3.27 Administrative Opening

Georgia State Seal

Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
Child Welfare Policy Manual

Chapter:

(3) Intake

Policy Title:

Administrative Opening

Policy Number:

3.27

Previous Policy Number(s):

4.1

Effective Date:

March 2023

Manual Transmittal:

2023-01

Codes/References

N/A

Requirements

The Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) will:

  1. Use administrative openings to address child safety threats identified during a case review of a closed child welfare case, when it is unrelated to a new report of abuse or neglect.

  2. Administratively open a case in Georgia SHINES upon the directive of State, Regional or County Administration using the report date of the original intake.

Procedures

The CPS Intake Communications Center (CICC) will:

  1. Input the Intake Assessment in Georgia SHINES, document:

    1. All pertinent information from the original intake including the alleged maltreatment and the case ID number.

    2. The name of the individual who provided the directive for the administrative open.

    3. The safety threat identified during the case review.

    4. The classification of the intake report as an administrative open

    When conducting an administrative open on a special investigation, the rekey must remain classified as a special investigation.

  2. Notify the legal and boarding (if applicable) County Director(s) and County Department’s CICC Point of Contact(s) (POC) of an administrative open Intake Assessment.

Practice Guidance

Administrative openings should only be utilized in limited circumstances to immediately assure child safety. Families deserve the opportunity to raise their children without unwarranted DFCS oversight and intervention. The family expects DFCS involvement to end with case closure. While safety threats must be addressed during the open case, rare exceptions may occur when DFCS realizes unmitigated safety threats exist in a closed case. Administrative openings allow DFCS to re-engage the family for the safety threat identified in the prior case. The original intake date demonstrates the re-assessment of the previously closed case, and not the initiation of a new case/report.

An administrative opening is not appropriate when:

  1. There is a new report of child maltreatment. This situation requires a new intake report.

  2. A second level screen out review or other type of internal CICC review overturns the original disposition. This situation requires a rekey of the original intake report using the original report date.

  3. A user accidentally closed an intake assessment or case in Georgia SHINES and the case needed to remain open.

Forms and Tools

N/A