19.10 Analyzing DFCS History

Georgia State Seal

Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
Child Welfare Policy Manual

Chapter:

(19) Case Management

Policy Title:

Analyzing DFCS History

Policy Number:

19.10

Previous Policy Number(s):

N/A

Effective Date:

April 2020

Manual Transmittal:

2020-04

Codes/References

N/A

Requirements

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

  1. Analyze and consider DFCS history to ensure a thorough assessment of safety and family functioning.

    DFCS history means any prior involvement with DFCS, including Intake (including reports screened out), Family Support Services, Investigations, Special Investigations, Family Preservation Services, Foster Care, Adoptions, and Resource Development.

  2. Analyze and consider out-of-state child welfare history when it has been determined individuals responsible for the care of a child or residing in the home with the child has child welfare history in another state.

  3. Analyze and consider DFCS history when:

    1. Making an intake decision;

    2. Making a track decision during the Initial Safety Assessment;

    3. Making a safety determination and safety planning;

    4. Making an investigation determination;

    5. Making a family support services determination;

    6. Making a policy violation determination and developing a Corrective Action Plan (CAP);

    7. Conducting diligent searches;

    8. Approving or re-approving caregivers in out-of-home placements (voluntary kinship, foster care or adoption);

    9. Developing contact standards;

    10. Selecting permanency plans and making permanency decisions;

    11. Developing the case plan, family plan and action plan;

    12. Selecting and providing services to families;

    13. Reunifying children with caregivers;

    14. A parent, family or youth is unable to be located.

Procedures

Social Services Case Manager

  1. Conduct safety screenings in accordance with policy 19.9 Case Management: Safety Screenings).

  2. Review the history of each household member as both a child and an adult. During the review, analyze:

    1. The number and frequency of previous reports;

    2. The allegations reported;

    3. The household members involved in the previous reports and the role that the member played in the family;

    4. The role of the alleged maltreater in previous and/current child abuse allegations;

    5. The severity of the reports and whether the severity is increasing;

    6. The dispositions of the reports;

    7. The family’s response to intervention;

    8. Family strengths and support system;

    9. Previous services provided to the family; and

    10. Overall outcomes of agency intervention.

  3. Evaluate the chronicity of the history and the impact of the history on the current intake report, assessment, case/family plan, or case decision (see Practice Guidance: Chronicity).

    When a special investigation or policy violation assessment, analyze Patterns of the same types of child abuse allegations or policy violations in the placement resource; and the outcome of prior policy violations, sanctions and/or corrective action plans (CAP). See Practice Guidance: Additional Considerations in Special Investigations or Policy Violations Assessment.

  4. Discuss history with the caregivers to obtain their perspective regarding the previous history, including correlation to current circumstances.

  5. Document a summary of the analysis of DFCS history in Georgia SHINES:

    1. Dates of reports, allegations, dispositions and overall outcomes of intervention;

    2. A detailed description of how the historical information impacts the current assessment or decision; and

    3. The caregiver’s perspective of the history.

Social Services Supervisor

  1. Ensure the SSCM has analyzed all in-state and out-of-state child welfare history obtained from the safety screenings.

  2. Review the DFCS history to support decision making.

  3. Ensure that the SSCM has discussed the child welfare history with individuals, when applicable.

  4. Provide guidance to the SSCM regarding the consideration of history in decision-making.

  5. Review Georgia SHINES to ensure that the analysis and consideration of the child welfare history is documented.

Practice Guidance

Why is History Important

History is often a predictor of future behavior and the information included in a family’s DFCS history plays a significant role when making any decision concerning child safety during DFCS’ involvement with a family. History on household members as children and as adults should be analyzed and considered during all decision points of a case. Research has found that caregivers who were abused as children is a predictor for the caregivers to abuse their own children.[1] Also, a history of problems, such as, chronic and/or untreated substance use and mental health disorders are risk factors for future child maltreatment.

Reviewing and analyzing DFCS history can provide an abundance of information about a family and the level of intervention needed to assist the family with the challenges they are facing in everyday life tasks. Some of the information that can be gathered from a family’s history includes, but is not limited to:

  1. Family and caregiver strengths.

  2. The family’s cultural beliefs and values.

  3. The underlying challenges that a family is currently facing.

  4. The family’s previous response to intervention and treatment strategies.

  5. Support networks previously used to reduce or mitigate safety concerns, and the effectiveness of such supports.

  6. Traumatic events affecting family members.

  7. Coping skills used by the family to deal with traumatic events.

  8. Identifying relatives, family supports, or any information to assist with locating a parent, family or youth who cannot be located or have moved to an unknown location.

A thorough analysis and deliberate consideration of the DFCS history of all caregivers and household members must be incorporated into decision-making throughout the life of a case.

Chronicity

When analyzing history, it is essential to consider the number of reports, reports that indicate progressively more serious concerns, reports with similar or the same concern, the type of maltreatment, etc. The chronicity of the maltreatment should be assessed when reviewing previous history. Chronicity is the frequency of the recurrence of maltreatment. Chronicity involves an assessment of the following areas:

  1. Is there a history of sexual abuse of any family member as a victim or perpetrator? This includes both civil and criminal reports of sexual abuse in Georgia and other localities; regardless of the disposition or the role of the principles in those past reports.

  2. Has there been a recent incident, or indication, of abuse (within last 6 months)? This question applies to any indication of abuse within the last 6 months and is not restricted to official agency reports. It may include statements from the child, family, community, professionals or others.

  3. Has there been a prior child abuse investigation, regardless of finding? This includes any DFCS involvement in Georgia or in other states, regardless of the disposition.

  4. Has any child been removed from the home by a protective service agency? This question applies to the court ordered removal of any child in Georgia or in other states. This also includes serious incidents in licensed foster/adoptive homes.

  5. Has any prior incident resulted in a severe outcome? Indications of severe outcomes are those which require prompt medical attention; may require medical or psychiatric hospitalization; may endanger the child' life; may cause permanent functional impairment, death, or disfigurement; and, sexual intercourse or sexual acts performed with a child.

Discussing DFCS History with the Caregiver

The analysis and consideration of history provides additional evidence to support the safety and case determination and permanency decision. Obtaining the caregiver’s perspective about the agency’s previous involvement will allow DFCS to:

  1. Gather additional information.

  2. Clarify any inaccuracies in the information.

  3. Assess the caregiver’s ownership and honesty about past problems.

    Caregivers who do not admit to having problem behaviors are less likely to work towards changing those behaviors. Knowing their perspective can assist in determining strategies for engagement and building partnership.

Additional Considerations in Special Investigations or Policy Violations Assessment

When analyzing DFCS case history, information regarding the approval and history of the placement resource (foster care kinship placement, foster of adoptive homes, Child Placing Agencies (CPA), Child Caring Institutions (CCI), etc.) must also be considered and includes:

  1. Foster care stages for each alleged child victim in DFCS custody stages;

  2. The foster or adoptive parents’ case record (FAD);

  3. Information on a kinship placement available; and

  4. CPA/CCI resource information.

Forms and Tools

Analyzing and Assessing DFCS History Tool

1. Northern California Training Academy The Center For Human Services Predicting and Minimizing Reabuse August 2009