Child Protective Services
Handbook Revision, May 2014
This revision of the Child Protective Services Handbook was published on May 1, 2014. Summaries of new or revised items are provided below.
New Referrals on Open CVS Cases (PATS 6787)
The items below have been updated to outline the eligibility requirements for Adoption Assistance. See:
2431.6 When a PCSP is Used in an Open Conservatorship Case
2760 Investigations of New Referrals in Open Conservatorship (CVS) Cases
2761 Preliminary Staffing
2762 Legal Staffing
2763 Pre-Dispositional Staffing
2770 When a Mother in an Open Conservatorship Case is Pregnant
2771 Staffing the Case During the Pregnancy
2772 Legal Intervention
2773 When the Baby is Born
6150 Caseworker’s Duty to Report Abuse and Neglect in an Open CVS Cases
6160 When a Mother in an Open CVS Case is Pregnant
6170 Parental Child Safety Placements in CVS Cases
Case Planning (PATS 3687)
This policy is updated in its entirety to reflect licensing standards and Fostering Connections.
CPS staff were informed of this policy with the issuance of the following PSAs and PSIs:
PSI 05-013, issued December 22, 2004
PSI 11-030, issued May 4, 2009
PSA 12-003, issued January 6, 2011
PSA 12-070, issued March 7, 2002
See:
6240 Case Planning
6241 Principles of Case Planning
6241.1 Family Engagement
6241.2 Assessments of Child and Family
6241.3 Targeted Services
6241.4 Tracking, Evaluating and Adjusting the Case Plan
6242 Case Planning Overview
6242.1 Case Plan Description
6243 Case Planning Process
6243.1 Entry Into Care
6243.2 Removal Staffing
6243.3 Initial Assessment and Plan
6243.31 Update of Family Tree Before the Initial Child’s Service Plan
6243.32 Initial Assessment Services
6243.4 Service Plan Updates
6243.5 Discontinuing Service Planning
6250 The Child’s Service Plan
6251 Basic Description of the Child’s Service Plan
6251.1 Child Plan of Service Types
6251.2 Exception to the Requirement of a Child’s Service Plan
6252 Participation in Development of the Child's Service Plan
6252.1 Joint Case Planning With Parents
6252.2 Involving Children and Youth in Case Planning
6253 Documenting and Approving the Child's Service Plan
6254 Distributing the Child's Service Plan
6260 The Family Service Plan
6261 Description
6261.1 The Family Plan for Children Under Age Two
6261.2 Family Plan of Service Types
6262 Service Plan Requirement
6262.1 Exceptions to the Requirement for a Family Service Plan
6263 Time Frames for Developing and Approving the Family Service Plan
6264 Developing the Family Service Plan Jointly with Each Parent
6264.1 Ensuring Parental Participation in the Development of the Family Service Plan
6264.11 Incarcerated Parents
6264.12 Noncustodial Parents
6264.13 Parents Outside of Jurisdiction
6264.2 Engaging Parents and Families in the Development of the Family Service Plan
6264.21 Engagement of Family Members
6264.22 Refusal to Cooperate
6265 Documenting and Approving the Family Service Plan
6265.1 Foster Care Candidacy
6266 Filing the Family Service Plan With the Court
6267 Enforcing the Family Service Plan
6270 Case Plan Review
6271 Children Receiving Treatment Services
6271.1 Frequency of Review
6271.2 Procedure
6271.3 Distribution
Appendix 6242 Federal Law Pertinent to Case Planning
Appendix 6250 Guide for Completing the Child Plan of Service
Appendix 6260 Legal Requirements for the Family Plan of Service
Foster Care and Adoption by CPS Employees (PATS 5413)
The item below is added to provide the guidance required by DFPS minimum standards and HHSC human resources policy. See:
7620 Foster Care and Adoption: Avoiding a Conflict of Interest
The items below are revised or added to clarify the policies on foster care and adoption by CPS employees. See:
7621 General Guidelines for Regional Directors and Designees
7622 Restrictions on FAD Verifying or Approving DFPS Employees and Others Who Have Close Ties to DFPS
7623 CPS Employees Who Seek to Become Foster Parents
7623.1 The Eligibility of CPS Employees to Become Foster Parents
7623.2 The Eligibility of CPS Job Applicants to Remain Foster Parents
7624 CPS Employees Who Seek to Adopt
7624.1 The Eligibility of CPS Employees to Adopt a Child Who Is a Relative or Fictive Kin
7624.2 The Eligibility of CPS Employees to Adopt a Child Not Related to Them
7624.21 Adopting a Child Other Than a Specific Child
7624.22 Adopting a Specific Child
7624.3 The Process for CPS Employees to Adopt
7624.31 When a CPS Employee Seeks to Adopt a Child Related to the Employee
7624.32 When a CPS Employee Seeks to Adopt a Child Not Related to the Employee
Renumbered Items
The following items are renumbered or deleted to accommodate changes made by this revision. The content of the deleted items is incorporated into other CPS policies. The content of the renumbered items is under review.
See:
7640 [previously 7633] When Foster Families Move
7641 [previously 7634] Inactive Foster Homes
7635 Special Considerations in Foster Group Homes
7636 Foster Families that Adopt
7642 [previously 7637] Solicitation of Funds
7640 Special Considerations Regarding Adoptive Parents
7641 Adoption by DFPS Employees
Supervised Independent Living (PATS 6652)
The items below have been revised to reflect the goal of strengthening the experience of independence for young adults while in supervised independent living settings.
See:
10481.1 Purpose of SIL
10481.2 Rights and Responsibilities of Young Adults While in an SIL Setting
10483.2 Annual Eligibility Review
10484.63 SIL Provider Denies a Young Adult’s Application
10485 Initial Placement Process
10485.1 IMPACT Process
10485.3 Service Plan Assessment Update
10489 Discharges From the SIL Program
10489.13 Transition Plan Review for Discharge From SIL and Extended Foster Care to Independence or Trial Independence