1. What is DCFS Supposed to Do? Fertaeshia Broussard ~ Centralized Intake
What is the Process When I Call?

2. What is DCFS Supposed to Do? Workshop Objectives
1. Better understand the role of DCFS in child protective services.
2. Increase knowledge of DCFS Centralized Intake operations and controls in place to yield consistency regarding case acceptance.
3. Become familiar with DCFS response timeframes: from Centralized Intake to local office initiation of investigations.

3. Workshop Discussion Etiquette
Welcomed
Discouraged
Feel free to ask operational and procedural questions at any time during this presentation.
Due to confidentiality of our families, uniqueness of family dynamics, complexity of cases, and thoroughness of our decision making assessment process this session would not be an appropriate format for discussing decisions made on previous cases or even hypothetical scenarios regarding Centralized Intake decision making.

4. What is DCFS’ role in Child Protective Services?
The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is legally mandated to provide for the public child welfare functions of the state of Louisiana. Which is carried out by the DCFS Child Welfare Team. (Policy 4-100)

5. Who is a part of DCFS Child Welfare ?

6. DCFS Centralized Intake
DCFS acknowledges that child safety is a community effort and appreciates the contribution you all play in working to keep LA’s children safe.
This vital process starts with
reporting suspected child abuse and neglect via DCFS Centralized Intake Operations.

7. Centralized Intake Overview
Prior to Centralized Intake each local child welfare office took their own reports and determined the agency’s response.
With roughly 40 local child welfare offices making individual decisions, this practice hampered statewide consistency regarding new case acceptance.
Centralized Intake Overview
Centralized Intake celebrated 6 years July 2017.

8. Centralized Intake Overview
Take reports of child abuse/neglect 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Determine if the report meets criteria for acceptance for investigation.
Determine how quickly DCFS must respond and transfer intakes to the appropriate parish office for review, assignment and initiation of investigation.
Centralized Intake Overview
Centralized Intake is a statewide component of the One DCFS Initiative and its purpose is to provide:

9. Centralized Intake Unit
1 Director
with 2 administrative support staff
3 Program Managers and a Child Welfare Consultant
10 Child Welfare Supervisors
Each providing direct supervision to a unit of 6 workers. Working staggered shifts approving intakes and contacting local child welfare field supervisors as needed.
56 Intake Workers
46 fulltime trained child protection professionals with prior child welfare field experience as investigators, foster care and family services and 10 part-time WAEs (child protection retirees). All working staggered shifts entering reports into our data system.
Centralized Intake Unit
Centralized Intake Unit was developed as an extensive network of skilled child protection professionals operating in concert within one unit providing continual coverage of LA child protection hotline.

10. 2016 96,429 calls 50,000 reports resulting in over
of child maltreatment.
2016

11. Mandated Reporter Portal
Hotline
( LA-KIDS)
Staffed 24hrs a day /365 days a year to make reports directly to intake workers.
Mandated Reporter Portal
Online reporting of non emergency new reports and for submitting mandated written follow up reports. Reports are sent in real time directly to Centralized Intake for entry, review and disposition.
Making a Report
All child maltreatment reports must be received by Centralized Intake Unit for entry, review and decision making.

12. Caretaker that caused or contributing to maltreatment.
Incident or circumstances that constitutes legally defined abuse or neglect.
Child under the age of 18.
Caretaker that caused or contributing to maltreatment.
Timeframe: when it happened or continued access to condition.
Elements of Report
Centralized Intake assesses information in each report to determine if the report meets criterion for investigation.

13. What is NEGLECT? Neglect Prenatal Neglect
Refusal or unreasonable failures to supply the child with necessary food, clothing, shelter, care, treatment or counseling for any injury, illness or condition and as a result the child’s physical, mental or emotional health and safety is substantially threatened or impaired. Children’s Code Article 610
exposure to chronic or severe use of alcohol or the unlawful use of any controlled dangerous substance, or in a manner not lawfully prescribed, which results in symptoms of withdrawal in the newborn or the presence of a controlled substance or a metabolic thereof in his body, blood, urine, or meconium that is not the result of medical treatment, or observable and harmful effects in his physical appearance or functioning Children’s Code Article 603 (16.1)

14. Inflicting physical or mental injury
What is ABUSE?
Any act or an allowance of others to inflict or attempt to inflict and injury that seriously endanger the physical, mental, or emotional health and safety of the child. Children’s Code Article 610
Inflicting physical or mental injury
Exploitation
Sexual
Coerced Abortion

15. Not emancipated or married
Who is a CHILD?
Person born alive
Under the age of 18
Not emancipated or married

16. Who is considered a CARETAKER?
Caretakers
Other Caretakers
Person legally obligated to provide or secure adequate care for a child:
parent, tutor, guardian, legal custodian, foster home parent, an employee of a public or private day care center, an operator or employee of a registered family child day care home, or other person providing a residence for the child including restrictive care facility staff.
Person who lives in the same residence of the caretaker.
Live in babysitters
Relatives such as grandparents, adult siblings, aunts/uncles when they normally reside or are in the home on an on going/regular basis.
Person with a dating/engagement relationship with caretaker who may or may not live with the caretaker.

17. What information is needed when reporting?
WHO is involved?
(child, perpetrator, caretakers, others in the household, other’s with information about situation, addresses, phone numbers and schools children attend)
WHAT happened?
(what you were told, what you observed, what your concerned about, how it affects the child)
WHEN did it take place?
(when incident happened, when did you learn about it, when does child have access to perpetrator)
WHERE did it take place?
(where did incident happen, where is child/perpetrator now)

18. What happens when a report is made?
Centralized Intake Worker
Receives reports for entry into our database.
Information is assessed based on circumstances, family history, DCFS policy and law to determine acceptance.
Directly submits reports for supervisor approval after call or report.
Centralized Intake Supervisor
Reviews and make decision on report.
Assigns response priority (timeframe) on cases that are to be investigated.
Electronically forwards all intakes to local child welfare offices for assignment.
Child Welfare Parish Supervisor/Worker
Receives all reports assigned to their parish for review***even those not accepted for investigation**
Assigns accepted reports to investigators and develops the investigation plan that includes contact with everyone involved and determining validity and any other interventions that may be needed for child safety.

19. DCFS Response Timeframes
Priority 1
within 24 hours
Priority 2
within 48 hours
Priority 3
within 3 calendar days
Priority 4
within 5 calendar days
NAR
not accepted report
DCFS Response Timeframes
Centralized Intake is the approving authority on all intake case decisions. The response priority time dictates how quickly the local child welfare office must make face to face contact with the alleged child victim and their caretaker. The local office may respond more quickly, but must meet these minimum contact timelines.

20. Centralized Intake Unit
System of Checks and Balance
Consistent internal training for every new intake worker as well as comprehensive annual trainings and Bi-weekly unit training on trends and policy updates.
Every call recorded for review. Program Managers and Supervisors randomly listen to live calls.
Quality Assurance Staff at State Office listen into live calls daily and provide feedback directly our Executive Team on quality of our customer service.
Intake Supervisors approve reports of all worker, not just their designated staff.
Every Intake Supervisor conducts monthly peer reviews of intakes approved by other supervisors.
Each consecutive non accepted report(NAR) requires approval by a different intake supervisor and every 3rd NAR requires review and approval by a Program Manager.
Every approved report (whether accepted or not) is forwarded to the respective local parish office for review or assignment. Local Offices also have the ability to challenge a case decision for possible reversal of the initial decision.
Centralized Intake Unit
In an effort to support consistency in report decision making, Centralized Intake has a comprehensive system of checks and balances for accountability and performance review which includes not only internal but also local and state office oversite.

21. What to expect after I made the report?
State law protects the identity of all mandated reporters and provides immunity from legal liability for reports made in good faith.
Reporters maybe contacted by investigators prior to or during the investigation process. Ensure you provided the most direct contact #.
Reporters can be notified of report decision via a mailed confirmation letter. Reporters must provide consent and complete address during the hotline call or through the Mandated Reporter Portal reporting process. Due to confidentiality, this letter cannot be requested after submission of the electronic report or end of the call.
Mandated reporters who made an oral report to the hotline are required to submit a written follow up report within 5 business days, through our new Mandated Reporter Portal.

22. www.DCFS.Louisiana.gov What is abuse/neglect?
What are the signs and symptoms of child abuse and neglect?
Who are mandated reporters?
Mandated Reporter Brochure
Mandated Reporter Training
What is Prenatal Neglect and who is a mandated reporter?
CARA
DCFS
For more information on reporting child abuse or neglect or any of our other child welfare programs visit our website.

23. Thank you for your attention and your commitment to protecting Louisiana’s children.
DCFS
For more information please visit our website.