2150 The CPI Supervisor’s Role in Reviewing Reports of Abuse or Neglect
CPS December 2023
Review the Report
A CPI supervisor reviews the following reports of abuse or neglect:
- A report that meets the statutory definition of abuse or neglect.
- A report in which the alleged perpetrator is a person responsible for a child’s care, custody, or welfare.
- A Priority 1 report, as assigned by the DFPS Statewide Intake (SWI) division.
- A Priority 2 report, as assigned by SWI, in which the alleged victim is 5 years old or younger.
- A new report on an open case.
To complete the review, the supervisor must do the following:
- Approve or change the initial priority assigned to the report.
- Approve or change the action recommended for the report.
- Record the changes in the Intake stage in IMPACT.
Document any Changes in IMPACT
If the CPI supervisor changes the priority assigned or the action recommended by SWI, the CPI supervisor ensures that the following information is entered into the report in a contact narrative:
- Any contacts with reliable collaterals and principals who are not alleged perpetrators that led to the decision to change the priority or recommended action in the original report. See 2152 Contacting Collateral Sources About Reports of Abuse or Neglect.
- The supervisor’s rationale for changing the priority assigned or action recommended by SWI.
Closing the Report Without Assignment (PN)
When the CPI supervisor completes the review of the intake and recommends closing a report of abuse or neglect without assignment, see the following sections for appropriate policies:
2153 Notifying the Reporter When a Report Is Closed
2155 Closing Investigation Reports of Abuse or Neglect Using Priority None (PN) Closure Codes
2155.1 Closing Reports Priority None (PN) That Involve Children in Care
2155.2 Closing Reports Priority None (PN) That Involve a Child Fatality
2155.3 Closing Reports Using Priority None (PN) Closure Codes
2155.4 Required Tasks before Closing Report Using Priority None (PN)
2155.5 Reports of Abuse or Neglect That Require Program Director Approval for Closure
Time Frame for Initiating an Investigation
The priority time frames cannot be extended. The supervisor must review the report quickly so the caseworker can respond within the required priority time frames. See 2143 Assigning Priority to Reports of Abuse or Neglect.
2151 Notification of a Report Involving a Child in DFPS Conservatorship
CPS July 2024
The DFPS Statewide Intake (SWI) division completes an information and referral (I&R) to notify the Conservatorship (CVS) or single source continuum contractor (SSCC) caseworker anytime a child in DFPS conservatorship is a principal in an intake for any program area.
An investigation involving a child in DFPS conservatorship may be assigned to a CPI caseworker or special investigator (SI). Once assigned, the CPI supervisor or the special investigator program director (SIPD) must contact the CVS or SSCC supervisor to review the concerns of the new case before contacting the family.
See 1453.1 Sharing Information during the Course of an Investigation
If an intake involves child sexual aggression, CPI takes the following steps:
- Notify the CVS or SSCC program administrator by email.
- Follow the protocol in the Working with Children with a History of Sexual Victimization, Sexual Aggression, or a Sexual Behavioral Problem.
See:
Sexual Incident Resource Guide
If the child is in a kinship placement, the investigation supervisor or SIPD must notify the CPS kinship development caseworker, supervisor, and regional kinship leadership by email.
See 4221.3 CPS Protocol During an Investigation Involving a Child in Conservatorship.
All notifications must occur no later than 7 p.m. the next calendar day after the intake report is stage progressed to an investigation and be documented in a contact narrative.
Risk and Safety Concerns Involving a Child in Conservatorship
If there are any immediate risk or safety concerns or danger indicators, then the CPI caseworker or SI immediately informs all of the following people:
- CPI program director or SIPD
- CVS or SSCC caseworker
- CVS or SSCC supervisor
- CVS or SSCC program director
- SSCC permanency director (if applicable)
- Kinship staff, if assigned
A staffing must be held and include the CPI and CVS or SSCC program directors when a safety concern has been identified or either stage of service is staffing for legal intervention.
Additionally, the CPI, CVS, or SSCC supervisor may request a staffing with a child safety specialist if further review, discussion, or guidance is needed. The staffing is held within 14 days of the request to the child safety specialist.
CPI and CVS or SSCC staff coordinate any need for a new placement. If a new placement is needed, CPI and CVS or SSCC work together to ensure that policy for notifying legal parties is followed.
See 6151.3 Notification Requirements and Schedule.
If more alleged victims are identified during the investigation, the investigator notifies the CVS or SSCC caseworker, supervisor, and program director by email. The email must include the following information:
- Case name.
- Case number.
- Victim child’s name.
- Victim child’s person identification (PID) number.
- Any other child in the home’s name, PID number, and relation to the alleged victim.
- A statement of whether the allegations involve sexually aggressive behavior or child-on-child physical abuse.
- Any additional information identified during the investigation.
Maintaining Contact with the Alleged Victim’s CVS or SSCC Caseworker
After the initial notification, the CPI caseworker or SI maintains contact with the child’s CVS or SSCC caseworker if the child is listed as an alleged victim. The CPI caseworker or SI does this for the following reasons:
- To obtain more information about the child, including the child’s history of abuse or neglect, behavioral patterns, and any other information that provides insight into the investigation.
- To share information with the CVS or SSCC caseworker about the status of the investigation, including any concerns the CPI caseworker may have with the child’s placement and detailed information about incidents of child-on-child abuse.
- To get help acquiring the child’s medical records from a doctor’s office or hospital, if necessary.
Document Staffing with DFPS or SSCC Conservatorship Staff in IMPACT
All contacts with a child’s CVS caseworker, supervisor, program director, and child safety specialist that are described in this section of policy must be documented in IMPACT within 24 hours.
See:
2221 Documentation and Same Day Contact Entry for Alleged Victims and Other Children
Investigation Conclusion
Once CPI has completed the investigation, the CPI supervisor or SIPD informs the CVS or SSCC supervisor about the information gathered during the investigation and the investigation disposition.
CPI forwards a copy of the notification letter to the CVS or SSCC supervisor once the investigation is closed.
The CPI supervisor or SIPD emails the CVS or SSCC caseworker, supervisor, and program director to notify them that the investigation is complete in IMPACT by 7 p.m. the next calendar day.
The email includes the following:
- Disposition.
- Information gathered during the investigation.
- Any follow-up tasks or referrals that CVS or the SSCC needs to complete.
The CPI supervisor or SIPD attaches a copy of the case closure letters to the email.
2152 Contacting Collateral Sources About Reports of Abuse or Neglect
CPS December 2023
Before changing the priority or recommended action on a report, the CPI caseworker or supervisor must attempt to contact a collateral or principal source to determine whether an investigation is needed.
The contact must be with a reliable collateral or a principal who can provide new and relevant information about the allegations and the current safety of the child. A collateral source could be, but is not limited to, a relative, teacher, neighbor, or family doctor. The principal source must not be an alleged victim or perpetrator.
If a collateral source is not listed in the current report or does not respond to an attempt by the CPI caseworker or supervisor to gather more information, the caseworker must:
- Review all IMPACT records for the family to determine if another collateral can provide pertinent information to the case.
- Document in a contact narrative the attempts to contact a collateral or locate one in the IMPACT records.
- If applicable, document in a contact narrative the reason the collateral is not required for determining if an investigation is needed.
See 2155.3 Closing Reports Using Priority None (PN) Closure Codes.
2153 Notifying the Reporter When a Report Is Closed
CPS December 2023
The CPI supervisor notifies the reporter when an intake report is closed following the supervisor’s review. The supervisor does this by generating a letter in the IMPACT case management system.
2154 Changing the Priority of a Report about Abuse or Neglect
CPS August 2024
A CPI supervisor or SWI screener can change the priority of an intake report of abuse or neglect. To change the priority to a Priority 1 or Priority 2, the supervisor or screener selects one of the following options listed in IMPACT:
| IMPACT Option |
Reason for Change |
|---|---|
Due to Additional Calls Made |
Calls made to collaterals after initial intake provided additional information that warrants a priority change. |
Due to Local Records |
Local records revealed information that warrants a priority change. Local records may include but are not limited to medical records, law enforcement records, or other records from a professional, reliable source. |
Inconsistent with Documented Risk |
The level of risk documented in the intake does not support the priority originally assigned. |
2155 Closing Investigation Reports of Abuse or Neglect Using Priority None (PN) Closure Codes
CPS November 2022
An intake is screened to identify if Priority None (PN) Closure Codes should apply. Situations when Priority None (PN) Closure Codes should apply are listed in the sections below.
2155.1 Closing Reports Priority None (PN) That Involve Children in Care
CPS November 2022
Cases involving children in the conservatorship of the DFPS can only be Priority None (PN) by a Statewide Intake screener or an investigation screener after formal screening.
2155.2 Closing Reports Priority None (PN) That Involve a Child Fatality
CPS November 2022
Reports involving child fatalities are eligible for Priority None (PN) if the following apply:
- No allegations pertain to other children in the home.
- The child fatality was already investigated and dispositioned.
- Program director approves the report in IMPACT.
The supervisor stage progresses and assigns all other child fatality reports for investigation.
2155.3 Closing Reports Using Priority None (PN) Closure Codes
CPS August 2024
The program director or program administrator may close an intake report of abuse or neglect without assigning it for investigation for the following reasons.
| IMPACT Option: |
Reason for Change: |
|---|---|
Doesn’t appear to involve abuse, neglect, or risk |
Contact collaterals to use this PN code. After calls to the reporter or other collateral sources, there does not appear to be a reasonable likelihood that a child will be abused or neglected in the foreseeable future. For additional information on pertinent collateral sources, see 2155.4 Required Tasks Before Closing Report Using Priority None (PN). This does not apply when the report is related to certain child fatalities. See 2155.2 Closing Reports Priority None (PN) That Involve a Child Fatality. |
Not enough information to locate |
Caseworker makes reasonable efforts to find additional locating information but cannot locate the child, the child’s family, or household (see the Finding Families Resource Guide). These reasonable efforts may include, but are not limited to, the following:
|
Incident jurisdiction of other DFPS program |
The report was reclassified and referred to Adult Protective Services or Child Care Investigations, and the intake number of the new report was documented. |
Incident responsibility of Other Agency/Out-of-State |
Handling the report is not the responsibility of CPI and will be investigated by another government agency in Texas, another state’s protective services program, or law enforcement. The supervisor must document which agency will be responsible for handling the report and, if available, provide a reference number for the new report. |
Incident addressed in previous case |
The reported information was already investigated in a case that was closed before the date of the new intake. Each alleged incident of abuse or neglect was previously investigated involving the same alleged perpetrator and alleged victim. The supervisor must document the closed case number and how the current case information in the new report was addressed in the closed investigation. |
When an open investigation exists and a new report is received, see 2156 Receiving a New Intake During an Open Investigation of Abuse or Neglect.
2155.4 Required Tasks before Closing Report Using Priority None (PN)
CPS August 2024
The decision to approve or deny the closure of an intake report using Priority None (PN) must occur before initial contact time frames expire.
The supervisor may assign an intake report to a program director for closure with a recommended action of Priority None (PN), if information was gathered that indicates DFPS involvement is not warranted.
Approval for closure using PN in IMPACT must occur within five days of the intake date and cannot be extended. Before recommending the closure of an intake report of abuse or neglect using PN, all of the following steps must take place:
- The caseworker contacts the reporter.
- The caseworker attempts contact with a professional or another credible source who can provide information about the allegations and the current safety of the child. The source may also be the reporter, if new information about the allegations and current safety of the child is provided.
- The caseworker reviews 2152 Contacting Collateral Sources About Reports of Abuse or Neglect to determine actions needed to close the case without a collateral source, if there is no collateral source listed to contact.
- The caseworker conducts a person search of the principals in the report to determine whether the family has prior DFPS history. If history is found, it is reviewed, summarized, documented, and considered when determining whether the report warrants investigation.
- The supervisor consults with the family preservation or conservatorship caseworker and supervisor if a principal in the intake is also a principal in an open family preservation stage or any stage of substitute care, except post-adoption services. If the intake involves a child in DFPS conservatorship, see 2155.1 Closing Reports Priority None (PN) That Involve Children in Care.
- The supervisor or above must consider the nature and seriousness of the allegations and any other relevant information, such as the age of the child, if the child made an outcry, the principal’s behaviors that could place a child in an unsafe situation, and any alleged concerns about the condition of the home.
- The supervisor or above documents, in the intake contact narrative in IMPACT, a written rationale for closing the case as PN.
2155.5 Reports of Abuse or Neglect that Require Program Director Approval for Closure
CPS August 2024
Approval from a program director is required to close any intake report of abuse or neglect as Priority None (PN).
Before assigning the report in IMPACT for review by the program director, the caseworker and supervisor enter all contacts supporting the closure into the intake report.
The program director reads the intake report and either approves or rejects it in IMPACT within five days of the intake date and time.
2155.6 Reports of Abuse or Neglect that Require Program Administrator Approval for Closure
CPS August 2024
Approvals from both a program director and a program administrator are required to close an intake report as Priority None (PN), if the following apply:
- A family had more than three consecutive previous reports that were closed as PN with no intervention by DFPS.
- A new report is received on a principal in an open family preservation stage or any stage of substitute services, except post-adoption services. If the intake involves a child in DFPS conservatorship, see 2155.1 Closing Reports Priority None (PN) That Involve Children in Care.
For such cases, the following people complete these steps:
- The program director reads the intake report and either approves or rejects it. If approved, the program director assigns the report in IMPACT to the program administrator.
- The program administrator reads the intake report and either approves or rejects it in IMPACT within five days of the intake date.
2156 Receiving a New Intake During an Open Investigation of Abuse or Neglect
CPS November 2022
If CPI receives a new intake while the case is being investigated, CPI staff must do the following:
- Stage progress the new intake from the Intake stage to the Investigation stage in IMPACT. Progressing the new report to the Investigation stage before merging the reports ensures that the details about the reporter, the victim, and the allegations carry forward correctly.
- Person merge before merging cases.
- Contact the reporter, if CPI staff has not already done so in the Intake stage.
- Merge the two investigations within priority time frames: 24 hours for Priority 1 and 72 hours for Priority 2.
- Only merge one investigation per every 24 hours.
2156.1 Determining Whether Face-to-Face Contact is Required
CPS October 2023
When a new intake is received, and there are new allegations or new incidents of abuse or neglect, the caseworker must make face-to-face contact with the family within priority time frames.
The caseworker must notify each alleged perpetrator, parent, legal guardian, or other persons who are the subject of the investigation of the person’s rights before being interviewed. See 2248.11 Required Notification of Rights.
The caseworker must staff with the supervisor to determine whether face-to-face contact with the family is required, if the new intake meets all of the following criteria:
- It contains no new allegations.
- It contains no new incidents of abuse or neglect.
- It contains the same information as the existing open investigation.
If the supervisor determines that face-to-face contact is not necessary, the caseworker enters an initial contact in the new investigation (which came from the new intake), stating the case number of the existing open case. This initial contact must include an explanation of how the information in the new investigation was addressed in the existing open case.