5.2 Purposeful Contacts During an Investigation | CWS

Thoroughly review the intake assessment and the Initial Safety Assessment (ISA) documentation and analyze the following information:

Verify confidentiality and safeguarding of information was shared with the parents and signed copies of the following uploaded to Georgia SHINES External Documentation:

Contact the reporter if not done during the ISA to fill in any gaps and/or to obtain any additional relevant, clarifying information related to the reported maltreatment allegations if the reporter is known. The reporter is not considered a collateral contact. Confidentiality must be maintained.

When a new report is received on an active FSS case, carefully review the new intake report to be able to have an in-depth discussion with the family about what task(s) were supposed to occur and what tasks did and/or did not occur.

Develop a plan for the visit:

Determine the need for interpretation services for non-English speaking individuals or auxiliary aids for sensory impaired individuals. If required, Limited English Proficiency and Sensory Impaired Customer Services (LEP/SI) is used to assist DFCS in providing meaningful language access to customers. Contact LEP/SI via lepsi@dhs.ga.gov. The use of family members as interpreters is not appropriate.

Identify possible collaterals (see policy 19.16 Case Management: Collateral Contacts).

Participate in a staffing with the SSS to present and discuss strategies for continuing the assessment, and reconfirm what was determined regarding the challenges the family was facing in their everyday life during the ISA.

Gather forms and other required material, including but not limited to:

Document the analysis of DFCS history and any preparation activities in Georgia SHINES Contact/Summaries as early as possible, but no later than within 72 hours of the occurrence.

Engage the child in a private face-to-face conversation as part of the assessment of child safety, permanency, and well-being. Use age and developmentally appropriate language and questions to assess and discuss:

Observe all children for physical signs maltreatment. If the child is four years old and under, or there is cause to believe any child has been harmed:

If observation of the child uncovers injuries or other signs of maltreatment:

Make a safety determination, in consultation with the SSS, prior to concluding each purposeful contact with the child (see policy 19.11 Case Management: Safety Assessment). If it is determined that the child is unsafe take immediate and appropriate action to control the safety threats to ensure child safety by:

Notify the caregiver when an interview with a child has been completed without prior caregiver permission immediately upon completion of the interview. It is not the responsibility of the child to notify the caregiver.

Engage each parent (custodial or non-custodial), caregiver, adult household member and alleged maltreater in a private face-to-face conversation to assess child safety, permanency, and well-being.

Observe the family functioning and interactions around everyday tasks:

Assess the physical home environment to determine if it is safe and appropriate to meet the needs of each child:

Discuss motor vehicle safety precautions including not leaving children unattended in cars (see Practice Guidance: Motor Vehicle Safety Recommendations).

Build a consensus with the caregiver(s) regarding the family and individual problems identified by summarizing how the old plan does not seem to be working very well and how it seems a new plan needs to be developed to address the identified problems.

Request an Authorization for Release of Information (ROI) be signed when it is necessary to obtain information about family members and/or initiate referrals. Obtain the signature of the subject of whom you are requesting information or the custodian or guardian of the child whom you are requesting information. Blank ROIs should not be requested. ROIs should be completed related to a specific request for information at the time signatures are obtained.

Notice and celebrate the caregiver(s) positive behavioral change.

Make a safety determination, in consultation with the SSS, prior to concluding each purposeful contact with the parent, caregiver, adult household member or alleged maltreater (see policy 19.11 Case Management: Safety Assessment). If it is determined that the child is unsafe, prior to leaving the home, take immediate and appropriate action to control the safety threats to ensure child safety by:

Thoroughly explain what will happen next and answer any questions he/she may have in relation to the Investigation process.

Immediately report to the CICC any new known or suspected instances of child abuse, neglect and/or exploitation using the guidelines outlined in policy 3.24 Intake: Mandated Reporters.

Review and analyze the information gathered during the interview(s). Identify inconsistencies or discrepancies and develop a plan for resolving them. Follow up on inconsistencies and document when and how resolved.

Make necessary safety decisions in response to information gathered during interviews and the visit to the home in consultation with the SSS.

Consult with the SSS and/or other subject matter experts (i.e., Permanency Consultants, Regional Adoption Coordinator, Field Program Specialist) for assistance as needed.

Obtain the SSS signature of approval on the safety plan developed with the family, if applicable during contact with the child/family.

Document purposeful contacts in Georgia SHINES within 72 hours of occurrence, including updating the Person Detail Page and uploading any pictures, safety plans or documents to External Documentation.

Conduct safety screenings on additional household members or caregivers revealed during purposeful contacts who were not identified at intake or ISA (see policy 19.9 Case Management: Safety Screenings).

Engage individuals identified as collateral contacts to obtain pertinent and purposeful information for:

Make appropriate referrals necessary to implement needed services (see policy 19.17 Case Management: Service Provision).

Follow up on commitments made during the visit.

Identify areas for discussion and follow up during the next visit.

Ensure purposeful contacts are occurring according to policy or as frequently as necessary to assess and ensure safety and determine family functioning.

Use the following reports to track purposeful contacts:

Assist the SSCM in preparing an agenda to ensure purposeful contacts are focused on the everyday life situations the family is having difficulty managing that makes the child(ren) unsafe or at risk.

Ensure he/she is accessible to provide guidance and consult with the SSCM to discuss:

Document the supervisory staffing in Georgia SHINES within 72 hours of occurrence.

Ensure purposeful contacts are documented timely in Georgia SHINES within 72 hours of the occurrence, including pictures and observations.

Determine the sufficiency of the purposeful contacts through a Georgia SHINES documentation review, considering the following:

When inconsistencies or follow up is needed based on the review of documentation provide feedback and guidance to the SSCM in order to resolve the inconsistencies and ensure service provision as necessary and document when resolution has occurred.

Non-verbal cues from the child or the caregiver that raise concern.

The age and special needs of the child. Young children and those with certain special needs are especially vulnerable and may not be able to verbalize when they are being abused or neglected. Therefore, the SSCM cannot depend on the child to say how they are feeling and must be keenly aware of non-verbal cues. For instance, if the child is wincing or drawing back slightly, it may be an indication of pain.

Statements made by the child, other children/household members/collaterals, etc. that indicate him/her may have been subjected to physical harm or neglect, etc.

Physical indicators of maltreatment such as suspicious injuries, marks, cuts, bruises, areas of swelling, protruding limbs, damaged skin, malnourishment, unexplained weight loss, lethargy, severe tooth decay, matted hair, pungent body odor, etc.

The child resides with the caregiver or other individual that harmed the child or another child.

The child indicates that physical discipline is being used; or that inappropriate methods of discipline is utilized by the caregiver or others in the home.

Injuries on children who are not mobile, especially infants.

Injuries on protected surfaces of the body, such as the back and buttocks, ears, inside the mouth, the neck, arms or legs, and underarms.

Multiple injuries in various stages of healing (i.e., skin injuries, lesions of varying ages, bruises).

Patterned trauma, even if the object used to commit the abuse cannot be determined.

Injuries that routine, age-appropriate supervision of the child should have prevented.

Significant injury with either no explanation or an explanation that is not plausible.

Ask the caregiver and/or child to show him/her exactly what happened, and where.

Note anything about the physical environment that refutes the statement(s) provided. For example, if the caregiver claims that the child fell out of bed and hit their head on the floor, causing a severe bruise, the SSCM should look at the bed, the floor, and height from the bed to the floor. Is the floor carpeted? Is it plausible that the injury occurred on the carpeted floor?

Obtain a detailed, precise timeline of events surrounding the incident or track the sequence of events. The more detailed the history, the more likely the assessment of the injury will be accurate. This can be helpful when communicating with medical staff to determine if the injury could have been caused in the manner described by the caregiver and/or child.

Document the caregiver’s/child’s words in quotes. Whenever possible, do not paraphrase. Clarify vague references to times, places, or observers.

The caregiver and the child are informed of the reason for taking the photographs.

At least one photograph includes the adult witness with the alleged child victim.

Each photograph should have one identifier present (i.e., piece of the child’s clothing), at least one photograph should include the child’s face and the clothing, to assure that the evidence collected demonstrates the series of photographs of the same child.

Use measurable objects (i.e., ruler, coin, pencil) to depict the size of the injury. Photograph the object that caused the injury (whether the injury was accidental or not)

All photographs should be identified with the following information: the individuals who took the photo, the date it was taken, name and DOB of the alleged child victim, and if applicable address of the living environment.

Attending Behavior
Attending behavior refers to focusing attention on the caregiver rather than the SSCM’s agenda or line of questioning. Attending behavior involves “matching” a caregiver’s nonverbal behavior by consciously manipulating and controlling the SSCM’s own nonverbal skills and responses. Primary attending behaviors include eye contact, facial expressions, body language, posturing and gesturing, following, reflecting and vocal qualities-tone and pace.

Open Questions
Open questions help to remove the SSCM from the responsibility of “carrying” the interview by establishing a conversational quality to the interaction. Open questions cannot be answered “yes” or “no” or in just a few words. Open questions require the caregiver to elaborate with a wider range of responses. Open questions are the “what” and “how” type questions.

Closed Questions
Closed questions should be used to restrict or narrow the focus of a caregiver’s response. Closed questions should be used purposefully when precise detail and greater clarity is needed from the caregiver. As an exception, closed questions may be used more frequently when there are time constraints or when the SSCM is interviewing a caregiver who is very concrete or is not very verbal.

Paraphrasing
The primary intent of paraphrasing is to facilitate the clarification of statements, issues, and concerns. Paraphrasing may involve the SSCM selecting and using a caregiver’s own keywords. Paraphrasing involves formulating the essential message that the caregiver is conveying and then stating that message back to the caregiver in the SSCM’s own words. When paraphrasing, check for accuracy of the statement by concluding the paraphrase with a simple question such as, “Is that correct?” or “Does that sound accurate?”

Encouraging
This technique serves to keep people talking about a particular topic, issue, or concern. Encouraging may be as simple as using a slight verbal prompt, such as “uh-huh”, “I see”, “go on”, or “then what?”

Conversational Looping
Conversational looping is a skill for gathering information that first involves the SSCM identifying some key general topic or area for discussion with a caregiver (e.g., approach to parenting, problem-solving, dealing with stress, etc.). Once a topic has been identified, begin the conversation with a broad non-threatening open question. As the conversation progresses related to the identified topic, continue with a line of questioning (primarily open-ended) based on previous caregiver responses that progressively moves the discussion toward a more specific and intimate inquiry. A key to effective conversational looping is the ability of the interviewer to maintain a caregiver’s focus on a particular topic, which will then enable the interviewer to gather more detailed information from the caregiver about the issue, concern, or topic inquiry.

Reflective Listening Statements
Reflective listening statements involve the SSCM’s attempts to interpret what a caregiver believes, thinks and/or feels, and then state the SSCM’s interpretation back to the caregiver. The interpretation of what the caregiver is communicating is based on both verbal responses and nonverbal cues from the caregiver. A statement is used rather than a question because the statement is less likely to produce caregiver resistance, and, further, a statement triggers the caregiver to re-examine the accuracy of his/her perceptions and thoughts.

Normalizing Family Struggles
Normalizing is a form of empathy (understanding) that acknowledges the family’s problems is part of the struggle of negotiating difficult life cycle stages, as well as strengths and efforts in coping with the problems. It also helps families learn that many others are in the same situation. It does not downplay or dismiss the problem. It also does not condone or endorse the harmful behavior.

Externalizing the Problem Pattern
Externalizing the problem allows the family or individual to detach themselves from their problem. Externalizing the problem does not mean minimizing the personal responsibility or shifting blame, rather, it allows the individual to view the problem as something that is separate from their identity as a person. In short, the person is not the problem, the problem is the problem. Language that externalizes the problem can reduce criticism, blame, and guilt. If one of the family members has an “anger” problem, externalizing the problem will free up the family to work on the problem rather than exhausting energy opposing each other or defending themselves. This opens up the opportunity for the SSCM to work with the family to address the problem.

Children are considered vulnerable because of age or disability.

The safety plan is no longer sufficient.

Progress is not being made on the safety plan or the family is in crisis.

There are possible present danger situations or impending danger safety threats identified through contact with formal/informal providers or collaterals.

Child Protective Services history with the family.

Never leave a child unattended in a vehicle – even if the windows are partially open or the engine is running, and the air conditioning is on;

Make a habit of looking in the vehicle – front and back – before locking the door and walking away;

Ask the childcare provider to call if the child does not show up for care as expected;

Do things that serve as a reminder that a child is in the vehicle, such as placing a phone, purse, or briefcase in the back seat to ensure no child is accidentally left in the vehicle or writing a note or using a stuffed animal placed in the driver’s view to indicate a child is in the car seat;

Always lock your vehicle when not in use and store keys out of a child’s reach, so children cannot enter unattended. Teach children that a vehicle is not a play area;

A child in distress due to heat should be removed from the vehicle as quickly as possible and rapidly cooled.

The type of contact (e.g., face-to-face, announced, unannounced, etc.).

The date the contact occurred.

Person(s) present at the visit.

The purpose of the visit.

What was discussed.

Where the visit occurred.

Whether the caregiver or child was interviewed privately. If the child was not interviewed privately document the reason(s) why this did not occur.

Summary of information (What happened at the visit):

Observations of the home environment, children for injuries or signs of maltreatment and interactions of family members.

Any concerns or red flags identified.

Next steps and the plan for addressing identified issues or concerns, as well as documentation of issue resolution.