2.30.1 Intake

Original Date: September 12, 2016

Revised Date: July 1, 2024

Sunset Review Date: July 31, 2028

Approved by: Tleena Ives, Office of Tribal Relations Director

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance when DCYF receives reports of child abuse and neglect (CA/N), imminent risk of serious harm, or requests for assistance for children who are or may be Indian children.

Scope

This policy applies to Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) employees.

Laws

Chapter 13.38 RCW Washington State Indian Child Welfare Act

25 U.S.C. § 1901 - 1923 Indian Child Welfare Act

Policy

Intake workers must:

Identify whether there is reason to know that children are or may be Indian children as soon as possible when completing an intake.
Contact identified tribes prior to making screening decisions.

Procedures

Intake workers must ask referrers when taking reports regarding CA/N, imminent risk of serious harm, or requests for assistance:
1. Whether children are or may be Indian children.
2. About the children’s Indian heritage.
When there is reason to know children who are the alleged victims or identified children of a report are or may be Indian children affiliated with Washington State federally recognized tribes or out-of-state tribes with a Memoranda of Agreement (MOA) with Washington State:
1. Intake workers must:
  1. Follow the Child Welfare Intake Process and Response policy.
  2. Call the tribe, using the Washington State Tribes Intake Referral and After-Hours Field Response Contact Information, prior to making a screening decision and:
    1. Share the:
      1. Indian child’s family name.
      2. Current allegation or concern.
    2. Ask if the child resides on the reservation.
    3. Gather collateral information about the child and family that may inform the screening decision.
  3. Document
    1. In the ICW tab in the FamLink Intake module information about:
      1. Contacts or attempted contacts with known tribes.
      2. Information about the child’s:
        Tribal heritage or Indian ancestry.
        Residence or domicile.
    2. In the narrative tab in the FamLink Intake module information that may inform the screening decision.
2. Intake supervisors must complete the following when there are emergent after-hours intakes:
  1. Notify the after-hours supervisor of the after-hours emergent intake and the need for coordination with the tribe.
  2. Send a copy of the after-hours emergent intake to Washington State federally recognized tribes and out-of-state tribes with an MOA when the intake is not an LD CPS intake using the Washington State Tribes Intake Referral and After-Hours Field Response Contact Information.
  3. Document that the intake was shared in the Referrals tab of the Intake module in FamLink.
3. Child welfare employees designated by the assigned office area administrators must:
  1. Send all intakes to the Washington State federally recognized tribes and out-of-state tribes with an MOA, if not already sent.
  2. Document intakes were sent in the Referrals tab in the FamLink Intake module in FamLink.
4. Licensed Division (LD) Child Protective Services (CPS) supervisors or investigators must:
  1. Send screened-in intakes to Washington State federally recognized tribes and out-of-state tribes with an MOA.
  2. Document contact or attempted contact with the tribe and any information about the child’s tribal heritage or Indian ancestry in a FamLink case note.
Office of Tribal Relations (OTR) must maintain and update the Washington State Tribes Intake Referral and After-Hours Field Response Contact Information by:
1. Emailing tribal child welfare directors monthly to request updates and changes and then immediately reposting the corrected list to the internet.
2. Updating and reposting the corrected list to the DCYF internet whenever a tribe provides OTR with changed contact information.