Attachment E:  Determining Most Appropriate County for Investigation

Determining Most Appropriate County for Investigation

Before a report is sent to a county the following criteria should be considered:

1. Assign to county where child is located and incident has occurred if both factors are known and the child is not likely to leave present location.
2. Assign to county of child's location if location and incident are in different counties and child is not likely to leave present location.
3. Assign to county of child's present location if child's residence is unknown or location will not change within the next 24 hours.
4. Assign to county of child's residence when he/she is hospitalized at the time of the CA/N report.
5. Assign to Out-of-Home Investigation (OHI) Worker when the institution/staff person is named as alleged perpetrator for reports involving schools, residential facilities, foster parents or child care centers, which are licensed, exempt, or registered. The OHI Worker may request the local Worker to see the child in emergency situations or when the child must be seen before an OHI Worker can reasonably be expected to see the child.

NOTE:  All children under Jackson County jurisdiction are subject to the requirements of the Jackson County Consent Decree.  Because of the Consent Decree, the Division will accept and investigate allegations of inappropriate discipline by foster parents. These are allegations, which do not meet the criteria for CA/N reports, but indicate inappropriate discipline by the foster parent on the foster child.

6. Assign to OHI if foster parent/member of family is named as alleged perpetrator and victim is LS1 child.
7. Use the following guidelines where one or more of the factors of location, incident, or residence is out of the State of Missouri:
• Accept report where child's residence and either incident or location is in Missouri.  Assign report to county of child's location - or child's residence if location is out of state;
• Refer reporter to other state if child's location and incident are in another state, even when residence is in Missouri.

NOTE:  Accept all out of state reports from Missouri mandated reporters for tracking and referral to the appropriate state.  These will not be investigated by CD staff.

• Accept report where residence is in another state as long as child's location or incident or both are within Missouri.  Assign report in accordance with the above steps.
8. Assign report to juvenile officer if the relationship of the subject of a report to the Children’s Division is such that a conflict of interest may occur. 

Related Subject:  Section 2, Chapter 2, Attachment D: Investigations Involving a Conflict of Interest.

• Determine appropriate juvenile office using the above steps.

Notify Area Director if Juvenile Office does not accept a report concerning an agency employee.

• Arrange for investigation to be conducted by CSW from county other than that of employee.
• Advise the CA/N Hotline Unit which county or CSW will conduct the investigation.
• Reassign report and transmit to county or CSW designated.
9. Enter information into automated system.
10. Advise the CA/N Hotline Unit immediately if county of assignment is incorrect, or a conflict of interest exists. 

Related Subject:  Section 2, Chapter 3.5.2, Transfer of Reports Between Counties

• Determine appropriate county office using steps 1.8 above;
• Update automated system in accordance with reassignment; and
• Transmit report to current county designee.

NOTE: The CA/N Hotline Unit will have final authority to determine the most appropriate county to be assigned report. The CANHU Protocol SDM screening process determines whether an investigation/family assessment is an emergency, unless CD staff has directly observed a family or situation prior to making a call and has determined the situation warrants an emergency.  The county office can determine that a report is an emergency even though not designated by the CA/N Hotline Unit.

Related Subject:  Section 2, Chapter 2   CANHU Protocol: Structured Decision Making (SDM) Screening Process, Response Priority and Track Assignment; and Section 2, Chapter 3.3 Response Priority Level Override

11. Notify the appropriate licensing or administrative authority, or county director, if abuse or neglect involves the following:

• A licensed child care facility or a person caring for more than four (4) unrelated children;
• Report is received on a child care provider's own child(ren);
• Residential treatment facility;
• Department of Mental Health facility;
• Division of Youth Services facility;
• Juvenile court approved home or facility; or
• A Division licensed foster home and foster child.

NOTE:  Generally contacts relating to the above (with the exception of reports received on a child care provider’s own child(ren), will be handled by the out-of-home investigation unit.

Chapter Memoranda History: (prior to 1/31/07)

CD05-35, CD07-05

Memoranda History: