The Child Protective Services (CPS) tab provides designated team members with the ability to add, edit, delete, and view information about the Child Protective Services activities for a particular CAC case. The information reported in this tab is typically coming in throughout at least the early part of the investigation but may continue for many months as the case progresses.
The information is separated into the following sections: “Referral”, “CPS Investigation”, “Outcomes of the Investigation”, “Court Hearings”, “Outside Referrals” and “Additional Points of Contact”.
The Save and Cancel buttons for the tab are located in the header above the active page. You must select “Save” to save information entered into each section to the case record.
NOTE: Users with “View” privileges can view the information on the page, however, text boxes and pick list options are disabled.
Referral
The “Referral” section is used to record the agency and personnel who referred the case to CPS and the date referred.
STEP 1: Enter Date
Start by entering the date the referral is made in the “Date” field. You can use the calendar icon to select a date or enter the date in MM/DD/YYYY format.
Figure 1. Date of Referral
STEP 2: Enter the Referring Agency
Select the agency that made the referral from the “Referral Source” drop down list.
Figure 2. Referring Agency
NOTE: To add a new Agency, click on the “Add” button next to the Referral Source field.
Figure 3. Adding an New Referring Agency
A “New Agency” dialog box will appear with a list of existing agencies at the top. Check to make sure the agency you want to add is not in the list. If it is on the list, select it there and return to the Incoming Referral section. If it is not on the list, enter the agency name, address and phone number in the open fields. Click “Save” to add the new agency or “Cancel” to forego adding a new agency.
Figure 4. “New Agency” Details
STEP 3: Enter the Individual Making the Referral
Next, select the individual who made the referral from the “Person” drop down list.
Figure 5. Person Making the Referral
NOTE: To add a new Person, click on the “Add” button next to the Person field.
Figure 6. Add New Person
A “New Personnel” dialog box will appear with a list of existing individuals associated with the selected agency. Check to make sure the person you want to add is not in the list. If they are on the list, click cancel to return to the Incoming Referral section and select them from the Person drop down box. If the individual does not appear in the list, enter the individual’s name, credentials, job title, email address and phone number, if known. First and last names are required. Click “Save” to add the new person or “Cancel” to forego adding a new person.
Figure 7. Adding New Person Date Fields
CPS Investigation
The CPS Investigation section is used to record key information about who conducted the CPS investigation and when.
STEP 1: Enter the CPS Case Number
Enter the “Case Number” CPS has assigned to their investigation. This can be named differently for your center, i.e. KidTrack number, DCS, DCFS, etc.
Figure 8. CPS Case Number
STEP 2: Enter the CPS Agency
Enter the CPS agency and personnel.
Figure 9. CPS Agency and Person
NOTE: To add a new Agency, click on the “Add” button next to the Agency.
Figure 10. CPS Agency “Add” Button
A “New Agency” dialog box will appear with a list of existing agencies at the top. Check to make sure the agency you want to add is not in the list. If it is on the list, select it there and return to the Incoming Referral section. If it is not on the list, enter the agency name, address and phone number in the open fields. Click “Save” to add the new agency or “Cancel” to forego adding a new agency.
Figure 11. New Agency Detail Fields
NOTE: To add a new Person, click on the “Add” button next to the Person field.
Figure 12. New Person “Add” Button
A “New Personnel” dialog box will appear with a list of existing individuals associated with the agency. Check to make sure the person you want to add is not in the list. If they are on the list, click cancel to return the Incoming Referral section and select them from the Person drop down box. If the individual does not appear in the list, enter the individual’s name, credentials, job title, email address and phone number, if known. First and last names are required. Click “Save” to add the new person or “Cancel” to forego adding a new person.
Figure 13. New Person Detail Fields
STEP 3: Enter the Dates the CPS Case is Opened and Closed
Enter the date the CPS investigation was opened in the “Date Opened” field and the date the CPS investigation was closed in the “Date Closed” field. You can either use the calendar icon to select the dates or enter the dates in MM/DD/YYYY format.
NOTE: The “Date Closed” field is used to tabulate statistics for the NCA Statistics Report.
Figure 14. CPS Investigation Date Fields
STEP 4: Refer for Other State Services
Check the “Refer for Other State Services” box to indicate that the CPS investigation is closed but the alleged victim is being referred for other services from your state department of children’s services.
Enter the name of the case manager who will maintain contact and support for the child after the investigation is closed in the “State Case Manager” field.
Figure 15. Referral for Other Services
STEP 5: Custom Fields
Enter information into any custom fields your CAC has added to the CPS Tab. There are up to 2 custom fields available for use by each CAC under the CPS Investigation section. When not in use, they are hidden.
STEP 6: Indicate if Case is Ready for MDT Review
Check this box to indicate that the investigation has proceeded to the point that the case is ready for a team review.
Figure 16. Ready for MDT Review Checkbox
Outcomes of Investigation
The table contains rows of information with the names of all the people on the case except the alleged victim. This also provides you with three additional choices (Unable to identify, Unknown, and N/A). Select the option(s) that best fits the disposition(s) that CPS has determined. You can add multiple rows in this table.
STEP 1: Add People Related to the Case
To add a person, click on the “Add New” button. A pop up box will appear with a menu of options.
Figure 17. “Add New” Person Related to the Case
STEP 2: Enter Person, Abuse Type and Disposition
Select the Person, Abuse Type and Disposition from the drop down menus.
Once all information is added, click “Update” to save. When you click “Update”, the person’s role on the case and relationship to the victim will display. These are the roles/relationships that were identified at the time of the referral.
Click “Cancel” to forego adding a new record.
Figure 18. New Person Details Data Fields
STEP 3: Edit or Delete a Person
To make changes to a record of a person, select the “Edit” button next to the record in the table.
Once changes are made, select “Update” to save your changes and to return to the list.
To delete a record, select the “Delete” button. A pop up box will ask you to confirm the deletion, “Are you sure you want to delete this record?” Select “OK” to delete or “Cancel” to forego deleting the record.
Figure 19. Edit or Delete a Person Related to the Case
Court Activities
This section is for court Activities that relate to the alleged victim/client and family. Prosecution of the alleged offender and adjudication of an offender who is a minor are recorded on the Prosecution tab. When entering a court hearing, you must enter at least the hearing type and the hearing date to save an entry.
STEP 1: Add a Court Record
To add a record, click on the “Add New” button. A pop up box will appear with a menu of options to include in the details about the record.
Figure 20. “Add New” Court Record
STEP 2: Enter Court Record Details
Select the “Hearing Type”, “Hearing Outcome” and “Hearing Status” from the dropdown menus. Enter the “Hearing Date”, “Start Time” and “Comments”, if any.
Once all information is added, click “Update” to save. Click “Cancel” to forego adding a new record.
Figure 21. New Court Record Detail Fields
STEP 3: Edit or Delete a Record
To make changes to a record, select the “Edit” button next to the record in the table.
Once changes are made, select “Update” to save your changes and return to the list.
To delete a record, select the “Delete” button. A pop up box will ask you to confirm deletion, “Are you sure you want to delete this record?”. Select “OK” to delete or “Cancel” to forego deleting the record.
Figure 22. Edit Court Record
Outside Referrals
The outside referrals table provides CACs the ability to keep additional information about services a child/family might need that are outside of the scope of services provided by the CAC or the MDT. The pick list is customizable to meet your community needs.
STEP 1: Add an Outside Referral
Click on the “Add New Referral” button and a pop up box will appear.
Figure 23. Add New Referral
STEP 2: Add Referral Information
Enter the date of the referral in the “Date” field, select the agency the referral was made to in the “Referral To” drop down list and enter any comments, if applicable, in the “Comment” box.
Click “Update” to add the referral or “Cancel” to forego adding the referral.
Figure 24. Add Referral Information
Additional Points of Contact
The Additional Points of Contact is a table that provides a place to note information about people that are significant to the investigation.
STEP 1: Add a New Point of Contact
Click on the “Add New Point of Contact” button and a pop up box will appear.
Figure 25. Add New Point of Contact
STEP 2: Enter New Contact Fields
This will open a dialog box for entering information about the new point of contact.
Enter information into the “Agency”, “Name”, “Phone Number” and “Email” fields.
Click “Update” to add the contact or “Cancel” to forego adding the contact.
Figure 26. New Point of Contact Data Fields
NOTE: All of the fields in the table are text fields and all are optional. To enter the phone number, you can enter 7 or 10 consecutive numbers and the system will format the number like this: (xxx) xxx-xxxx. To add an extension, enter an “x” immediately after the last number and then up to a 4-digit extension.
Document Upload
To upload documents related to the information entered on the CPS Tab, scroll down to the “Document Upload” table and click on the “Select files” button.
Figure 27. Document Upload
Refer to the “Document Upload” help file for details on uploading and managing documents.
NOTE: NCA does not recommend the storage of evidentiary documents as part of this case record. Any copies of evidentiary materials should be retained by the appropriate law enforcement and prosecution partners.