Child Protective Services (CPS) helps prevent further harm to children from abuse, exploitation or neglect by a parent or caretaker. CPS workers in county departments of social services (DSS) accomplish this through:
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Assessing suspected cases of abuse and neglect.
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Assisting the family in diagnosing the problem.
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Providing in-home counseling and supportive services to help children stay at home with their families.
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Coordinating community and agency services for the family.
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Petitioning the court for removal of the child, if necessary.
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Providing public information about child abuse and neglect.
There are three phases to CPS: Intake, CPS Assessments and CPS In-Home Services. Social workers at the county DSS receive reports of alleged abuse or neglect, determine whether the allegations meet the legal definitions (CPS Intake), and if so, initiate a CPS Assessment. If the family needs services, CPS provides them (CPS In-Home Services) until the conditions that led to the maltreatment are resolved. When the safety of the child cannot be assured, DSS takes the child into legal custody.
Child Protective Services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through all 100 county departments of social services in North Carolina. The program serves all infants, children and adolescents in North Carolina who need protection.
When a CPS report is accepted for assessment, one of two approaches is used. For abuse and severe neglect cases, the Investigative Assessment approach is used. For cases involving neglect or dependency, a more family-centered approach (the Family Assessment) may be used. There are specified steps that must be taken by the CPS social worker in order to determine whether or not involuntary CPS services are needed by the family. If services are needed, these are provided during the CPS In-Home Services (formerly known as Case Planning and Case Management) phase.
At the conclusion of a CPS Assessment (Investigative Assessment or Family Assessment), a case decision must be made whether there are safety issues for children in the home that require involuntary CPS services, the CPS social worker arranges or provides services to alleviate the conditions that led to the maltreatment of the child and to resolve the safety issues.