3.28 Information and Referrals

Georgia State Seal

Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
Child Welfare Policy Manual

Chapter:

(3) Intake

Policy Title:

Information and Referrals

Policy Number:

3.28

Previous Policy Number(s):

3.17

Effective Date:

December 2021

Manual Transmittal:

2021-06

Codes/References

N/A

Requirements

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

  1. Receive Information and Referral (I&R) requests when the following criteria is met:

    1. Information or a referral to community resources is requested; and

    2. There is no intent to report child abuse and the information is assessed to not include an allegation of child abuse.

  2. Input the I&R in Georgia SHINES.

  3. Accept I&R requests when the information gathered meets the I&R criteria.

  4. Reject I&R requests that do not meet the I&R criteria.

    Intake Assessments with alleged child abuse shall not be processed as an I&R and shall be assessed in accordance with policy 3.1 Intake: Receiving Intake Reports.

Procedures

Centralized Intake Specialist

  1. Gather information from the reporter.

  2. Thoroughly evaluate all information gathered:

    1. Assess for child maltreatment and safety issues or an intent to report child abuse.

    2. Determine if the intake report meets the criteria for an I&R.

  3. Provide the requested information, as appropriate, ensuring not to unlawfully disclose confidential information or protected health information (see policy 2.6 Information Management: Confidentiality/Safeguarding Information).

  4. Input the I&R in Georgia SHINES.

    1. Classify as an I&R-Non-Incident Request Type.

    2. Document on the I&R the information or resources provided to the reporter or if the information was unable to be provided and the reason(s) it was not provided.

    3. Document the justification to support the I&R decision.

  5. Notify the appropriate County Department’s CICC Point of Contact (POC) and social services case manager (SSCM) of the I&R requests, if the family has an active case.

  6. Submit the I&R to the Centralized Intake Specialist Supervisor for approval

Centralized Intake Specialist Supervisor

  1. Thoroughly evaluate all information gathered and review the I&R Non-Incident Request in Georgia SHINES.

    1. Verify the information meets the criteria for an I&R.

    2. Confirm the Intake Assessment is classified as an I&R Non-Incident Request.

    3. Verify the requested information was provided to the caller, as appropriate.

    4. If the family has an active case, confirm notification to the POC was completed and documented.

    5. Document the supervisor’s justification to support the I&R decision.

  2. Reject I&Rs containing allegations of child abuse and provide feedback to the CIS to immediately call the reporter to initiate an intake report (see policy 3.1 Intake: Receiving Intake Reports).

  3. Approve the I&R requests that meet the I&R criteria in Georgia SHINES.

Practice Guidance

I&Rs are a type of non-incident request that involve a caller seeking information without an intent to report child abuse, and the information is not assessed to contain child abuse. For example, a caller may request assistance locating a community resource, such as mental health services or a clothing bank. Callers may be referred to Prevent Child Abuse Georgia 1-800-CHILDREN to assist them with services in their area. Additionally, reporters may request assistance with DFCS services, such as reaching their assigned child welfare or Office of Family Independence (OFI) case manager, or they may need to be referred to a program within the Department of Human Services, such Adult Protective Services (APS).

When the information gathered from the caller indicates allegations of maltreatment or an intent to make a CPS report, the case must be processed in accordance with policy 3.1 Intake: Receiving Intake Reports. For example, when a caller discusses a specific incident to determine if an intake report is warranted, the information should be processed in accordance with policy 3.1 Intake: Receiving Intake Reports.

Forms and Tools

N/A