2200. Intake Process and Response

Applies To: This policy applies to Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) employees

Policy Number & Title: 2200. Intake Process and Response

Effective Date: July 1, 2024

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance to child welfare intake employees when receiving and processing reports of child abuse and neglect (CA/N), imminent risk of serious harm, or requests for non-CPS services on a 24-hour basis.

Authority

RCW 9A.16.100 Use of Force-Policy-Actions Presumed Unreasonable
RCW 13.34.030 Juvenile Court Act-Definitions
RCW 13.34.360 Transfer of Newborn to Qualified Person-Criminal Liability-Notification to Child Protective Services-Definitions
RCW 26.44.020 Abuse of Children-Definitions
RCW 26.44.030 Abuse of Children-Reports Duty and Authority to Make-Duty of Receiving Agency-Duty to Notify-Case Planning and Consultation-Penalty for Unauthorized Exchange of Information-Filing Dependency Petitions-Investigations-Interviews of Children-Records-Risk Assessment Process
RCW 46.61.687 Child Restraint System Required-Conditions-Exceptions-Penalty for Violation-Dismissal-Noncompliance Not Negligence-Immunity
Chapter 74.13 RCW Child Welfare Services
Chapter 74.15 RCW Care of Children, Expectant Mothers, Persons with Developmental Disabilities
WAC 110-30-0030 What is child abuse or neglect?

Policy

DCYF will be available to accept reports of CA/N or imminent risk of serious harm and receive requests for services on a 24-hour basis.
Intake workers must:
1. Gather information from referrers to:
  1. Complete intakes with allegations of CA/N or imminent risk of serious harm in FamLink.
  2. Process requests for non-CPS service intakes and send them to the appropriate programs for resources and referral consideration, e.g. Family Voluntary Services (FVS), Family Reconciliation Services (FRS), Child and Family Welfare Services (CFWS), or Licensing Division (LD).
2. Create intakes in FamLink on the date and time DCYF receives the information.
3. Follow the Indian Child Welfare (ICW) Intake policy when there is reason to know a child who is the alleged victim or identified child of a report is or may be an Indian child who is affiliated with either:
  1. A Washington State federally recognized tribe
  2. An out-of-state tribe with a Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) with Washington State.
4. Send screened in intakes related to employees, volunteers, interns, and work study students to intake supervisors immediately when they are a subject or alleged perpetrator in the report.
5. Make screening decisions using the Structured Decision Making for Intake DCYF CWP_0113 publication.
Intake area administrators (AA) or intake supervisors must make the final screening decision on intakes at the intake level.