home.

The SWI RCCI Screening Unit, CCI supervisor, or designee notifies the CPS caseworker and supervisor by completing the Notifications section in IMPACT on the Priority/Closure page, before stage progressing the intake report.

3342 IMPACT and CLASS Options for Changing the Priority, Downgrading, or Closing an Intake Report

3342.1 IMPACT Options for Changing the Priority, Reclassifying, or Closing an Intake Report

CCI October 2020

The tables below outline the appropriate IMPACT options to do the following:

Change the priority of an intake report.
Reclassify or close an intake report.

Reasons for Changing the Priority of an Intake Report
Reason Changed	Explanation
Due to Additional Calls Made	Calls made to the reporter or collaterals (after the initial intake call) provided additional information that warrants a priority change.
Due to Local Records	Local records, including electronic records documented by the local CCI office, revealed information that warrants a priority change. CCI rarely, if ever, uses this reason code.
Closed and Reclassified	The allegations warrant follow-up by CCL or a DFPS division or program other than CCI. To qualify as Closed and Reclassified, the report must be re-entered for the appropriate DFPS division or (for reports warranting follow-up by CCL) transferred through CLASS. When Closed and Reclassified is the reason entered in IMPACT for changing a report’s priority, Closed and Reclassified must also be the reason for closing the intake report. This option is used only when changing the priority to PN. This reason code does not apply for investigations of residential child care operations.
Inconsistent with Documented Risk	The level of risk documented in the intake report does not support the priority originally assigned.
Other Agency/Out of State	The intake report is closed because it and the investigation are outside the jurisdiction of CCI and must be handled by one of the following: Another authorized entity, such as law enforcement. Another state agency or department, such as HHS Long-Term Care Licensing or the Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Another state. When Other Agency/Out of State is the reason entered in IMPACT for changing the priority, Other Agency/Out of State must also be the reason for closing the intake report. This option is used only when changing the priority to PN.
P1 Response Increases Vulnerability	Responding within 24 hours could leave a child more vulnerable. CCI rarely, if ever, uses this reason code.

Reasons for Reclassifying or Closing an Intake Report
Reason Closed	Explanation
Doesn’t appear to involve abuse, neglect, or risk	The information in the intake report does not appear to involve an allegation of abuse, neglect, or exploitation, or a reasonable likelihood that a child will be abused, neglected, or exploited in the foreseeable future. This reason code does not apply for investigations of residential child care operations.
Too vague or general	The allegations are too vague or general to determine whether a child has been abused, neglected, or exploited or is likely to be abused, neglected, or exploited. CCI rarely, if ever, uses this reason code. This reason code does not apply for investigations of residential child care operations.
Allegations addressed in previous case	An investigation with the same allegations has already been investigated and closed.
Not enough information to locate	The intake report does not give enough information to locate the child or an operation that is subject to regulation. Before closing the intake report, staff must search all of the following: Local records. IMPACT records. Internet-based phone and address directories. This reason may only be used for intake reports involving operations subject to regulation (illegal operations). CCI rarely, if ever, uses this reason code.
Closed and Reclassified	The allegations warrant follow-up by CCL or a DFPS division or program other than CCI. To qualify as Closed and Reclassified, the intake report must be re-entered for the appropriate DFPS division or (for reports warranting follow-up by CCL) transferred through CLASS. This reason code does not apply for investigations of residential child care operations.
Other Agency/Out of State	The intake report is closed because it and the investigation are outside the jurisdiction of CCI and must be handled by one of the following: Another authorized entity, such as law enforcement. Another state agency or department, such as HHS Long-Term Care Licensing or the Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Another state.

3342.2 CLASS Options for Closing an Intake Report

CCI December 2012

The chart below outlines the appropriate CLASS options used to close an intake report.

Reasons for Closing an Intake Report in CLASS
Reason Closed: CLASS Options	Explanation
Not subject to investigation	The intake report is closed because the information in the intake report does not constitute a possible violation of minimum standards.
Not subject to regulation	The intake report is closed because it and the investigation are outside the jurisdiction of DFPS Licensing and must be handled either by another authorized entity, such as law enforcement; another state agency or department such as the Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) or the Department of State Health Services (DSHS); or by another state.
Re-entered as A/N	The intake report is closed because the information was reentered as an intake report for an investigation of abuse or neglect, and the intake report is not able to be linked to the abuse or neglect investigation.
Repeated reports	The intake report is closed because there is an existing investigation in the CLASS system with the same allegations that has already been investigated and closed.

3350 Preparing the Investigation in IMPACT and CLASS

CCI December 2012

Investigators must complete certain tasks in IMPACT and CLASS in preparation of initiating the investigation.

3351 Progressing an Intake Report to an Investigation

CCI December 2012

Policy

An abuse or neglect intake report must be progressed to an investigation in both the IMPACT and CLASS systems. In order to ensure that the syncing process between IMPACT and CLASS occurs correctly, the investigator assigned to an abuse or neglect report must progress the intake report to the Investigation (INV) stage in IMPACT before progressing the intake report to an investigation in CLASS.

A non abuse or neglect intake report is progressed to investigation in the CLASS system only.

3352 Progressing an Intake Report to an Investigation in IMPACT

CCI December 2012

Procedure

The investigator of an abuse or neglect report must progress the intake report to the Investigation (INV) stage in IMPACT once a supervisor or designee determines that the information in the intake report should be investigated as a report of abuse or neglect.

If the priority of the intake report was changed in IMPACT before being assigned for investigation, the investigator must ensure that the priority also changed in the associated intake report in CLASS before progressing the intake report to the INV stage in IMPACT.

3353 Progressing an Intake Report to an Investigation in CLASS

CCI December 2012

Procedure

The investigator of an abuse or neglect report or a non-abuse or neglect report progresses an intake report to an investigation in CLASS once the investigator or supervisor determines that the information in the intake report is subject to investigation.

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Child Care Investigations Handbook