B. Triage as Policy 1. The Texas approach is a public policy disaster for two different reasons. First, triage is an ineffective way to fight child abuse and neglect. Children usually cannot. When an adult is the victim of a crime, generally speaking, the adult can and does pick up the phone and call the police.
Child abuse happens behind the closed doors of troubled families.
What is discovered after an adequate investigation to be a serious case of child abuse or neglect may have come in the door at CPS as a referral from someone with no idea of how serious the ongoing abuse or neglect is. Victoria's case illustrates why triage cannot work in cases of child abuse. Full investigations of less serious problems divert already limited staff resources from serious cases of abuse and from service delivery. Child welfare experts recommend a more flexible approach. Many states have adopted a system where full investigations are reserved for serious cases while social service efforts, such as family assessment or crisis intervention, are used to deal with less serious incidents.