When a child is already placed in a child placing agency (CPA) or a general residential operation (GRO), including a residential treatment center (RTC), and the operation is placed on heightened monitoring, the caseworker receives an email from DFPS notifying the caseworker that the operation is now on heightened monitoring. The caseworker documents the email notification in the Family Substitute Care (FSU) or Child Substitute Care (SUB) stage as a contact in the contact narrative.

For prospective placements, if a GRO, RTC, or CPA is on heightened monitoring at the time of the placement search, the DFPS Regional or SSCC Placement Team notifies the caseworker that the prospective placement is on heightened monitoring. If the caseworker or SSCC staff accepts the prospective placement, the caseworker or SSCC staff enters a request for approval of a placement into an operation on heightened monitoring. This is entered in IMPACT in the Heightened Monitoring Placement Request tab in the Placement section of the SUB stage. This request must include a best interest statement and justification for placement that include child-specific information about why the placement is in the best interest of the child.

Before placing the child in the placement, the heightened monitoring placement request must be submitted to the CPS regional director of the child’s legal region and must receive the CPS regional director’s approval in IMPACT. In the absence of the CPS regional director, approval from the CPS director of field or the CPS associate commissioner is required in advance. This includes placements made by SSCCs.

An approval of a heightened monitoring placement request is only valid for 14 calendar days. If the placement is not completed within 14 days after that approval, a new request must be submitted and approved before the child physically goes to the placement.

The approving authority (CPS regional director, CPS director of field, or CPS associate commissioner) who is responsible for approval or denial of the heightened monitoring placement request documents such approval or denial in IMPACT. If the approving authority approves the placement, that authority documents both of the following in the Heightened Monitoring Placement Approval comment box:

• The fact that the approving authority reviewed and considered the identified operation’s history from the past five years.
• The child-specific justification for the approval of the placement.

When a child is approved to be placed in an operation on heightened monitoring, but the approving authority gives restrictions, conditions, or both, the primary caseworker documents the restrictions and conditions as a contact in the child’s SUB stage. The primary caseworker discusses the restrictions and conditions with the people providing care and case management oversight. The caseworker documents the discussion as a contact in the child’s SUB stage and follows up as necessary to ensure that the operation implements and adheres to the restrictions and conditions.

If the operation is also on probation (in addition to heightened monitoring), the approval of the associate commissioner or deputy associate commissioner of CPS is also required before placement. This request is submitted at the same time as the heightened monitoring placement request described above.

The table below describes documentation requirements related to heightened monitoring placement requests.