Handbook Revision, December 1, 2023
These revisions of the Child Protective Services Handbook were published on December 1, 2023.
On September 1, 2017, the investigations branch of CPS became a separate division named Child Protective Investigations (CPI). Until CPI develops its own policy handbook, investigation policies and procedures will remain in the CPS Handbook.
See:
Child Protective Services Revisions
Child Protective Investigations Revisions
Child Protective Services Revisions
Safety Plans in FBSS (PATS 13937)
Changes are being made to other areas of policy regarding safety plans. This aligns FBSS policy with those changes.
Note: The sections marked with an asterisk (*) below are being renumbered but not revised.
See:
12640 CPS Actions When Danger to a Child is Present
12650 12640 Safety Plans in FBSS
12651 12641 Refusal to Participate in a Safety Plan
12652 12642 Required Contact
12653 12643 Ending a Safety Plan
* 12660 12650 Family-Initiated Parental Child Safety Placement (PCSP)
* 12670 12660 When a Child Is Unsafe
Family’s Lack of Participation (PATS 13938)
This policy update clarifies for whom and when court orders are filed. This aligns the policy with changes in section 2400 (PATS 13800) and incorporates direction from a memo from the associate commissioner for CPS.
See:
12580 Family’s Lack of Participation
Medical Consent (PATS 14014)
No shift staff will be medical consenters, including shift staff at emergency shelters. This change is needed to ensure that those providing medical consent have an understanding of a child’s medical history, current circumstances, and needs so that they can work with medical providers to meet the child’s medical and behavioral health needs.
Note: Sections 11113.2 – 11113.26 were renumbered only. There was no change to content.
See:
11100 Medical Consent
11110 Court Authorizes DFPS to Be the Child's Medical Consenter
11111 Selecting the Medical Consenter and Backup Medical Consenter
11112 Designating a Live-In Caregiver as the Medical Consenter
11113 Designating Medical Consenters for Children in Conservatorship Living in Residential Facilities
11113.1 General Residential Operation (GRO) Offering Emergency Services
11113.1 11113.2 General Residential Operations (GRO) With Shift Staff
11113.2 11113.3 Designating CPS Staff as Medical Consenters for Children in Certain General Residential Operations (GROs) with Shift Staff
11113.21 11113.31 Developmental Disability Specialist Medical Consenters
11113.22 11113.32 CPS Local Permanency Staff Medical Consenters
11113.23 11113.33 Temporary Backup Medical Consenters
11113.24 11113.34 Local Permanency Human Services Technicians As Temporary Medical Consenters
11113.25 11113.35 Documenting Temporary Medical Consenters
11113.26 11113.36 Extending a Temporary Medical Consenter’s Service Beyond 24 Hours
Case Planning with Relatives and Other Kinship Caregivers (PATS 14054)
This handbook revision updates policy about documenting information in OneCase.
See:
6600 Case Planning with Relatives and Other Kinship Caregivers
6610 Identifying a Potential Relative Placement Bbefore the Adversary Hearing
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6624 Obtaining CPS Approval of the Home Assessment and Placement of a Child in a Kinship Home
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6624.14 Case Documentation
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6632 Referring Across Regional Lines for Kinship Home Assessments and Services
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6634 Critical Forms and Discussion Required at the Time of Placement
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6634.4 Kinship Caregiver Agreement
6640 The Kinship Development Caseworker
6641 Duties of the Kinship Development Worker
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6652.4 Post-Permanent Managing Conservatorship Annual Reimbursement Payment
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6652.42 Required Documentation
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6661.3 Documenting a Caregiver’s Disinterest in Verification
6661.4 Addressing Finances
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6662.3 Recording the Foster Placement in IMPACT
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6681 Overview of Permanency Care Assistance
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6684 Discussing the Intent to Pursue Permanency Care Assistance
Child Protective Investigations Revisions
Reports Accepted by CPI for Investigation and Assessment (PATS 13873)
This handbook revision removes policy about CPI screeners because they are Statewide Intake employees.
Note: The sections marked with an asterisk are renumbered, but there were no changes to policy in those sections.
See:
2142 The Allegations That CPS Reports Accepteds by CPI for Investigation and Assessment
2142.1 Criteria for Initiating an Investigation
2142.12 Applying Statutory Definitions of Abuse or Neglect to Determine if a Report Meets the Criteria for anCPS Investigation
2142.23 Incomplete or Questionable Reports of Abuse or Neglect
2142.34 When Abuse or Neglect Occurs in a Foster Home,or Adoptive Home, or Child- Care Facility
2142.5 Reports of Abuse or Neglect That Relate to Child-Care Facilities
2143 Assigning Priority to Reports of Abuse or Neglect
2143.1 Criteria for Assigning a Report as Priority 1 (P1)
2143.11 Examples of Priority 1 (P1) Reports
2143.112 When a Priority 1 (P1) Report Is Received After-Hours
2143.2 Criteria for Assigning a Report as Priority 2 II (P2)
2143.3 Criteria for Assigning a Report as Priority None (PN)
2144 The Role of SWI in Screening Reports of Abuse or Neglect
2150 CPS Process of Screening Intakes for Investigations
21501 The CPI Supervisor's Role in Reviewing Reports of Abuse or Neglect
2151.1 Notification of a Report Involving a Child in DFPS Conservatorship
2152 Contacting Collateral Sources About Reports of Abuse or Neglect
2153 Formally Screening Reports of Abuse or Neglect (The Role of the Investigation Screener)
2153.1 Criteria for Formally Screening Reports of Abuse or Neglect
2153.2 CPS Staff Who Formally Screen Reports of Abuse or Neglect
2153.3 Determining a Report's Eligibility for Screening
2153.4 Reports That Clearly Meet Investigation Guidelines
2153.5 Reports That Do Not Clearly Meet Investigation Guidelines
2153.6 Recommending a Formally Screened Report for Investigation
2153.7 Closing a Formally Screened Report (Not Recommending Investigation)
2153.8 Time Frames for Completing the Formal Screening of a Report
2153.9 Documenting the Formal Screening of a Report
21542153 Notifying the Reporter When a Report Is Closed
2155 2154 Changing the Priority of a Report – About Abuse or Neglect
*2155 2156 Closing Investigation Reports of Abuse or Neglect Using Priority None (PN) Closure Codes
*2155.1 2156.1 Closing Reports Priority None (PN) That Involve Children in Care
*2155.2 2156.2 Closing Reports Priority None (PN) That Involve a Child Fatality
*2155.3 2156.3 Closing Reports Using Priority None (PN) Closure Codes
*2155.4 2156.4 Required Tasks before Closing Report Using Priority None (PN)
*2155.5 2156.5 Reports of Abuse or Neglect That Require Program Director Approval for Closure
*2155.6 2156.6 Reports of Abuse or Neglect That Require Program Administrator Approval for Closure
*2156 2157 Receiving a New Intake During an Open Investigation of Abuse or Neglect
*2156.1 2157.1 Determining Whether Face-to-Face Contact Is Required
Removing a Child from the Home (PATS 13981)
This policy update removes language about non-emergency removals and aligns the policy with section 3220 Taking Legal Custody of a Child and its subsections.
See:
2247 Removing a Child from the Child’s Home
Preliminary Investigation (PATS 14029)
These policy sections are being updated to reflect the legislative requirement in House Bill 63, 88th Legislature, Regular Session about anonymous reporting and CPI completing a preliminary investigation when the reporter is anonymous.
See:
2234 Preliminary Investigation of an Anonymous Report
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2311 ADMIN – Anonymous Report
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2655.1 Close – ADMIN – Anonymous Report