2150 The Role of CPS in Screening Reports of Abuse or Neglect
CPS August 2009
State law requires DFPS to maintain a flexible response system. The system requires DFPS to screen all reports of abuse and neglect and assign a lower priority to less serious cases. Prioritizing reports better enables DFPS to investigate the most serious cases of abuse and neglect.
DFPS is authorized to determine, after contacting a professional or other credible source, whether a child’s safety can be assured without further investigation.
A case is considered to be less serious if the circumstances of the case do not indicate an immediate risk of abuse or neglect that could result in the death of or serious harm to the child.
Texas Family Code §261.3015
A CPS supervisor or investigation screener must review:
• every Priority 1 report;
• every Priority 2 report; and
• every Priority None (PN) report that requires CPS review (see the Priority None section of 2144 The Role of SWI in Screening Reports of Abuse or Neglect).
2151 The CPI Supervisor’s Role in Reviewing Reports of Abuse or Neglect
CPS October 2021
Review the Report
A CPI supervisor reviews the following reports of abuse or neglect:
- A Priority 1 (P1) report, as assigned by the DFPS Statewide Intake Division (SWI).
- A Priority 2 (P2) report, as assigned by SWI, in which the alleged victim is age 5 or younger.
- A new report on an open case.
To complete the review, the supervisor does the following:
- Approves or changes the initial priority assigned to the report.
- Approves or changes the action recommended for the report.
- Records the changes in the Intake stage in IMPACT.
Note: Reports involving child fatalities and children in the conservatorship of the department are not eligible for Priority None (PN) in specific situations.
See:
2156.2 Closing Reports Priority None (PN) That Involve a Child Fatality
2156.1 Closing Reports Priority None (PN) That Involve Children in Care
Document the Review in IMPACT
After reviewing a report of abuse or neglect referred by SWI, the CPI supervisor ensures that the following information is entered into the report in a contact narrative:
- Any contacts with reliable sources that led to the decision to change the priority of the original report. See 2152 Contacting Collateral Sources About Reports of Abuse or Neglect.
- The supervisor’s rationale for changing the priority assigned or action recommended by SWI.
When documenting a review in IMPACT, the supervisor does not use Formal Screening as the Purpose code on the Contact Detail page.
When Closing the Report Without Assignment (PN)
When a CPI supervisor recommends closing a report of abuse or neglect without assignment, see the following sections for appropriate policies:
See:
2154 Notifying the Reporter When a Report Is Closed
2156 Closing Investigation Reports of Abuse or Neglect Using Priority None (PN) Closure Codes
2156.1 Closing Reports Priority None (PN) That Involve Children in Care
2156.2 Closing Reports Priority None (PN) That Involve a Child Fatality
2156.3 Closing Reports Using Priority None (PN) Closure Codes
2156.4 Required Tasks before Closing Report Using Priority None (PN)
2156.5 Reports of Abuse or Neglect That Require Program Director Approval for Closure
2156.6 Reports of Abuse or Neglect That Require Program Administrator Approval for Closure
Time Frame for Initiating an Investigation
The time frames cannot be extended. The supervisor must review the report quickly so the caseworker can respond within the required time frames.
2151.1 Notification of a Report Involving a Child in DFPS Conservatorship
CPS October 2022
If a child is in the conservatorship of DFPS, and an alleged victim or a household member of the home being investigated, the CPI supervisor or designee must notify the following staff assigned to each alleged victim identified or other child in care that is living in the household:
- CVS/SSCC caseworker
- CVS/SSCC supervisor
- CVS/SSCC program director
The CPI supervisor or designee makes this notification via email no later than 7 p.m. the next calendar day. The intake report is stage progressed to an investigation.
If an intake involves child sexual aggression (CSA), the following steps are taken:
- The CVS/SSCC program administrator must be notified by email.
- Staff follows protocol outlined in the Sexual Incident Resource Guide.
See:
Sexual Incident Resource Guide
Working with a Child who has Experienced Sexual Abuse Resource Guide
If the child is in a kinship placement, the investigation supervisor also must notify the CPS kinship worker, supervisor, and regional kinship leadership by email.
See 4221.3 CPS Protocol During an Investigation Involving a Child in Conservatorship.
All notifications must occur no later than 7 p.m. the next calendar day, and notification must be documented in a contact narrative.
Risk and Safety Concerns Involving a Child in Conservatorship
After making face-to-face contact with the child or caregiver, if there are immediate child safety concerns or any risk factors of concern (the CPI caseworker may not leave the child alone in that placement), the CPI caseworker or supervisor immediately informs the following people:
- CPI program director
- CVS/SSCC caseworker
- CVS/SSCC supervisor
- CVS/SSCC program director
- CPS kinship staff (if applicable).
CPI and CVS/SSCC staff coordinate any need for a new placement. If a new placement is needed, CPI and CVS/SSCC work together to ensure that policy for notifying legal parties is followed.
If more alleged victims are identified during the investigation, the investigator is responsible for notifying the CVS/SSCC caseworker, supervisor, and program director by email of any additional information.
The email must include the following information:
- Case name.
- Case number.
- Victim child’s name.
- Victim child’s PID.
- Any other child in the home’s name, PID, and relation to the alleged victim.
- A statement of whether the allegations involve sexually aggressive behavior or child-on-child physical abuse.
- Any additional information identified during the investigation.
Maintaining Contact with the CPS Caseworker of Alleged Victims
After the initial notification, the CPI caseworker should maintain contact with the child’s CVS/SSCC caseworker if the child is listed as an alleged victim for the following reasons:
- To obtain more information about the child, including the child’s history of abuse or neglect, behavioral patterns, and any other information that provides insight into the investigation.
- To share information with the CVS/SSCC caseworker about the status of the investigation, including any concerns the CPI caseworker may have with the child’s placement and detailed information regarding incidents of child-on-child abuse.
- To get help acquiring the child’s medical records from a doctor’s office or hospital, if necessary.
Document Staffing with DFPS Conservatorship in IMPACT
All contacts with a child’s CVS caseworker, supervisor, program director, and CPS risk manager that pertain to this section of policy must be documented in IMPACT within 24 hours.
See:
2221 Documentation and Same Day Contact Entry for Alleged Victims and Other Children
Investigation Conclusion
Once CPI has completed the investigation, the CPI supervisor contacts the CVS/SSCC supervisor to inform him of her of the information gathered during the investigation and investigation disposition.
CPI forwards a copy of the notification letter to CVS/SSCC staff once the investigation is closed.
2152 Contacting Collateral Sources About Reports of Abuse or Neglect
CPS October 2020
A CPI caseworker, supervisor or a CPI screener must make attempts to contact a collateral source to determine whether an investigation is needed.
The contact must be with a reliable collateral or a principal who can provide new and relevant information about the allegations and the current safety of the child. A collateral source could be a relative, teacher, neighbor, or family doctor. The principal source may not be an alleged victim or perpetrator.
If a collateral source is not listed in the current report or does not respond to an attempt by the caseworker to gather more information, then the caseworker must:
- Review all IMPACT records for the family to determine if another collateral can provide pertinent information to the case.
- Document in a contact narrative the attempts to contact or locate a collateral in the information reviewed.
- Document in a contact narrative the reason the collateral is not required for determining if an investigation is needed.
See 2156.4 Required Tasks before Closing Report Using Priority None (PN).
2153 Formally Screening Reports of Abuse or Neglect (The Role of the Investigation Screener)
CPS August 2009
The purpose of the formal screening of reports is to ensure that CPS investigates only the cases that appear to meet the guidelines for investigation.
All reports meeting certain criteria must be formally screened by designated CPS staff using the investigation screening protocol.
See:
2153.1 Criteria for Formally Screening Reports of Abuse or Neglect
2153.2 CPS Staff Who Formally Screen Reports of Abuse or Neglect
To document in the Intake stage of the IMPACT case system that a reports has been formally screened, the worker:
• navigates to the Formal Screening section of the Priority/Closure page; and
• answers Yes to the question Was the Intake Formally Screened?.
If a report is eligible for formal screening but a formal screening is not conducted, the supervisor or screener must take the following actions before progressing the report to the next stage or closing it without assignment for investigation:
• Select No to the question Was the Intake Formally Screened in the Formal Screening section of the Priority/Closure page in the intake stage, and
• Document the reason the formal screening was not conducted in the Contact Detail page of the Intake stage.
For detailed procedures on the formal screening process, see:
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 Reports (Not Recommending Investigation
2153.8 Time Frames for Completing the Formal Screening of a Report
2153.9 Documenting the Formal Screening of a Report
2153.1 Criteria for Formally Screening Reports of Abuse or Neglect
CPS August 2009
The following reports must be formally screened:
• Priority 2 reports when all of the alleged victims are age 6 or older and there is no other open CPS case. The P2 designation must be SWI’s final priority assigned by staff of the DFPS Statewide Intake (SWI) Division. Reports changed to P2 by CPS staff are not eligible to be screened.
• Priority None (PN) reports that meet the criteria for SWI to forward the report to the appropriate DFPS field office. (See 2144 The Role of SWI in Screening Reports of Abuse or Neglect.)
2153.2 CPS Staff Who Formally Screen Reports of Abuse or Neglect
CPS August 2009
Caseworkers
CPS caseworkers who serve as investigation screeners may formally screen intake reports.
Supervisors
CPS supervisors may formally screen reports when all of the following circumstances exist:
• A designated screener is not available to perform the function
• The report is received on a weekend or holiday
• The report meets the criteria for formal screening (see 2153.1 Criteria for Formally Screening Reports of Abuse or Neglect)
• The supervisor follows the standardized screening protocol.
The supervisor screens the report from his or her own workload within the IMPACT case management system, not from the screener’s workload.
2153.3 Determining a Report's Eligibility for Screening
CPS August 2009
The CPS worker assigned to formally screen a report of abuse or neglect:
• navigates to the Priority/Closure page in the Intake stage of the IMPACT case management system; and
• views the Formal Screening section.
Depending on the determination made there (identified in the Eligible? field), the worker takes the actions shown in the table below:
Eligibility for Formal Screening: |
CPS Action: |
|---|---|
Not Eligible |
The worker routes the report to the unit supervisor for screening, following regional protocols. |
Eligible |
The screener proceeds with the: • Person search for prior DFPS history on the family; • Determine eligibility for a formal screening; and • Document the reason for the screener's or supervisor's actions. |
Eligibility Unknown |
The screener proceeds with the: • Person search for prior DFPS history on the family; • Search for an open case in a certain stage on the family (and documents yes or no in response to the question on the Priority/Closure page about whether the case is open; • Determine eligibility for a formal screening; and • Document the reason for the screener's or supervisor's actions. |
Conducting a Person Search
Searching for Prior DFPS History
The worker performing the formal screening must conduct a person search of the principals in the case to determine whether the family has prior history with DFPS. If history is found, the screener reviews, summarizes, and considers the history when determining whether the case warrants a formal screening. See the table below.
Searching for an Open Case on the Family
The person performing the search must determine if there is an open case on the family in one of the following stages:
• investigation (INV);
• Family-Based Safety Services (FBSS);
• family substitute care (FSU); or
• family reunification (FRE) stage.
Depending on the findings of the search, the screener proceeds as indicated in this table:
Determine whether a prior case is open in the INV, FBSS, or FSU stage. |
Document the case as open, based on the open stage of the prior case. |
Note the automatic change in the eligibility (Eligible?), based on the open stage of the prior case. |
Do as follows, depending on the change in eligibility. |
|---|---|---|---|
Yes, open in INV, FBSS, or FSU stage. |
Yes, open |
Not Eligible |
Stop the formal screening and send the report to the unit supervisor for further screening. |
No, not open inINV, FBSS, or FSU stage. |
No, not open |
Eligible |
Determine whether the report: • clearly meets guidelines (see 2153.4 Reports That Clearly Meet Investigation Guidelines); or • does not clearly meet guidelines (see 2153.5 Reports That Do Not Clearly Meet Investigation Guidelines) |
2153.4 Reports That Clearly Meet Investigation Guidelines
CPS August 2009
When a report that is eligible for screening clearly meets the guidelines for investigation and no clarification of information is needed, the person performing the formal screening:
• performs the steps under 2153 Formally Screening Reports of Abuse or Neglect (The Role of the Investigation Screener);
• immediately progresses the report to the next stage; and
• forwards the report for investigation, following regional protocols. See 2153.6 Recommending a Formally Screened Report for Investigation.
2153.5 Reports That Do Not Clearly Meet Investigation Guidelines
CPS September 13, 2010
If a report that is eligible for screening contains information that needs clarification or does not clearly meet the guidelines for investigation, the screener performing the formal screening takes the following steps:
1. Contact collateral sources, such as the child’s neighbors, teacher, or family doctor to clarify and develop information for the report (see 2152 Contacting Collateral Sources About Reports of Abuse or Neglect; also see To Close a Report, below) and, if appropriate, contact the child’s parents, as described below. (The reporter is not considered a collateral source.)
2. Contact the reporter to clarify information in the report, if possible and appropriate.
3. Determine whether to:
• assign the report for investigation (see 2153.6 Recommending a Formally Screened Report for Investigation); or
• close the report without assignment for investigation. See 2153.7 Closing a Formally Screened Report (Not Recommending Investigation).
When It Is Beneficial to Contact a Parent
To ensure thorough screening, it may sometimes be beneficial for a screener to contact the parent, managing conservator, or legal guardian of an alleged victim.
However, before making contact, the screener must complete the following steps:
1. To prevent initiating the investigation while screening an intake, the screener must first confirm that the parent, managing conservator, or legal guardian is not listed as an alleged perpetrator (AP) in the open intake.
2. If the parent, managing conservator, or legal guardian is not an AP, the screener confirms that the person is aware of the report by answering yes to at least one of the following questions:
• Is the parent, managing conservator, or legal guardian aware that the report was made?
• Is the parent, managing conservator, or legal guardian the reporter?
• Is the report being made on behalf of the parent, managing conservator, or legal guardian (that is, was the report made with his or her knowledge)?
3. If the screener answers yes to at least one of the questions noted in step two, above, and has confirmed that the parent, managing conservator, or legal guardian is not an AP, the screener then holds a staffing meeting with a screener supervisor or designee to:
• obtain confirmation that the screener may contact the parent, managing conservator, or legal guardian that the screener has identified; and
• obtain guidance on the extent to which the screener may question the parent, managing conservator, or legal guardian.
Closing a Report
To close a report, the screener must make contact, not just attempt contact, and must obtain meaningful information:
• that was not contained in the original report; and
• that either refutes the allegations or otherwise indicates that the child’s safety is assured.
2153.6 Recommending a Formally Screened Report for Investigation
CPS August 2009
When the screener recommends the report for investigation, the screener stage progresses the report to the investigation stage and forwards it for investigation, following regional protocols.
If the screened report that is recommended for investigation is a report that has been assigned as Priority None (PN), the screener must upgrade the priority of the report before progressing the report to the next stage.
2153.7 Closing a Formally Screened Report (Not Recommending Investigation)
CPS September 2011
When a report of abuse or neglect can be closed after a formal screening, the screener:
• changes the priority of the report to PN (Priority None), if needed (see 2143 Assigning Priority to Reports of Abuse or Neglect);
• documents on the Priority/Closure page of the IMPACT case management system the reasons for changing the priority;
• considers carefully whether the issues identified during the screening process could be addressed by a community resource that would benefit the family and reduce the risk of abuse or neglect in the future;
• contacts the parent or legal guardian with information about the resource, if an appropriate resource is available (this action applies, regardless of whether the parent or legal guardian is the regular caregiver);
• documents in the case narrative the discussion held with the parent or legal guardian about the resource; and
• notifies the reporter of abuse or neglect that the report has been closed (see 2154 Notifying the Reporter When a Report Is Closed).
Cases closed without being assigned for investigation as a result of the formal screening must have a minimum of one completed contact documented in the Intake stage of the case. The contact must have the Purpose code of Formal Screening.
2153.8 Time Frames for Completing the Formal Screening of a Report
CPS August 2009
Screen Within 72 Hours
Reports of abuse or neglect that meet the criteria for formal screening must be screened within 72 hours of the date and time the intake report was received.
Progress Immediately for Investigation
As soon as a screener recommends a report for investigation, the screener:
• documents the actions taken to make the recommendation; and
• progresses the case to the next stage.
2153.9 Documenting the Formal Screening of a Report
CPS August 2009
Before stage progressing or closing a report that is eligible for formal screening, the screener must take the following actions in the IMPACT case management system:
• Document the following in the Intake stage, in the Contact Detail narrative, using Formal Screening as the Purpose code:
• The results of the person search, including a summary of any prior DFPS history
• The contacts made
• The rationale for the decision to close the case or progress it to the next stage
• Document in the Priority/Closure page, whether the intake was formally screened
Document Within 24-Hours
Workers who formally screen a report must document all of the actions taken and the contacts made within 24 hours of taking the action or making the contact.
If a report is recommended for investigation, the screener must document his or her actions and contacts quickly enough to progress the case to investigations in a timely manner.
2154 Notifying the Reporter When a Report Is Closed
CPS August 2009
When an intake report is closed following review by either a CPS supervisor or an investigation screener, the supervisor or screener notifies the reporter about the closing by generating a letter in the IMPACT case management system.
• The screener changes the name in the notification letter from that of the intake worker in the DFPS Statewide Intake (SWI) Division who generated the report to that of the CPS worker who makes the decision to close the report.
• The screener then sends the letter to the reporter who reported the abuse or neglect.
2155 Changing the Priority of a Report – Abuse or Neglect
CPS November 2022
A supervisor may change the priority of a report of abuse or neglect for one of the following reasons.
| IMPACT Option: |
Reason for Change: |
|---|---|
Due to Additional Calls Made |
Calls made to collaterals after initial intake provided additional information that warrants a priority change. |
Due to Local Records |
Information in local records revealed information that warrants a priority change. |
Inconsistent with Documented Risk |
The level of risk documented in the intake does not support the priority originally assigned. |
2156 Closing Investigation Reports of Abuse or Neglect Using Priority None (PN) Closure Codes
CPS November 2022
An intake is screened to identify if Priority None (PN) Closure Codes should apply. Situations when Priority None (PN) Closure Codes should apply are listed in the sections below.
2156.1 Closing Reports Priority None (PN) That Involve Children in Care
CPS November 2022
Cases involving children in the conservatorship of the DFPS can only be Priority None (PN) by a Statewide Intake screener or an investigation screener after formal screening.
2156.2 Closing Reports Priority None (PN) That Involve a Child Fatality
CPS November 2022
Reports involving child fatalities are eligible for Priority None (PN) if the following apply:
- No allegations pertain to other children in the home.
- The child fatality was already investigated and dispositioned.
- Program director approves the report in IMPACT.
The supervisor stage progresses and assigns all other child fatality reports for investigation.
2156.3 Closing Reports Using Priority None (PN) Closure Codes
CPS November 2022
The program director or program administrator may close a report of abuse or neglect without assigning it for investigation for the following reasons.
| IMPACT Option: |
Reason for Change: |
|---|---|
Doesn’t appear to involve abuse, neglect, or risk |
|
Not enough information to locate |
Caseworker makes reasonable efforts to find additional locating information but cannot locate the child, the child’s family, or household (see the Finding Families Resource Guide). These reasonable efforts may include, but are not limited to, the following:
|
Incident jurisdiction of other DFPS program |
|
Incident responsibility of Other Agency/Out-of-State |
|
Incident addressed in previous case |
|
When an open investigation exists and a new report is received, see 2157 Receiving a New Intake During an Open Investigation of Abuse or Neglect.
2156.4 Required Tasks before Closing Report Using Priority None (PN)
CPS January 2023
The supervisor may assign an intake report to a program director for closure with a recommended action of Priority None (PN), if information was gathered that indicates DFPS involvement is not warranted.
Approval for closing using Priority None (PN) must occur within five days of the intake date and cannot be extended. Before recommending the closure of an intake report of abuse or neglect using Priority None (PN), all of the following steps must take place:
- The caseworker contacts the reporter.
- The caseworker attempts contact with a professional or another credible source who can provide information about the allegations and the current safety of the child. The source may also be the reporter, if new information about the allegations and current safety of the child is provided.
- The caseworker reviews 2152 Contacting Collateral Sources About Reports of Abuse or Neglect to determine actions needed to close the case without a collateral source, if there is no collateral source listed to contact.
- The caseworker conducts a person search of the principals in the report to determine whether the family has prior DFPS history. If history is found, it is reviewed, summarized, documented, and considered when determining whether the report warrants investigation.
- The supervisor consults with the ongoing services caseworker and supervisor if a principal in the intake is also a principal in an open family preservation or substitute care, except post adoption services.
- The supervisor must consider the nature and seriousness of the allegations and any other relevant information, such as the ages of the child, if the child made an outcry, principal’s behaviors that could place a child in an unsafe situation, and any alleged concerns for the conditions of the home.
- The supervisor documents, in the intake contact narrative in IMPACT, a written rationale for closing the case Priority None (PN).
2156.5 Reports of Abuse or Neglect That Require Program Director Approval for Closure
CPS January 2023
Approval from a program director is required to close any intake report of abuse or neglect as Priority None (PN).
Before assigning the report in IMPACT for review by the program director, the caseworker and supervisor enter all contacts supporting the closure into the intake report.
The program director reads the intake report and either approves or rejects it.
2156.6 Reports of Abuse or Neglect That Require Program Administrator Approval for Closure
CPS January 2023
Approvals from both a program director and a program administrator are required to close an intake report as Priority None (PN), if the following apply:
- A family had more than three consecutive previous reports that were closed as PN with no intervention by DFPS.
- A new report is received on a principal in an open family preservation stage or any stage of substitute services, except post-adoption services. If the intake involves a child in DFPS conservatorship, see 2156.1 Closing Reports Priority None (PN) That Involve Children in Care.
For such cases, the following people complete these steps:
- The program director reads the intake report and either approves or rejects it. If approved, the program director assigns the report in IMPACT to the program administrator.
- The program administrator reads the intake report and either approves or rejects it.
2157 Receiving a New Intake During an Open Investigation of Abuse or Neglect
CPS November 2022
If CPI receives a new intake while the case is being investigated, CPI staff must do the following:
- Stage progress the new intake from the Intake stage to the Investigation stage in IMPACT. Progressing the new report to the Investigation stage before merging the reports ensures that the details about the reporter, the victim, and the allegations carry forward correctly.
- Person merge before merging cases.
- Contact the reporter, if CPI staff has not already done so in the Intake stage.
- Merge the two investigations within priority time frames: 24 hours for Priority 1 and 72 hours for Priority 2.
- Only merge one investigation per every 24 hours.
2157.1 Determining Whether Face-to-Face Contact is Required
CPS November 2022
The caseworker staffs with the CPI supervisor to determine whether face-to-face contact with the family is required.
The caseworker must make face-to-face contact with the family within priority time frames for any of the following:
- New allegations
- New incidents of abuse or neglect
If the CPI supervisor determines the new investigation contains the same information as the open case and all the information in the new investigation has been addressed with the family in the open case, the following steps are taken:
- The supervisor staffs with the program director to determine whether face-to-face contact with the family is required.
- If the program director determines face-to-face contact is not necessary, an initial contact is entered in the new investigation, referencing the case number to the open case. This initial contact must include how the information in the new investigation was addressed in the current open case.
- Staff contacts the family to notify them of the new investigation.
- Staff merges the new investigation into the open investigation.