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Child protective services in west virginia
Child Protective Services is a service provided by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Child Protective Services is provided to families when children are abused or neglected by their parents, guardians or custodians responsible for the care of the children. Child Protective Services is a blend of state and federal statutes and best practices for families. Reports must be made to the toll-free Hot Line at 1-800-352-6513.
The Child Protective Services Casework Process
The Child Protective Services decision making model in West Virginia is titled the “Safety Assessment and Management System” and referred to as SAMS. The Safety Assessment and Management System Casework Process is:
- Intake Assessment (Receipt of Reports of Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect)
- Family Functioning Assessment (Assessment of a Report)
- Protective Capacities Family Assessment, Family Case Plan, and Family Case Plan Evaluation (Ongoing Child Protective Services)
Select the above links for more information on each process
The outcome of each step in this process depends upon the information which is collected by Child Protective Services Social Workers. For example: if the report of alleged abuse or neglect does not fall under the definition in the state statute then an Family Functioning Assessment will not be conducted. Or, if a Family Functioning Assessment is conducted and there is a threat to child safety, Ongoing Child Protective Services will be provided which includes completing a Protective Capacities Family Assessment and Family Case Plan Evaluation.
If it is not safe for a child to remain with his/her parents then Child Protective Services will petition the Circuit Court to place the child in foster or kinship care. If the child’s parents are unable to change the behaviors that threatened their child’s safety, another permanent living arrangement will be sought, such as adoption.
additional information
- When Cases go to court
- State and Federal Statutes
- Child Protective Services and other related policies
- West Virginia Code
- Benchbook for Child Abuse and Neglect Proceedings and other relevant information
partners
- West Virginia Court Improvement Program
- Action for Child Protection
- National Resource Center for Child Protective Services
- Atlantic Coast Child Welfare Implementation Center
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