REQUIREMENTS

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

1. Transfer case responsibility in a manner that ensures continuity of services to the family and prepares for the change in the responsibility to manage child safety. 
2. Complete the case transfer process within seven business days of: 
   1. Identifying the need for further DFCS involvement; 
   2. DFCS being granted legal custody of a child; 
   3. Identifying the need to reassign a case;
   4. DFCS becoming aware the family has relocated to another county or state. 
3. Conduct a transfer staffing within the following timeframes: 
   1. Initial Safety Assessment (ISA) to Family Support Services (FSS) or Investigations: within 72 hours of the assigned response time (see policy 4.2 Initial Safety Assessment: Conducting the Initial Safety Assessment); 
   2. Investigations to Family Preservation Services (FPS): within five business days of identifying the need for FPS; 

   3. Investigations or FPS to Foster Care: within five business days of the child coming into foster care. 

      NOTE: CPS and Foster Care should be working concurrently when a child comes into foster care via an emergency/shelter care court order pending the final adjudication and case transfer. 

   4. Between Social Services Case Managers (SSCM) or program areas: within five business days of determining the need to reassign the case. 
   5. Family moves out of county or out-of-state: within five business days of becoming aware that the family has relocated out of county or out-of-state. 
4. Include the following in the case transfer staffing: 
   1. The sending SSCM and Social Services Supervisor (SSS) or designee; and 
   2. The receiving SSCM and SSS/Designee.
5. Add the receiving SSCM as the secondary worker on the case in Georgia SHINES within 72 hours of the case transfer staffing to ensure timely initiating or continuation of services. 
6. Document the transfer staffing in Georgia SHINES within 72 hours of the occurrence.

7. Conduct a joint visit with the sending and receiving SSCMs and the family. 

   NOTE: If the sending SSCM is unavailable his/her SSS should attempt to contact the family to explain the change in SSCMs and send a letter outlining the name and contact information for the receiving SSCM and SSS prior to the receiving SSCM making contact.

PROCEDURES

Case Transfer Process 

1. The sending SSCM will: 
   1. Initiate the Case Transfer Staffing; 
   2. Notify the receiving county/state within two business days of learning of a family’s new residence if transferring the case out-of-county or state; and 
   3. Schedule the Case Transfer Staffing. 
2. The receiving SSCM and SSS will review and analyze the current case record and DFCS history. 
   1. Weigh the significance of the history related to the current stage of the case (see policy 19.10 Case Management: Analyzing DFCS History); 
   2. Confirm the developmental stage of the family; 
   3. Review the specific task(s) or situations the family is having difficulty with that are impacting child safety, permanency, and/or well-being; and 
   4. Make a list of questions or clarifications that are needed concerning the case direction, services, or any other gaps in information that need to be discussed with the sending SSCM/SSS. 
   5. Verify confidentiality and safeguarding of information was shared with the parents and signed copies of the following uploaded to Georgia SHINES External Documentation: 
      1. HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices; and 
      2. Notice of Case Record Information Available to Parents/Guardians
3. Conduct the transfer staffing, at minimum discussing the following areas: 
   1. The maltreatment and the surrounding circumstances /presenting problem: 
      1. Family issues that brought the family to DFCS’ attention;
      2. The extent and circumstances of the maltreatment including the sequence of events that led up to and followed the difficult situation; 
      3. Specific everyday life task(s) or situations the family is having difficulty with that are impacting child safety, permanency, and/or well-being; 
      4. Specific behaviors or situations that are currently creating child safety, permanency, or well-being concerns; and 
      5. Court involvement including, but not limited to, a child adjudicated as a Child In Need of Services (CHINS) or a Protective Order. 
   2. General family history and assessment background: 
      1. Who is in the family, including absent parents; 
      2. Developmental stage of the family; 
      3. Review the completed genogram;
      4. DFCS history and how it impacts safety; and 
      5. Cultural issues that may affect family life tasks. 
   3. Family level concerns: 
      1. Developmental challenges identified and specific tasks the family has indicated or were observed as being difficult for the family;
      2. Specific task(s) or everyday life situations that are putting the child at risk and are a threat to child safety; 
      3. What is working now, or what has worked in the past that kept the child(ren) safe (exceptions); and 
      4. Family strengths that help mitigate the difficult situation.
   4. Individual behavioral patterns that contribute to family level concerns.
      1. Specific self-management issues each individual (caregiver and/or household member) is exhibiting which are barriers to achieving child safety and the evidence to support this conclusion. Exceptions to the individual patterns; 
      2. Individual awareness of how his/her behavior is impacting child safety; 
      3. Individual willingness to change his/her behavior (i.e. are there physical or mental health issues or limitations that cannot be resolved or controlled to achieve safety);
      4. Individual strengths that can be defined as caregiver protective capacities (behavioral, emotional, cognitive); and 
      5. Services implemented or recommended to address the individual level concerns. 
   5. Child/youth functioning: 
      1. Can the child/youth perform developmentally age appropriate tasks;
      2. Information regarding well-being (education, health, and mental health). Are the child’s well-being needs being met; and
      3. Child services implemented or recommended, including Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS), Babies Can’t Wait (BCW), etc. 
   6. Family support available: 
      1. The family’s positive supports and how they assist or can assist the family with child protection; and 
      2. Diligent search results, including absent parents.
   7. Assessment/investigative summary: 
      1. Consensus built with the family or lack thereof; 
      2. Maltreatment findings (substantiated or unsubstantiated); 
      3. Child vulnerabilities;
      4. Present or impending danger safety threats identified; 
      5. Caregiver protective capacities determination; 
      6. Safety plan(s) (in-home and out-of-home) developed with the family and the sufficiency of the current safety plan to control safety threats. Is plan modification required; 
      7. Recommendations for purposeful and collateral contact standards; 
      8. Results of the last family preservation case evaluation.
   8. Progress or barriers on Family Level Outcomes (FLO), Individual Level Outcomes (ILO) and action plans tasks: 
      1. Status of the case plan or action plan. Tasks accomplished and outstanding; 
      2. Status of the Written Transitional Living Plan (WTLP) goals for youth age 14 and older. Tasks accomplished and outstanding. Barriers to completing tasks; 
      3. Methods used by the family to track their family and individual level outcomes; and 
      4. Plan(s) that was not successful with the family and why
   9. Permanency planning for children in out of home care (if applicable): 
      1. The permanency plan recommended, including whether concurrent planning is appropriate;
      2. Barriers to family achieving the permanency plan;
      3. Reasonable efforts to reunify, or to finalize permanency plan (including concurrent planning); 
      4. Court ordered visitation recommendation(s); and 
      5. Placement stability. 
   10. Next steps: 
       1. At minimal the date of the joint visit date between the current SSCM and the receiving SSCM and the date the transfer staffing will be documented and by whom; and
       2. What must be done and by whom.

4. The sending SSS will assign the receiving SSCM as a secondary worker on the transferred case in Georgia SHINES within 72 hours of the transfer staffing. 

   NOTE: Lack of assignment within the prescribed timeframe should not hinder the continuation of services to the family. 

5. Document the transfer staffing in Georgia SHINES prior to case closure/transfer. When transferring a case to another state, document the contacts and responses from the receiving state concerning the receipt, acceptance, and assignment of the transferred case. 
6. Conduct a joint visit with the sending and the receiving SSCM and the family/caregiver(s) and any child(ren) in DFCS custody: 
   1. Introduce the receiving SSCM and provide contact information and work schedule of the receiving SSCM and SSS. 
   2. Discuss the importance of continuing the partnership with the family; 
   3. Verify the caregiver’s contact information and the best times and methods to communicate; and the children’s school information (if applicable); 
   4. Discuss the role and responsibilities of the SSCM, including: 
      1. Partnering with the family to address the identified safety issues to maintain a safe environment for the child(ren); 
      2. Conducting purposeful contacts with parents (custodial/non-custodial), caregivers, children, and other household members, and the frequency of the contact; 
      3. Information gathering with service providers and collaterals; 
      4. Evaluation process that occurs every 90 days (for FPS cases); and 
      5. Sharing information with the court, if applicable; 
   5. Discuss the purpose of DFCS intervention and expectation: 
      1. Confirm safety concerns and the consensus built with the family;
      2. Parent and child visitation schedule (if applicable). 
      3. Service provision engagement. 
   6. Review the Safety Plan (if applicable): 
      1. Discuss the sufficiency of the Safety Plan to manage child safety. 
      2. Discuss the Safety Plan Support Person Agreement and the support person’s willingness and ability to support the Safety Plan; and

      3. Determine if modification to the safety plan is required (see policy 19.12 Case Management: Safety Plan & Management).

         NOTE: The receiving SSCM will be responsible for modifying the Safety Plan with the family.

   7. Explain the FTM process as outlined in policy 19.3 Case Management: Solution Focused Family Team Meetings. 
   8. Obtain collateral contact information (see policy 19.16 Case Management: Collateral Contacts); 
   9. Explain and complete the Consent to Receive Targeted Case Management Services form with the primary caregiver, if the case is transferring to FPS or Foster Care (see policy 19.18 Case Management: Targeted Case Management); and
   10. Address any questions or concerns the family may have.

PRACTICE GUIDANCE

Case transfer staffings are an opportunity to share and discuss information at any stage in the life of a case. This allows for a thorough assessment and analysis of family conditions and further ensures that the current DFCS intervention is meeting the family’s needs currently and will continue to meet the needs moving forward. Supervisors participate in case transfer staffing to provide guidance, approve current and proposed case management activities. 

Many times, families frequently move from county to county. When this occurs, it is imperative that services and contact with the family are maintained as much as possible. As such, the County that has primary responsibility for the case should maintain the primary case management responsibilities in Georgia SHINES until it can be confirmed that the family has settled in another county. The primary county may request assistance from other counties in making contact with the family to confirm their residency, however, official case transfer should not occur until it is clear that the family will remain in their new residence ongoing. This may require keeping the case beyond the timeframes outlined for case transfer in the above procedures. Should this occur, the decision to maintain the case pending confirmation of the family’s residency in a new county should be documented in Georgia SHINES as a part of the Supervisory Staffing. 

When disagreements between the sending and receiving county DFCS offices occur, the situation should be referred to the appropriate County Director(s), and when necessary Regional Director(s) for resolution. Under no circumstances should case management activities cease, or a family not be contacted due to county jurisdiction issues. When multiple counties or other states are involved with a family and jurisdiction is initially undetermined, a staffing must occur between the counties to develop and implement a plan to address child safety and the family’s needs pending jurisdiction resolution. Under no circumstances should the establishment of jurisdiction preclude the county in which the family resides from ensuring face-to-face contact and an assessment of safety. It is permissible to cross county lines while jurisdictional issues are resolved.