Child Protective Services Handbook Revision June 2012
This revision of the Child Protective Services Handbook was published on June 1, 2012. Summaries of new or revised items are provided below.
Access for CASA Volunteers During Adoption
When a Child Travels Outside of the US
Revisions to the Texas Adoption Resource Exchange (TARE) Policy
Recouping Overpayment of Adoption Assistance Subsidies
Access for CASA Volunteers During Adoption (PATS 4537)
The items below are revised to reflect that court-appointed special advocates (CASAs) must be provided the same access as CASA supervisors during the adoption process.
Access for CASAs includes being given the opportunity to:
• review the home studies of the prospective adoptive families who are being considered; and
• participate in all meetings, and all parts of meetings, held to select an adoptive family.
See:
6830 Selecting an Adoptive Family
6838 Meeting to Discuss the Home Studies of Prospective Adoptive Families
6838.1 Holding Separate Discussions About the Child to Protect Privacy
6838.2 Holding Separate Discussions About Adoptive Families to Protect Privacy
6838.21 Including the Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) in Discussions About Prospective Adoptive Families
6838.3 Confirming Approval of a Prospective Adoptive Family
6839 When No Prospective Adoptive Family Is Available
When a Child Travels Outside of the US (PATS 5022)
The items below are updated to reflect that the CPS Assistant Commissioner’s approval is required for children to travel outside of the US.
See:
6571 When a Child Travels
6571.4 When a Child Travels Within Texas
6571.41 Travel Within Texas With a Caregiver
6571.42 Travel Within Texas With a Person Who Is Not a Caregiver or Relative
6571.6 When a Child Travels Outside of Texas
6571.61 Travel Outside of Texas with a Caregiver
6571.62 Travel Outside of Texas With a Person Who Is Not a Caregiver or Relative
6571.7 When a Child Travels Outside of the U.S.
6571.71 Requesting Court Approval
6571.72 Steps After Obtaining Court Approval
6571.73 Obtaining Travel Documents
The item below is revised to reflect OP-4105 DFPS Subpoena Policy and Procedures, effective January 1, 2012. See:
5223.5 Appearing as a Witness in a Hearing to Remove a Child
Revisions to the Texas Adoption Resource Exchange (TARE) Policy (PATS 2529)
The items below are revised to update policy regarding adoption recruitment efforts involving TARE and the Adoption Family Network (AFN). See:
6870 Texas Adoption Resource Exchange (TARE)
6871 Definitions
6872 TARE Databases
6873 TARE Adoption Recruitment Efforts
6873.1 Pre-TARE Regional Recruitment Efforts
6873.2 National Recruitment Efforts
6874 Time Frames for Registering Children on TARE
6875 Court Orders Related to Adoption Recruitment
6876 TARE Procedures
6876.1 Initial Registration on TARE
6876.2 Maintaining TARE Registrations
6876.3 Adoption Status Designations in the TARE Database
6876.4 Reason to Unpublish in the TARE Database
6876.5 Managing Home Screenings in TARE
6877 TARE Inquiries
6877.1 TARE Child Inquiry Forms
6877.2 TARE Inquiry Logs
6877.3 Responding to Inquiries for Children on TARE
6878 TARE Family Registry Database Procedures
6878.1 Registering Families on TARE
6878.2 TARE Family Registry Broadcasts
6878.3 TARE Family Registry Broadcasts for Children Age Six or Younger
6878.4 Searching the TARE Family Registry Database for Potential Adoptive Matches
6879 Prospective Inquiry Database Procedures
8263.1 Identifying Out-of-State Families for Adoption Placement Services
The following items have been deleted:
6823 Registering the Child on the Adoption Resource Exchange
Appendix 1424: Sample Format for Adoption Case Record (for casefolders)
Appendix 1422: Instructions and Tables of Contents for Case Record Dividers
Recouping Overpayment of Adoption Assistance Subsidies (PATS 4597)
The items below are added to explain the procedures for recouping an adoption assistance subsidy.
See:
1568.2 Recouping an Overpayment of Adoption Assistance
1568.21 Standard Cases – Recouping an Adoption Subsidy in 30 Days
1568.22 Hardship Cases – Recouping an Adoption Subsidy in Any Dollar Amount
1568.23 Extreme Hardship Cases – Recouping an Adoption Subsidy in More Than 12 Months (Requires State Office Approval)
FAD Recruitment Policy (PATS 4912)
This policy was updated to include information meetings and recruitment events. The new content is intended to inform CPS workers how to hold information meetings and recruitment events, and what the CPS worker should hope to accomplish with both.
See:
7100 Recruitment of Foster and Adoptive Homes
7110 Information Meeting
7111 Topics of Information Meetings
7111.1 Application Distribution and Application Assistance
7111.2 Previously Verified or Approved Applicants
7112 Recruitment Plans and Calendars
7212.1 Regional Recruitment Plan
7212.2 Recruitment Calendars
7113 Recruitment Activities
7114 Annual Recruitment Events
Incarcerated Parents (PATS 4407)
A link to 6615.2 Incarcerated Parents was added to the following sections of the CPS Handbook:
2234.47 Closing a Case Involving a Parental Child Safety Placement
3122.2 Scope and Purpose of an FBSS Family Assessment
3165 Parental Involvement in Service Planning – Ensuring the Involvement of Fathers
6422.2 Family Participation in Developing the Family Service Plan