The primary goal of Child Protective Services is the safety and protection of the child. Hopefully, as a foster parent, your only involvement with CPS will be in the placement and removal of children from your home under ordinary circumstances. In reality, however, foster parents sometimes find themselves faced with allegations of child abuse and neglect which result in a CPS/SIU investigation of their home. 

Child Abuse means any physical injury or death inflicted upon a child by a parent or caretaker by other than accidental means. Neglect refers to a caretaker’s deliberate or chronic disregard of the needs (physical, intellectual, social and emotional) essential to a child’s development as a human being, or the deliberate permission of a child to experience avoidable pain and suffering.

When a report of the maltreatment of a child in your home is alleged, the following procedures generally occur:

• Your county DFCS office has a written internal procedure to assure that the appropriate staff persons are notified when allegations of abuse or neglect of children in foster homes are received. 
• DFCS CPS staff has a mandatory immediate response time (Taylor v. Ledbetter) of 0-24 hours in investigating complaints of abuse or neglect of children in DFCS custody. 
• The report is screened by agency supervisory staff to determine if it meets the criteria for investigation by CPS (the report may be a violation of the discipline policy or other foster care policy violation which requires an assessment by Placement staff). 
• Following the initial CPS contact, the foster parent may be contacted by the Resource Development Case manager who may at this time serve in a supportive role. However, this interaction should not compromise the integrity of the investigation. 
• DFCS immediately forwards all reports alleging abuse or neglect of children in agency custody to law enforcement. A joint investigation may or may not be required. 
• DFCS removes the child from the foster home if the child’s safety cannot be assured. 
• A CPS Case Manager who is not directly involved in services to you will be assigned to complete the investigation in order to maintain objectivity. 
• The CPS Case Manager will be interviewing various persons, including the foster parent, the child, Case Managers witnesses, the reporter and, in addition, will review case records, etc., for additional information relative to the case. 
• The County DFCS agency will conduct a staffing with all involved Supervisors and Case Managers to 1) share the results of the investigation 2) review the need to remove the child, and 3) jointly develop a plan of action. 
• If allegations are serious and substantiated, the foster home is closed. 
• If allegations are unsubstantiated, minor, reactive and not chronic, corrective, or the caregiver is amenable to change and a Case Plan instituted to assist foster parents and prevent further abuse, the home may remain open. 

THE FINAL DECISION TO CLOSE A FOSTER HOME LIES WITH THE DFCS COUNTY DIRECTOR.

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