8200 Direct Services for Active Cases
8210 Assessment Services
CPS November 2006
This item is being revised and will be published soon.
8220 Purchased Family-Based Safety Services (FBSS)
CPS February 2008
The CPS program administrator must assign a CPS liaison to each contract for family-based safety services.
The purchased services may be authorized for families when the services will:
• help the family reduce the risk of abuse or neglect; and either:
• avert the removal of a child from the home to protect the child from abuse or neglect, or
• make it possible for a child to return home and live there safely after being removed and placed in substitute care by DFPS; and
• protect the child from abuse and neglect through:
• Regular Family-Based Safety Services (FBSS),
• Moderate Family-Based Safety Services (M-FBSS), *
• Intensive Family-Based Safety Services (I-FBSS). *
* Moderate or intensive family-based safety services may be used when DFPS staff are unable to meet the need for these services and contract services are available.
Discretion should be used when determining whether a family is appropriate for moderate or intensive family-based safety services because of the high-risk nature of these cases. Intensive services are used only with approval from the DFPS supervisor or program director and the regional child-safety specialist.
Restrictions on Contracting
The CPS liaison may not approve a referral for contracted services:
• if there are no contracted spaces available; or
• the referral requires services that are not available through the contract.
8221 Determining Eligibility
CPS February 2008
Eligibility for family-based safety services is determined as follows.
Regular Services
Clients are eligible for regular family-based safety services (FBSS) when:
• the child lives in the home of a parent or relative and at least one child is at risk of abuse or neglect in the foreseeable future or may be at risk of removal from the home;
• the family is able to work with CPS to reduce the long-term risk of abuse or neglect;
• the risk of abuse or neglect to a child is likely to be reduced with CPS services within 180 to 270 days;
• a written, viable safety plan is in place;
• services are more likely than not to protect the family’s children from abuse or neglect in the immediate or short-term future; and
• services are more likely than not to provide a safe alternative to DFPS conservatorship.
Moderate Services
Clients are eligible for moderate family-based safety services (M-FBSS) when:
• the child lives in the home of a parent or relative and at least one child is at risk of abuse or neglect in the foreseeable future or may be at risk of removal from the home;
• the family is able to work with CPS to reduce the long-term risk of abuse or neglect;
• a written, viable safety plan is in place;
• services are more likely than not to protect the family’s children from abuse or neglect in the immediate or short-term future;
• the risk of abuse or neglect to a child is likely to be reduced in 90 to 180 days; and
• services are more likely than not to provide a safe alternative to DFPS conservatorship.
Intensive Services
Clients are eligible for intensive family-based safety services (I-FBSS) when:
• the child lives in the home of a parent or relative and at least one child is at risk of removal from the home;
• the family is able to work with CPS to reduce the long-term risk of abuse or neglect;
• a written, viable safety plan is in place;
• services are more likely than not to protect the family’s children from abuse or neglect in the immediate or short-term future;
• the objectives are likely to be achieved in 60 to 120 days; and
• services are more likely than not to provide a safe alternative to DFPS conservatorship.
8222 Identifying Available Services
CPS February 2008
A contract to provide family-based safety services (FBSS) must accomplish the following:
• Provide the casework necessary to plan, deliver, and coordinate services.
Required Approvals for Intensive Services: Because of safety considerations, all intensive services are used only with approval from:
• the supervisor or program director; and
• the regional child-safety specialist.
• Provide the services listed below, either directly, through a subcontract, or through referral to other CPS contractors:
• Homemaker Services
• Evaluation and Treatment Services
• Basic Parent/Caregiver Training
• Child Day Care Services
• Early Childhood Intervention Services
• Concrete Services (see 8233 Concrete Services)
• Meet the same time frames and frequency of contact as specified in 3000 Family-Based Safety Services
• Plan and implement the distribution of brochures on Texas Health Steps.
• Plan and implement the distribution of information on the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
• Complete the risk assessment tool at key points during the decision-making process, including before the case is closed, when closure is being considered.
A risk assessment may also be completed when requested by a supervisor because of a significant change in the level of risk.
A change in the level of risk may include a change in:
• household composition;
• stressors affecting family functioning;
• living conditions; or
• information regarding one of the seven areas of concern, including significant new information.
Provider Participation in Staffing Meetings and Testimony
For cases that have been returned to CPS or reopened as the result of a new investigation, the FBSS provider must be available to:
• confer with CPS in staffings for case planning; and
• testify in court as necessary.
Provider Experience and Credentials
All individuals providing direct client services must:
• be appropriately licensed by the State of Texas; and
• have the minimum or preferred qualifications for casework staff:
• Minimum — A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, directly supervised by a person meeting minimum qualifications for casework supervision; or
• Preferred — A bachelor’s degree in social work, or a bachelor’s degree with a major area of concentration in a behavioral science discipline with experience in social work or human services, one year of which was full-time experience working with multi-problem children and families or providing supervised child protective services ; and
• have the minimum or preferred qualifications for casework supervisors:
• Minimum — A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and two years of full-time, supervised social work experience working with multi-problem families and children; or
• Preferred — A master’s degree in social work from an institution accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and three years of full-time, supervised experience in child protective services.
Experience in child protective services is extremely helpful in staff selection, performance, and retention.
Required Training for Contractor Staff
The contractor must ensure that the provider receives the following training:
• Orientation — The contractor must provide a basic job orientation within the first 30 days of employment; and
• Basic Job Training — The contractor must provide new workers and supervisors with basic job training within 30 days of their first day of employment. The contractor must provide each caseworker with a minimum of 20 hours of training before the caseworker works with clients. The contractor must provide 20 additional hours of training within the first 30 days of the hire date. All training must be documented in individual personnel files and be available for review by CPS contract staff. Contractor staff have access to any scheduled training for CPS staff on a space-available basis. The topics covered in the training must include CPS’s policies and procedures for:
• intake and investigation,
• risk assessment and service planning,
• family preservation values and beliefs,
• the legal basis for family-based safety services, reporting requirements, investigation requirements, and statutory definitions of abuse and neglect,
• an overview of the CPS program, including nomenclature and vernacular,
• an overview of family systems theories and interventions,
• casework process,
• cultural sensitivity,
• indicators of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and neglect, and
• recognition of family strengths.
8223 Referring Clients for Family-Based Safety Services
CPS February 2008
To refer clients for family-based safety services (FBSS), the worker completes the following steps.
For full instructions, see 8161.1 Active Cases – Authorizing, Extending, or Terminating Direct Services.
To Initiate Service: |
To Extend or Reauthorize Service: |
|---|---|
Provide a completed CPS risk assessment tool, structured narrative, analysis, and conclusion of the current investigation. |
Adhere to the following general time frames: • Regular In-Home Safety Services — Up to six months • Moderate In-Home Safety Services — Up to 90 days • Intensive In-Home Safety Services — Up to 90 days. |
Ensure that the family’s complete case record is accessible to the contractor.
Schedule a joint visit with the client, the contracted worker, and the CPS worker who referred the case to the contractor.
Transfer the case to the CPS liaison or other identified CPS workers.
Specify a time frame within which the family-based safety services will be provided, within the following restrictions:
• Regular Family-Based Safety Services — Authorize up to six months
• Moderate Family-Based Safety Services — Authorize up to six months
• Intensive Family-Based Safety Services — Authorize up to four months
8224 Using IMPACT for Completing Service Authorizations
CPS February 2008
To authorize services, workers enter the following details into the IMPACT case management system:
IMPACT Field |
IMPACT Entry |
|---|---|
Stage |
FPR, FRE |
Category |
Other |
Service |
Contracted Fam Pres Svc |
Unit of Service |
Hour |
Service Code |
90A |
When IMPACT Is Unavailable
If the IMPACT system is not functioning or the worker is otherwise unable to access it, the worker may authorize family-based safety services (FBSS) by submitting a paper copy of Form 2054 Service Authorization.
For complete instructions on manually authorizing services by submitting a hard copy (paper) form, see 8164 Manual Authorization – Submitting a Paper Form.
8225 Handling Liaison Duties
CPS August 2009
The CPS liaison:
• ensures that contracted space is available for the referral;
• ensures that the required services that are being referred are available under the contract;
• reviews and makes recommendations regarding any case that the contractor:
• rejects at the time of referral, or
• subsequently returns to CPS for services;
• participates in the contractor’s staffing or case review for all cases recommended for closure;
• notifies the contractor in writing of changes in the client’s circumstances or physical location that might affect service delivery;
• consults with the contractor whenever the contractor recommends extending a family’s services beyond the initial time frame specified on the service authorization;
• participates in the contractor’s quarterly staffing of regular services cases;
• participates in the contractor’s monthly staffing of moderate and intensive services cases;
• documents monthly face-to-face contacts made by the contractor, including the location of the contacts on the Contact Detail pagein IMPACT to meet federal reporting requirements. See 3481 Documenting Significant Consultations Between the Supervisor and Worker and 3329 Documenting Contacts and Visits regarding significant supervisory staffings and the requirements for documenting the caseworker’s observation of and discussions with the child and the parent or caregiver.);
• collaborates with the CPS contract manager in monitoring the contractor’s activities, including site visits;
• selects and reviews samples of the contractor’s records on active and closed cases and discusses the findings with the contractor at least:
• semiannually for regular services, and
• quarterly for moderate and intensive services;
• provides feedback to the contract manager;
• develops a process for and helps resolve service issues with the contractor; and
• helps resolve any billing problems the contractor experiences.
8226 Starting New Investigations of Open Cases
CPS February 2008
If CPS starts a new investigation on a case already opened for family-based safety services (FBSS), the CPS liaison proceeds according to the procedures used in the liaison’s region and:
• immediately notifies the contractor that a new referral has been received; and
• confers with the contractor to determine whether:
• the case will be returned to CPS, or
• contact with the family will:
• end until the investigation is initiated,
• end until the investigation is completed, or
• continue throughout the investigation.
8227 Handling Returned Open Cases
CPS February 2008
When a case that is already opened for family-based safety services (FBSS) is returned to CPS, the CPS liaison must confer with the contractor about the reasons for returning the case; and either:
• reassign the case for CPS services; or
• close the case.
Reasons a Contractor May Return a Case
The reasons a contractor may return a case include:
• a new investigation into child abuse or neglect is initiated, and the risk is too great to leave the case in FBSS;
• the family has demonstrated an unwillingness to cooperate with the contractor;
• the family can no longer ensure the child’s safety; or
• the safety of the child cannot be controlled by safety planning or when an issue exists that diminishes the contractor’s ability to provide services and ensure the child’s safety.
8228 Adding, Changing, or Terminating
CPS February 2008
The CPS liaison is responsible for authorizing additional family-based safety services (FBSS) or extending or reauthorizing the service, as needed.
To authorize additional units of service or to extend or reauthorize the service, see 8161.1 Active Cases – Authorizing, Extending, or Terminating Direct Services.
To terminate FBSS, the CPS liaison must:
• review cases as they are progressed from one stage to another;
• receive closing summaries within 10 days of the decision to close the case;
• approve the closing of a case;
• ensure that all authorizations for service have ended, with the exception of post-intervention child day care services.
• receive and ensure that the closed contracted case is stored in an external documents file.
If the service is being terminated before the end date on Form 2054 Service Authorization, see 8161.1 Active Cases – Authorizing, Extending, or Terminating Direct Services.