Arkansas Administrative Code › Agency 016 - DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES › Division 15 - Children and Family Services › Rule 016.15.12-009 - Differential Response

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 6, June, 2024
POLICY II-C: DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSE
01/2013
OVERVIEW
Differential Response (DR) is a method that allows the
				Division to respond to reports of specific, low risk allegations of child
				maltreatment with a Family Assessment (FA) rather than the traditional
				investigative response.
The goals of Differential Response are to
				prevent removal from the home and strengthen the families
				involved
. As with investigations, Differential Response is
				initiated through accepted Child Abuse Hotline reports and focuses on the
				safety and well-being of the child and promotes permanency. Having two
				different response options in the child welfare system recognizes that there
				are variations in the severity of the reported maltreatment and allows for a
				Differential Response or an investigation, whichever is most appropriate, to
				respond to reports of child neglect.
Investigations require the gathering of forensic evidence
				in order to formally determine whether there is a preponderance of evidence
				that child abuse or neglect has occurred. Differential Response is a program
				that uses a non-adversarial, non-accusatory Family Assessment approach. With
				DR, there is no finding of "substantiated" or "unsubstantiated", and no one is
				identified as a perpetrator or offender. Community involvement and connecting a
				family to informal, supportive resources in their local communities are crucial
				aspects to a successful intervention for all types of cases, but particularly
				for DR.
Differential Response is more likely to create situations
				where a family is receptive to services and is more likely to engage in those
				services. DR involves a comprehensive and collaborative Family Assessment of
				the family's strengths and needs and offers services to meet the family's needs
				and support positive parenting. The information obtained through the Family
				Assessment approach will be used to create a Family Plan which will be designed
				to strengthen protective factors within the family and mitigate any risk
				factors facing the family.
DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
All of the following factors must be present for a report
				to be assigned to Differential Response:
A.
Identifying information for the
			 family members and their current address or a means to locate them is known at
			 the time of the report;
B.
The alleged perpetrators are parents, birth or adoptive, legal
			 guardians, custodians, or any person standing in loco
			 parentis;
C.
The
			 family has no pending investigation or open protective services or supportive
			 services case;
D.
The
			 alleged victims, siblings or other household members, are not currently in the
			 care and custody of Arkansas Department of Children and Family Services or
			 wards of the court;
E.
Protective custody of the children has not been taken or required in the
			 current investigation; and,
F.
The reported allegations shall only
			 include:
1)
Inadequate
			 Supervision
2)
Inadequate Food
3)
Inadequate Clothing
4)
Inadequate Shelter
5)
Educational Neglect
6)
Environmental
			 Neglect
7)
Lock
			 Out
8)
Medical
			 Neglect