Handbook Revision, October 2, 2017
This revision of the Child Protective Services Handbook was published on October 2, 2017.
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.
CPS Streamlined Section 11000 Healthcare
Changing I See You to Local Permanency
Considering Cottage Style GROs Among Least Restrictive Settings
Administrative Review of Findings - TAC Updates and Waiving Right to ARIF
FBSS Safety Reassessment (PATS 9797)
The items below are revised to update the timeframes for completing a safety reassessment and the requirement to complete the Family Strengths and Needs Assessment (FSNA). See:
2270 Ensuring Child Safety
2271 Time Frames for Completing a Safety Assessment or Reassessment
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2500 Basic Family-Based Safety Services (FBSS) Process
2510 General Provisions of the FBSS Process
2511 Ongoing Child Safety Assessment
2512 Safety Reassessment
2513 Reasonable Effort to Engage Parents
2514 CPS Actions When Danger to a Child is Present
2515 CPS Actions When a Child or Principal Cannot Be Located
2516 Uncooperative Principal in an FBSS Case
2517 Transferring Stages Between Counties
2518 2512 Documentation and Same Day Contact Entry
2518.1 2512.1 Same Day Contact Entry
2518.2 2512.2 Case Activities Requiring 24 Hour Documentation
2518.3 2512.3 All Other Documentation
2520 2511 Child Trafficking (Sex and Labor Trafficking)
2530 2520 Contacting Principals That Receive FBSS Services
2540 2530 Family Plan of Service
2541 Family Strengths and Needs Assessment (FSNA)
2542 Creating the Initial Family Plan of Service
2543 Foster Care Candidacy (FCC) Determination for FBSS
2544 Participation in the Family Plan of Service
2545 Caseworker Monthly Review of Progress
2546 Supervisor Monthly Review
2550 2540 Opening an Investigation While a Family Preservation Stage is Open
2560 2550 Closing a Family Preservation Stage
CPS Streamlined Section 11000 Healthcare (PATS 10262)
This is the streamlined version of CPS Handbook section 11000, Healthcare. The section has been streamlined in consultation with Medical Services staff and with input from legal, CVS, and other CPS divisions. This is part of CPS’s ongoing streamlining and reorganization of the policy handbook to remove non-policy material, reorganize sections, and update policy to be current.
See the attached table, which documents the new locations of policy.
Changing I See You to Local Permanency (PATS 10417)
Changing titles for I See You staff to Local Permanency. Changing these titles:
• I See You worker is now local permanency specialist
• I See You supervisor is now local permanency supervisor
• I See You human services technician is now local permanency human services technician
See:
4113.71 Caregiver-Initiated Placement Move
4114.7 Specific Placement Considerations for Children Who Have Primary Medical Needs
4114.8 Additional Actions for Placing Children with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities
4143.3 Notify Secondary and Ancillary Workers of a Subsequent Placement
4153.2 Out-of-Region Placements
6123 Case Conference and Supportive Supervision in CVS, Local Permanency I See You (ISY), and Kinship
6314 Services to Children and Parents Across Regional Lines
6413 Services to Children and Caregivers Across Regional Lines
6414 Local Permanency I See You Supervision
6414.1 Local Permanency I See You Eligibility
6414.2 Coordination Between Local Permanency I See You and Primary Caseworker
6414.3 Responsibilities of Local Permanency Specialist I See You Caseworker
6414.4 Responsibilities of the Primary Caseworker When a Local Permanency Specialist I See You Caseworker is Assigned to a Child
6414.5 Transitioning from a Local Permanency Specialist an I See You Caseworker to a Courtesy Caseworker When the Out of Region Placement is Identified as the Adoptive Home
6414.6 Local Permanency I See You Waiver
6820 CPS Youth and Juvenile Justice
Considering Cottage Style GROs Among Least Restrictive Settings (PATS 10422)
HB 1542 (85th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, 2017) requires cottage-style GRO facilities to be considered, along with foster family homes, among the least restrictive placement options for children in DFPS conservatorship. This revision puts that requirement into CPS policy.
See:
4114.4 Preference for the Least Restrictive Setting
Administrative Review of Findings - TAC Updates and Waiving Right to ARIF (PATS 10162)
Updating Texas Administrative Code citations in the Administrative Review of Findings (ARIF) policy. Also adding statement that an individual requesting an ARIF waives the right to an ARIF if he or she does not respond within 30 days of the resolution specialist's initial attempt to contact that person.
See:
1260 Administrative Review of Investigation Findings
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1261.1 Determining Initial Eligibility
1261.2 Notifying the Requester of Initial Eligibility Determination
1262 Delaying the ARIF
1262.1 Notifying the Requester of the ARIF Delay
1262.2 Determining Eligibility and Notifying the Requester After a Delay
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1263.1 Notifying the Requester and CPS Staff of the ARIF Details
1263.2 Holding the ARIF
1264 Making a Final ARIF Decision
1265 Documenting the ARIF Decision and Change of Allegations in IMPACT
1265.1 Documenting and Changing Allegations in the ARIF Stage
1265.2 Documenting in a Closed-Stage Addendum Contact
1265.3 Changing Allegations Through a Data Fix Database Correction
1265.4 Changing the Type of Abuse or Neglect in a Confirmed Allegation
1265.5 Changing the Severity of a Confirmed Allegation to or From "Fatal"