1.  (a) Assessment documentation.  Information gathered for the assessment is documented on Form 04KI007E, CPS Family Assessment.  The assessment form is the guide for the Child Welfare (CW) worker in getting detailed information about the family, their social history, their perception of any problems in the home and the specifics about the incidents that led to a referral of abuse or neglect.

(b) Initial contact with the family.  A home visit must be made as part of the assessment.  [10 O.S. § 7106]  If there is reason to believe there is an extreme safety risk to the child or worker in making a home visit, an investigation is initiated.  If the worker determines, as a part of the assessment, that it is necessary to interview the child victim or siblings in a setting other than the home, a home visit with the person responsible for the child's health, safety, or welfare (PRFC) is attempted the same day the child victim or siblings are interviewed. 

(1) Upon initial contact with the family the CW worker:

(A) introduces himself or herself and explains the reason for the visit in a non-accusatory, courteous manner;

(B) provides the family with an employee identification card showing the agency represented;

(C) gives the PRFC a copy of Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) Publication No. 87-02, "Questions and Answers for Parents About Child Protective Services";

(D) informs the family that the law requires that OKDHS respond to a report of abuse or neglect and determine whether the report is handled as an assessment or an investigation;

(E) informs the family that an assessment process has been determined to be the most appropriate approach to address any concerns regarding the safety of their children and describes the assessment process to the family;

(F) does not enter the home unless invited and if ordered out of the home, the CW worker must leave immediately.  The CW worker never enters the home if there is not an adult present, per OAC 340:75-3-8.6 Instructions to Staff (ITS) 2.  If children are found alone, the CW worker leaves immediately to contact law enforcement.  An investigation rather than an assessment is conducted if very young children are left alone;

(G) emphasizes that the report must be addressed in accordance with Section 7106 of Title 10 of the Oklahoma Statutes.  If hostility, anger, or other defensive reactions are encountered, the CW worker assures the family that their concerns about the process will be addressed;

(H) when admitted to the home, discusses the allegations within the report with the family without revealing the name of the reporter; and

(I) asks to see all children in the home and for an opportunity to interview the children and all family members for an assessment.

(2) If the family agrees to the assessment, the CW worker asks the family about the best way to conduct the interviews, while making it clear that the assessment process must be completed.  The CW worker explains to the family that the assessment includes separate and joint interviews with all family members and may include information gained from other sources to determine what services, if any, are needed to address identified concerns. 

(A) Sufficient time must be allowed for assessment interviews to obtain all of the needed information and to make the observations necessary to assess risk.

(B) Initial assessment interviews are conducted in private before bringing the family together for a discussion of the assessment. 

(C) In order to properly conduct assessment interviews, it may be necessary, after the initial contact with the family, to set a time for the full assessment interviews.

(3) If the family prefers to set an appointment to conduct most of the assessment, the worker can set the appointment with the family, but must see any alleged child victims and their siblings at the initial contact to ensure their safety.  A visual inspection of the children is conducted if injuries are alleged or noted during the worker's interview with the children, per OAC 340:75-3-8.6 ITS.

(4) If the worker determines in the initial stages of the assessment that the family's circumstances or the risk to the children fit the criteria for an investigation, an investigation is initiated by the same worker immediately and the family is told that an investigation rather than an assessment is necessary.

(c) Assessment interview process.  When the assessment begins in the home, the first step may occur with all or most of the family members present.  Interviews are conducted in whatever approach seems most appropriate.  It may be helpful to interview the alleged child victim and a sibling together or separately.  The PRFCs may be interviewed first separately or together.  The interviewing process may be a joint decision between the worker and the family. 

(1) The information obtained from assessment interviews must allow the CW worker to determine or measure the family's overall functioning.  The interview questions include social and family history, information about whether abuse or neglect occurred, the level of risk present to all children in the home and the willingness and ability of the family to make needed changes if there are safety risks to the children in the home. 

(2) Any time there appears to be a significant threat of harm to the children in the home, an investigation is conducted, per OAC 340: 75-3-8.  Although the protocol may vary according to case circumstances, all interviews occur before the assessment is considered complete.

(d) Assessment interview protocol. The method of obtaining assessment information from each participant is detailed in (1) through (5) of this subsection.  If it is not possible to complete all of the assessment interviews, (6) of this paragraph may be applied, with supervisory approval:

(1) Alleged victim(s).  Interviewing the alleged child victim is the most critical step in the assessment process.  The allegations that are appropriate for an assessment do not represent imminent harm, so it is unlikely that it will be necessary to interview an alleged child victim without the knowledge of the PRFC. 

(A) If necessary, interviews with and examination of the alleged child victim may be conducted at any reasonable time and at any place including, but not limited to, the child's school.  [10 O.S. § 7106]  If it is determined that it is necessary to interview the child in a neutral setting first because of the nature of the allegations, refer to OAC 340:75-3-8(f). 

(B) When the alleged victim is a child old enough to be interviewed, it is generally best to conduct the first in-depth interview with the child even if a brief interview is first conducted with the PRFC or other caretaker.

(C) The child's age, developmental level, and emotional state guide the CW worker's interviewing approach.  Although a separate interview may be needed to ensure the child victim's safety, with some children it may be necessary to have the older sibling or another significant person present in order to obtain information. 

(D) All alleged victims must be observed.  Even non-verbal children can provide information when observed.  An attempt must be made to interview every verbal child victim.  Although a very young child may not have extensive verbal skills, the child may provide critical statements or phrases that assist in the assessment. 

(E) The CW worker carefully observes each alleged victim's physical, developmental, and emotional condition and pays particular attention to how the child interacts with others and his or her environment.  Only face-to-face contacts that have been attempted or completed with the alleged child victim are counted in the KIDS system as initiated assessments.

(F) When an injury is alleged or observed, OAC 340:75-3-8.6, ITS is followed.

(2) Sibling(s).  All siblings are observed and an attempt made to interview each verbal sibling.  Interaction is initiated with non-verbal siblings to determine the child's functional level.  The CW worker's interview with the siblings, as with the alleged child victim, must be directed at determining whether or not the siblings have been victims of abuse or neglect.  If one child in the family is at risk, the other children may also be at risk.  Even if the alleged victim's siblings are not at risk of physical harm, it is likely that they are impacted by the family conditions and frequently have important information.  Corroboration of the child victim's statements is also one of the objectives of the interview with the sibling.  The same principles for interviewing children as in (1) of this Instruction are used.

(3) Person(s) responsible for the child(ren).  Sometimes it is not clear who is the perpetrator of the alleged abuse or neglect so it is important to evaluate all persons who are parents, custodial, and non‑custodial, and anyone performing a parenting role in the household.  The relationship between the adults in the household and any parent living outside the household must be evaluated.  It is critical to determine the willingness and ability of the PRFCs to protect the child(ren).  The presence of any stress factors in the home, such as financial difficulties or lack of support systems, must also be evaluated with each PRFC to determine if there are contributing factors to the risk in the home.

(4) Alleged perpetrator.  If there is an identified perpetrator, it is important to evaluate the person's ability to accept responsibility for the abuse and neglect.  It may be necessary to interview the perpetrator last so that what has been learned from the previous interviews can be discussed with the perpetrator.  This will assist in addressing any defensiveness or denial.

(5) Family meeting.  This is a closing interview during which the family is observed together.  A summary of the assessment information obtained up to that point is discussed with the family with the opportunity provided for clarification and additional information.  The next steps in the process are discussed with the family.  The CW worker tells the family whether supportive information from collateral contacts is required and whether the CW worker has determined that services would assist the family.

(6) Protocol modification.  When the assessment protocol is modified or not followed, the reason(s) and approval by the supervisor is documented in the assessment.  The assessment protocol may be modified, with supervisory approval, when:

(A) emergency conditions require immediate action to protect the child;

(B) the emotional atmosphere is volatile, for example, people are emotionally immobilized or violent; or

(C) contact with all family members has been attempted and all members are not available.

(d) Observations.  Observation is critical.  It is important to support observations with facts.  While making observations, the CW worker considers that cultural differences and differences in life styles may affect the family and their response.  There are two types of observations, physical and emotional. 

(1) Examples of physical observation are the physical setting of the home, including the sleeping arrangements for all family members, the degree to which the house is a safe and healthy environment for a child, and physical descriptions of the PRFCs and children, including hygiene, affect, and injuries.

(2) Information about emotional factors is generally obtained through interviews.  Observation can also be an important tool in assessing the family's statements as compared to their emotional reactions and functioning. 

(e) Supportive information.  Families may not always provide factual information during the assessment process, because of fear of the assessment process or lack of awareness about family concerns.  If the CW worker believes the family is not forthcoming about information that could place the child at risk, supportive information must be obtained from appropriate collateral sources.  The decision to interview collaterals is based on whether there is sufficient risk to necessitate gathering information outside of the family. 

(1) Reports that are appropriate for an assessment do not include allegations of serious risk of harm to the child, so interviews with the family may be sufficient. 

(2) Medical reports, information from school personnel or other persons closely involved with the family, psychological evaluations, police reports, photographs, and other similar material provide the CW worker with a means for balancing the subjective aspects of interviewing and observing.

(3) References given by the family may be a source of support for the family.  Interviews with references are directed at determining whether the reference is available to assist the family.  The reference may or may not have information related to risk factors in the home.  For example, the family may give as a reference an employer who has little knowledge of the family's functioning, but, with the family's permission, could be a source of support, per OAC 340:75-3-8, Instructions to Staff 6(3)(E).