Child Protective Services Handbook Revision
September 2007
This revision of the Child Protective Services Handbook was published on September 4, 2006. Summaries of new revised items are posted below, followed by the edited versions with significant changes noted in red. Not displayed are minor copyediting and formatting changes.
Monthly Contact with Children and Documentation Changes
Size and Composition of Family-Based Safety Services Caseloads
Monthly Contact with Children and Documentation Changes (PATS 1285 and 1512)
Research has shown that regular casework visits significantly enhance the quality and outcomes for children in substitute care. A federal study was conducted of all the states on the issue of worker-child contacts that was concluded in 2005. As a result, federal legislation was passed in 2006 and federal instructions were issued earlier this year that direct the states to ensure certain standards are in place regarding the monthly face to face contacts with children in care.
As a result, relevant sections of the CPS Handbook have been updated. These changes regarding caseworker visits apply to children who have been
· removed from their homes and to their families,
· returned home, or
· placed in adoptive placements.
Substitute care documentation in Section 6930 has also been revised regarding contact documentation issues. New time frames apply for recording placements, Legal Status, and Medical Consenter information.
See:
1542 Eligibility Requirements for Title IV-E, MAO, and State-Paid Foster Care Assistance
6511.1 Targeted Case Management
6511.2 Conducting Visits With the Child
6511.3 Visits Conducted by an Alternate Caseworker
6511.4 Responsibility for Contact Across Regional Lines
6512 Making Placements Across Regional or Unit Lines
6610 Services to the Child's Family When the Child Is in Substitute Care
6611 Family Services When Family Reunification Is the Permanency Goal
6611.1 Contact With the Family
6611.2 Conducting Visits With the Family
6611.3 Review the Family Service Plan
6611.4 Initiate the Reunification Process
6611.5 When a Child Is Returned
6611.51 Providing Services After a Child Is Returned
6611.52 Maintaining Contact with Families When Children Are Returned Home
6611.53 Conducting Follow-up Visits With the Family When Children Are Returned Home
6612 Family Services When DFPS Obtains Permanent Legal Custody Without Termination of Parental Rights
6613 Maintaining Contact Between the Family and the Child
6613.1 The Right to Regular Contact
6613.2 Planning for Family-Child Contact
6613.3 Documenting Visitation, the Contact Plan, and Progress
6613.4 Keeping Parents Informed of the Child’s Circumstances
6614 Providing Additional Medical, Psychological, or Psychiatric Information to the Adoptive Family
6615 Other Issues Regarding Services to Families
6615.1 Services to Parents Across Regional Lines
6615.2 Services to Parents When They are Incarcerated
6620 Services to the Substitute Caregiver
6844 Making Adoptive Placements in Other Regions and with Private Agency Adoptive Homes
6851 Supporting the Adoptive Placement
6851.1 Contact with the Child and Adoptive Family
6851.2 Conducting Visits With the Child and Adoptive Family
Item 6930, Substitute-Care Documentation Requirements, has been replaced in its entirety by the following new items:
6930 Documentation Requirements for Substitute Care
6931 Documentation of Contacts in Substitute Care
6931.1 Documentation of Monthly Contacts and Visits
6931.2 Monthly Targeted Case Management (TCM) Activity
6931.3 Documenting Contacts and TCM in IMPACT
6931.31 Documenting Contacts Using Contact Details
6931.32 Documenting Contacts Using Monthly Evaluations
6931.33 Required Contact Detail Documentation
6931.34 Required Narrative Content
6931.35 Required Monthly Evaluation Content
6931.36 Supervisor Approvals
6932 Documentation of Legal Activity
6933 Documentation of Child’s Biographical Data
6934 Documentation of Information on Case Principals
6935 Documentation of Services to Parents and Caregivers
6936 Documentation of Permanency Planning Meetings
6937 Documentation of Transfer and Closing Summaries
6938 External Documentation
Size and Composition of Family-Based Safety Services Caseloads (PATS 1497)
The appendix below is revised to reflect policy originally published in October 2005 regarding the composition of caseloads for family-based safety services. New policy regarding monthly face-to-face contact, effective September 2007, has also been incorporated. See:
Appendix 3130: Types of Family-Based Safety Services