Child Protective Services
Handbook Revision, May 2016
This revision of the Child Protective Services Handbook was published on May 2, 2016.
CPS wants to ensure that the general public understands what critical actions caseworkers are required to perform and why. To further this understanding, CPS has set up a policy e-mail box for the general public: CPSPolicyQuestions@dfps.texas.gov. Please feel free to contact us, via this email address, with any general questions related to policy.
For questions or concerns regarding specific cases, please contact the caseworker or supervisor, or the Office of Consumer Affairs at 1-800-720-7777.
DFPS Accounting Staff Responsibilities for Foster Care Maintenance Payments
DFPS Accounting Staff Responsibilities for Foster Care Maintenance Payments (PATS 8897)
This revision clarifies responsibilities of DFPS accounting staff that maintains foster care payments (primarily SSI/RSDI funds from SSA). See:
1550 DFPS Accounting Staff Information and Responsibilities
1551 1550 Foster Care Maintenance Payments
1551.1 Rates for DFPS Foster Care Maintenance Payments
1551.2 Participation in the Paid Foster Care Program
1551.3 1551 Effective Dates of Foster-Care Maintenance -Assistance Payments
1552 Billing and Payment for Foster Care Assistance
1553 Recoupment of Foster Care Maintenance Overpayment
1553.1 Manual Recoupment
1553.2 Manual Recoupment Process
1553.3 Notification to Providers of Recoupment That Exceeds 50% of Next Payment
1553.4 Extreme Hardship and Repayment Plans
1553.5 When Not to Initiate Recoupment Procedures
1560 Managing Management of Children’s Funds
1561 Accounting Procedures for Children’s Funds
1561.1 Organization of the Accounting Unit
1561.2 Separation of Duties
1561.3 Documentation
1561.4 Accounts Receivable (Income)
1561.5 Accounts Payable (Disbursements)
1562 Managing Children’s Income Accounts (CIAs)
1562.1 General Information
1562.1 Prior-Period Adjustment (PPA) Invoice Processing for Children With Income
1562.11 Electronic Access to Children’s Funds
1562.12 Receipt and Deposit of Children’s Income
1562.13 When Funds Are Received
1562.14 Cash Basis Accounting
1562.15 IMPACT Financial Account Pages
1562.16 Excess Funds
1562.2 Account Resource Limits for SSI Children
1562.3 Adoptive Placement and Children’s Income
1562.4 Handling Deceased Children’s Income
1563 Establishing, Transferring, and Closing Children’s Savings Accounts
1563.1 Transactions
1563.2 Establishing a Child’s Savings Account
1563.3 Closing Accounts Timely
1563.31 Children with a Legal Status of Resp Terminated
1563.32 Children Receiving SSA Benefits and No Longer in Conservatorship or the Extended Care Program
1563.33 SSI Coordinator
1564 Duties of Accounts Receivable (AR) Staff
1564.1 Manual Receipt of Funds by Accounts Receivable (AR) Staff
1564.11 Checks Payable to Person Versus DFPS
1564.2 Receivables Procedures for Accounts Receivable (AR) Staff
1564.3 Reconciliation Requirements for Accounts Receivable (AR) Staff
1564.4 Electronic Return of Benefits
1564.5 Lump Sum Distribution Instructions
1565 Duties of Accounts Payable (AP) Staff
1565.1 New Benefit Award
1565.2 Stop Payments
1565.3 1565.1 Handling Income When Child is in Paid Substitute Care
1565.4 1565.2 Handling Income When Child is Not in Paid Substitute Care
1565.5 Accounts Payable (AP) Staff Duties Regarding Lump Sum Distribution
1565.6 Reconciliation Requirements for Accounts Payable (AP) Staff
1566 Duties of Accounting Team Lead Supervisor
1566.1 Procedures for Reviewing Information and Reports
1566.2 Reconciliation Responsibilities of Accounting Team Lead Supervisor
1566.3 Annual Reconciliation for Each Client
1566.4 Reconciling Reconciliation of Child’s Income at Discharge
1566.5 Reconciling Reconciliation of Discrepancies
1566.6 Reconciliation of Child’s Income at Death
1567 Records Retention Requirements for Transactions Involving Children’s Funds
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Appendix 1562.1: Prior-Period Adjustment (PPA) Invoice Processing for Children With Income
Appendix 1565.6 1564.3: Outstanding Items Procedures
Child Support Payments (PATS 9023)
This new section addresses DFPS handling of child support payments for children in DFPS placements. See:
1568 Child Support Payments (new)
1568.1 Request and Court Order for Child Support (new)
1568.2 Enforcement of Child Support Court Orders (new)
1568.3 Distribution of Child Support Funds when the Child is in DFPS Conservatorship (new)
1568.4 Excess Funds for Title IV-E Cases (new)
1568.5 Distribution of Funds after the Child Leaves DFPS Conservatorship (new)
1568.6 Miscellaneous (new)
Preparation for Adult Living (PATS 9117)
Minor updates made to Appendix 10212: Preparation for Adult Living Life Skills Training Curriculum Outline. These updates were made to meet internal audit’s recommendations for improvement of the curriculum. See:
Appendix 10212: Preparation for Adult Living Life Skills Training Curriculum Outline
Alternative Response (PATS 9177)
The sections below are revised to provide clarification that a family plan and a safety plan must be completed if safety threats are active or immediate.
Clarification is also provided regarding situations in which a case:
• is not eligible for alternative response;
• must be progressed to investigations; and
• may be progressed to investigations.
See:
2600 Alternative Response
2610 Eligibility for Alternative Response
2611 Reports Intakes or Cases Ineligible for Alternative Response
2611.1 Intakes Ineligible for Alternative Response
2611.2 Criteria for Routing a Case to Traditional Investigation
2612 New Reports Intakes on an Open Alternative Response Case
2612.1 If the New Intake Meets Alternative Response Criteria
2612.2 If the New Intake Does Not Meet Alternative Response Criteria
2612.3 Completing Case Merges
2620 Contacts
2621 Initial Contacts
2621.1 Contact Time Frames
2621.2 Unable to Make Contact
2621.3 Unable to Locate
2621.4 Initial Face-to-Face Contact
2621.5 Family Member Not Present
2621.6 Family Refusal to Participate
2622 Initial Contact Tasks
2622.1 Initial Tasks
2622.2 Contact with Collaterals
2622.3 Family Refusal to Cooperate At Any Time
2623 Initial Safety and Family Needs Assessment
2624 Ongoing Contacts
2625 Alternative Response Family Plan
2625.1 Completing the Plan
2625.2 Documenting the Plan in IMPACT
2625.3 Addressing Active Safety Threats to a Child
2630 Stage Progressing an AR Case to Traditional Investigation
2631 When a Case Must be Progressed to Investigations
2632 When a Case May be Progressed to Investigations
2633 Legal Orders to Participate in Services
2634 Parent or Caregiver Request for Reassignment
2640 Extension
2641 Criteria for Extension
2642 When Not to Allow Extension
2643 Extension Approval Time Frame
2644 Closure Time Frames for Cases with Extension
2650 Case Closure
2651 Closure Time Frames
2652 Completing the Final Safety and Family Needs Assessment
2653 Notifications
2654 Required Actions
2655 Resulting Actions