3.5.1  Things to Consider When Assigning Reports

When reports are assigned, the following should be considered:

• Type of report, i.e., should educational neglect reports be assigned to one staff person who has an on-going working relationship with the school district;
• Geographic considerations, i.e., based on school districts.  This may assist in developing a good working relationship with school personnel and may also aid in conserving mileage;
• Whether particular staff has skills in certain areas;
• Staff’s familiarity with local resources; Caseload size; and
• After-hour assignment.

3.5.2    Transfer of Reports Between Counties

Reports Assigned To Child’s Locale or Assigned to Incorrect County

Child Abuse/Neglect (CA/N) reports are assigned to counties by CANHU based on the location of the child at the time of the report.  If a child will be in a county for at least 24 hours, even though their residence is in another county, the non-residence county will conduct the Investigation/Family Assessment.  A frequent example is a child visiting a non-custodial parent for the weekend.  The non-residence county is then responsible for completing the Investigation/Family Assessment, with the other county providing courtesy interviews, or ensuring that the other county is in agreement to accepting transfer of the report.  This will assure more complete and timely Investigations/Family Assessments.

If it is found within the initial 24 hours that a report was assigned in error i.e., the child is in a different county or the address is incorrect, the county of assignment will contact CANHU to transfer the case.  If a report is transferred, the county of assignment will request the CANHU to change the county of assignment.  CANHU will verify the correct county of assignment and will transmit the report by sending an Alert to the new county.

The Out-Of-Home Investigation (OHI) Unit will follow the same transfer procedures as above.  If, upon initial investigation, the report should be transferred from the county to OHI, or from OHI to the county, staff should confirm with staff in the other county/unit before requesting CANHU to transfer.  If, during the middle of the investigation, staff become aware that the report should have been assigned differently, the person already investigating should complete the investigation.  This will assure more complete and timely investigations.

Family Moves to a Different County During Investigation / Family Assessment

If a family moves from a county during an Investigation/Family Assessment, the county will conclude the Investigation/Family Assessment, with the new county of residence conducting courtesy interviews, if necessary.

Once Investigations/Family Assessments are completed, and are transferred to a county, they are handled the same as other “transfer in” reports, i.e., Family-Centered Services (FCS) are provided if a service need has been identified.

3.5.3  CA/N Reports on Open Family-Centered Services (FCS) Cases

Child Abuse/Neglect (CA/N) reports received on an open FCS case will be screened as either an investigation or a family assessment, as appropriate.  The Children’s Service Worker assigned to the FCS case or another Children’s Service Worker can conduct the investigation/family assessment.