Child Protection Services (CPS) Child Protection Initial Screening Criteria

Transcription

1 Child Protection Services (CPS) Child Protection Initial Screening Criteria The following criteria are used to determine when to perform a Child Protection Assessment in accordance with Minnesota Statutes , Subd. 10. Hearsay reports are not acceptable; therefore, child protection intake will make every attempt to secure first-hand information before case assignment. Mandated reporters cannot by law report anonymously. While anonymous reports will be accepted, efforts will be made to have the reporter identify themselves so followup information can be exchanged. Child protection reports will be assessed on referrals concerning people having a significant relationship when related by blood, marriage, or adoption: siblings, first cousins, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, grandparent, great grandparent, great uncle or aunt, a person who lives intermittently or regularly in the same household. Caretaker also includes daycare providers, and foster parents. Child Abuse An assessment will be conducted when the following circumstances are alleged and these allegations have occurred within the past three years. In addition, the maltreatment allegations must have been inflicted or caused by persons with the significant relationship defined above. Physical Abuse 1. An intentional (non-accidental) act resulting in a visible injury or an injury diagnosed by a physician (X-ray, etc.). Injury is defined as a visible mark or swelling lasting minimally 24 hours. 2. An act of discipline, which results in an injury 3. Any physical injury that cannot be reasonably explained by the child's history of injuries. These reports usually come from a physician. 4. Any case where a physician reports a suspicious explanation of an injury. 5. Domestic violence/assault resulting in unintentional injury to a child will be assessed as neglect on the part of both caretakers involved. 6. Juvenile sibs acting in a care-taking role to be assessed by CPS. Other juvenile perpetrators may be referred to police. 7. Minimal injury over thirty days old to adolescents may be screened out from CPS assessment. 8. Allegations that foster parents or daycare providers have physically abused their own children will be assessed as institutional if the abuse occurred while foster or daycare children were in care. 9. Reports of abuse by hospital staff, school staff or licensed P.C.A refer to police and MN Department of Health. Reports on unlicensed P.C.A refer to police. Abuse in Correction facilities refer to MN Department of Corrections and police. See help sheet for names and phone numbers. Threatened Physical Abuse Threatened injury means a statement, overt act, condition, or status that represents a substantial risk of physical or sexual abuse or mental injury. 1. Adult holding a weapon to child, or trying to hit child with a weapon and threatening harm or placing child at immediate risk e.g. suspending child out a window.

2 2. Reports of physical punishment to a child 18 months old or younger involving shaking, throwing, or hitting of the child s head or trunk. 3. All reports of confinement or restraint including but not limited to tying, taping, locking, caging or chaining children. Risk factors on confinement for consideration are length of time, area, frequency, and age of child. Sexual Abuse CPS will assess if act occurred within past three years. Older reports, CPS will facilitate report to law enforcement. To be assessed if involving people with significant relationship previously defined as well as contact between juvenile sibs, or children living together, with three year age difference between them. All reports of adolescent sibs as perpetrators will be assesses by CPS. CPS will also assess always if one sib is in a care-taking role regardless of age differences or if there is force or coercion. 1. Sexual abuse is at a minimum, some intentional touching of the victim's breasts, buttocks, inner thighs, groin or primary genital area (or victim touching the perpetrator) through the clothing. This would also include a victim touching themselves or two victims touching each other at the direction of an adult. 2. Children with unexplained injury to genitals. 3. Preadolescent children with sexually transmitted diseases. 4. Children involved in prostitution or sexual performance. Also includes videotaping or photographing children in sexual manner. 5. Children sexually abused by adults not within the family unit while not assessable shall be cross-reported to law enforcement. This will be facilitated by the CPS worker. 6. Children living with, being cared for by, or allowed access to a convicted, untreated sexual perpetrator of children will be assessed as neglect. 7. Reports of minor non-sibling relatives having sexual contact will not be assessed unless referred by the county attorney as perpetrator has committed a delinquent act and is under ten years old. Other reports of sexual assault will be referred to the police. 8. Children in placement having sexual contact will be assigned for assessment if there are clear allegations of neglect by the caretakers such as repeated episodes after staff is aware of the problem. Threatened Sexual Abuse 1. Reports where child is intentionally exposed to adult sexual activity. 2. Reports of sexually intrusive behaviors, invasions of privacy; walking in on or peeping on child when nude. This involves intentional acts by adult and include masturbating in front of a child, asking the child to watch; coercing the child to observe or participate. 3. If the exposure is a result of lifestyle or casual nudity the report will not be assessed unless the child reports discomfort or other negative impacts. If the child is negatively impacted a neglect assessment will be done. Failure to Thrive 1. Physician's diagnosis of Failure to Thrive due to parental deprivation, defined as inadequate caloric intake with non-organic cause. 2. Nurse s evaluation of child as being under 5th percentile in weight/growth. CPS will facilitate medical evaluation to confirm if failure to thrive either at screening level or assessment.

3 Child Homicides 1. All reports of death due to physical abuse, sexual abuse or failure to thrive will be assessed by abuse intake. 2. All reports of death due to neglect will be assessed by neglect unit. 3. All reports of a parent/ caretaker who kills other children not residing in household will be assigned as threatened physical to assess safety of children in parent s household. Mental Injury "Mental Injury" means an injury to the psychological capacity or emotional stability of a child as evidenced by an observable or substantial impairment in the child's ability to function within a normal range of performance and behavior with due regard to the child's culture. These reports would come from a professional person [mental health professional or teacher] documenting both mental injury to the child and acts or omissions of parent or caretaker of child that have contributed to the development of the injury. This also includes threatened mental injury which defines as behavior of caretaker which would result in mental injury but mental injury is not yet observed in the child. Again a school or mental health professional would be the referral source. Child Neglect Neglect is defined as a parent, guardian, or caretaker's failure, whether intentional or unintentional, to provide, food, clothing, shelter, medical and dental care, education and supervision, thus causing harm or threat of harm to the child's health, safety, development or education. An assessment will be conducted when the following circumstances are alleged and supporting documentation gotten. See 5. under Physical Abuse and 6. under Sexual Abuse which assess as neglect. 1. INADEQUATE SHELTER The periodic or continuing failure to provide adequate shelter and protection from weather and from environmental hazards in the dwelling and on the property which have the potential for injury, illness and/or disease which are under control of the caretaker. a. Adequate shelter includes: appropriate heat, appropriate sanitation, and appropriate sleeping arrangements. b. Environmental hazards in the home or on the property include, but are not limited to, items such as: broken window or glass, gas leaks, open and accessible containers of dangerous drugs or household poisons, exposed electric wiring, scalding water, unprotected space heaters, lead-based paint, discarded refrigerators with doors, open wells without covers, animal waste, feces, rodents and insects. BOTH A & B WILL BE REFERRED TO APPROPRIATE HEALTH DEPT. either by CPS or reporter facilitated by CPS. If Health condemns property conditions are met for assessment. c. CPS may assess reports of family living in a car, under a bridge or camping due to homelessness. Factors to be considered in camping are bathroom facilities,

4 and length of time as well as season. CPS to involve police for immediate safety check. Reports of family barred from emergency shelter due to excessive use or whose caretaker s behavior banned them from shelter use and having no place to stay will be assessed by CPS. 2. INADEQUATE CLOTHING AND HYGIENE The failure to provide and maintain adequate clothing, which is appropriate to the climate and/or environmental conditions. Appropriate to assign if risk factors are high such as child s core temperature has dropped due to inadequate cover in cold or child suffers frostbite. a. Provision of adequate clothing suitable for the child's sex and age. b. Maintenance of clothing includes: periodic laundering and necessary upkeep. c. Child is chronically dirty or un-bathed. If school documents and child is unable to participate in school setting, is shunned by other children due to chronic untreated head lice, filth or smell and parent is uncooperative or unable to improve situation case will be assessed. 3. INADEQUATE FOOD a. Child routinely lacks sufficient quantity or quality of food. b. Child suffers from malnutrition or developmental lags; this includes nurses concern for low height-weight even if not diagnosed as failure to thrive. 4. LACK OF SUPERVISION Failure to provide supervision, care, guidance and/or protection, which results in the child being in situations beyond his ability to cope, at risk of physical harm, at risk of sexual and/or other exploitation. a. The child is left alone or is held responsible for siblings or other children for extended periods of time and in circumstances beyond the child's chronological age, social maturity or judgment to handle safely. This includes the child's exposure to or expectations to manage environmental hazards. Assessments will be conducted on the following: i. Children 5 and younger left alone for any period of time. ii. Children 6-9 alone over three hours. iii. Children alone for over 12 hours. iv. Children alone over 24 hours if parent s whereabouts are unknown to children. In all of above CPS will involve police for immediate safety check of children where appropriate. v. Children 11 to 14 may baby-sit with the expectation that an adult will return later in day. vi. Children 15 and older may baby-sit for more than 24 hours. b. These guidelines are intended to provide a basic framework and standard to follow in providing information to parents and reporters of child neglect. Each inquiry and report must be judged individually not only on the basis of age but by also taking the following questions into consideration: i. What is the maturity level of the child(ren)? ii. How accessible is the parent/guardian/or designated caretaker to the child(ren) by phone and/or in person? iii. What is the health status of the child(ren), i.e. presence of mental, physical problems or disabilities? iv. What is the behavioral history of the child(ren), i.e. suicidal, fire setting, delinquency, vandalism, assault?

5 v. Is a young child(ren) using the kitchen stove, iron or appliance which poses a danger because of their age? vi. Have parents discussed an escape plan or held a fire drill with the child(ren)? vii. Does the residence have a smoke detector? viii. Are there unusual hazards in the home? ix. What is the child(ren)'s reaction to being left alone? c. The caretaker displays erratic or impaired behavior, engages in substance abuse, suffers from severe emotional disturbances or is documented by a professional as so developmentally delayed and whose behaviors, alone or in combination, are of such duration and intensity that the bare minimum of childcaring tasks and human responses necessary for physical and emotional nurturance cannot be performed. d. Reports of women in third trimester of pregnancy who are diagnosed as seriously mentally ill, significantly developmentally delayed and whose parental rights to another child have been involuntarily terminated. e. Lack of supervision includes, but is not limited to, such behavior as: selecting unreliable persons to provide child care, leaving a young child alone for an extended period of time without access to a responsible adult or without knowledge of how to reach help. f. Caretaker is arrested for driving under influence with children in the car. g. Drug raids where children are present and drugs are found. h. Child is present /involved in parent committing a criminal act. 5. FAILURE TO PROVIDE MEDICAL CARE Reports from medical, dental, psychologists, nurses or teachers alleging medical neglect must contain the following four elements: a. Identification of the medical problem or condition that needs attention and identification of recommended intervention. b. Prognosis of consequences to the child if help is not provided. c. Documentation of attempts to secure parental cooperation in getting help. d. Documentation of parent s failure to provide needed intervention. e. CPS will petition a Court of Law for a decision about adherence to religious beliefs as a basis for refusal or failure to seek, obtain, and follow through with either diagnostic procedures or medical, mental or dental treatment - if there is reason to believe there is serious risk to the child. 6. ILLEGAL PLACEMENT A child 15 years old or younger living in non-relative, unlicensed home where no power of attorney is in effect. 7. FAILURE TO PROVIDE EDUCATION Reports will be assessed of elementary school age children (including 5 and 6 year olds who have been registered for school) who have demonstrated serious attendance problems and the school system has been unable to work effectively with parents to correct the problem. Serious attendance problems defined as a minimum of 15 days unexcused absence or parental refusal to register a child 7 yrs or older for school or parent keeping child home from school to provide cares for parent or siblings again to be documented by school and showing parents refusal to improve situation. Special needs

6 children 3 yrs and older determined in need of early ed. to be assessed by CPS on same attendance standard. 8. PRENATAL EXPOSURE TO CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES Reports of positox for controlled substances of heroin, cocaine, phencyclidine, methamphetamine, amphetamine or their derivatives during pregnancy or reports of their use during pregnancy are taken by CPS and referred to Maternal Child Project for service. CPS assigns following as neglect, if mom is using drugs for non-medical purpose: a. Withdrawal symptoms of the child at birth, b. Positive toxicology test performed on the mother at delivery, c. Positive toxicology test performed on the child at birth, or d. Medical effects or developmental delays during the child's first year of life that medically indicate prenatal exposure to a controlled substance, The following criteria will be used for other assessments provided by CPS: Children with Handicaps 1. Child with mental retardation (IQ of 70 or below) or related conditions will be assessed for service. 2. A person has a "related condition" if that person has a severe, chronic disability that is: a. Attributable to cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, or any other condition other than mental illness found to be closely related to mental retardation because the condition results in impairment of general intellectual functioning or adaptive behavior similar to that of persons with mental retardation and requires treatment or services similar to those required for persons with mental retardation. b. Is likely to continue indefinitely. c. Results in substantial functional limitations in three or more of the following areas of major life activities: Self-care, understanding and use of language, learning, mobility, self-direction or capacity for independent living. d. A person with a physically handicapping condition, which meets the functional limitation above. Juvenile Perpetrators of Sexual Offenses - Non-Familial 1. Callers will be encouraged to contact the parents of the perpetrator and the police. 2. If the police have not been notified of an act that if committed by an adult, would constitute a criminal offense, CPS will notify them. 3. If there is reason to believe the perpetrator is a victim of sexual abuse (or has been within the last 3 years) an abuse assessment will be conducted. Minor Mothers Following the report that a minor has given birth to a child, the minor mother will be contacted and an assessment made of the plans for herself and her child. Reports of a minor mom under age 16 married and/or not living in parental home will be assessed as neglect by CPS. Children's Mental Health This program is designed to assist severely emotionally disturbed children and their families to plan, access, and coordinate needed mental health services. Criteria are as follows:

7 1. Current diagnostic assessment completed by a mental health professional within 90 days of the referral. This assessment must include a DSM-IV mental health diagnosis and a current CGAS rating at 40 or below which is supported by documentation of specific behaviors. We do not accept a GAF rating. 2. Documentation of previous treatment efforts in the community should be included as well as a statement that the child's problems have been at this level for one year, or, if no intervention is provided that these problems are likely to continue at this level for one year. 3. If outpatient therapy and/or medication are the only interventions needed, then the child is not eligible for case management services. CPS Additional Services 1. Intake for requests by other counties/states who have determined maltreatment on parent who then moves into Ramsey County. Supporting documentation from referral source required. 2. Courtesy interviews for other counties/states outside of the Metro County Agreement area, when a victim has moved to Ramsey prior to interview where assessment is being conducted. If criminal investigation is being done the request is sent to appropriate police department. 3. Assessment of referrals from the police or RC Attorneys of a child who has not yet reached his/her 10th birthday who has violated criminal statutes to the degree that if the child were older, a delinquency petition would have been filed. 4. Placement of children in need of care while parent is in hospital/treatment if no responsible relatives are available. 5. Requests by financial to approve service plan and financial approval for children ages living independently. 6. Requests by financial to determine relationship of non-adjudicated custodial dads, or when caretaker has questionable documentation of relationship. 7. Refer victims of non- familial sexual abuse to counseling resources. 8. Referrals for assessment from Family or Domestic Abuse Court. 9. Request for changes in adoption subsidy. 10. Home studies of parents when another state has custody and requests home study through interstate compact. 11. Interstate referrals for relative or non-relative foster care. Other Links MN Department of Human Services Child Protection: First Call For Help: