Making CPS calls as an agency

[Groupthink]

Unusual situation and I'm curious how you might handle it.

Because our agency is situated within a larger institution, we are mandated to disclose CPS calls to certain departments and consult with a legal team. This means every CPS call we make is at least 3 hours of extra work for our clinicians.

Now, we've got a "frequent flier" who keeps returning for services requesting a new therapist every time. The person has abused minors in the past and based on my state's reporting laws, we've got to make a CPS call.

This means that every time they begin with a new clinician, that clinician is signing up for this entire overblown process of organizing consultation meetings, disclosing details to lawyers, documenting, etc. Even though the past CPS calls are documented, the institution wants us to make a new call every time it's a new clinician.

Is this just standard operating procedure? Is there any way to make a CPS call "as an agency" so that we can just check this off our list and not have to waste so much time? The lawyers seem to think not but they don't understand the reality of busy clinical practice.

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[Ollie123]

Don't know if this would work, but one of my newer strategies for dealing with admin types has been to schedule these meetings outside normal working hours "so as not to interfere with clinical productivity and research activities" .

Always possible your bluff will be called. However, I am perpetually amazed at the number of loopholes that suddenly emerge when it means someone besides me has to stay in the office til 7 or 8...

Otherwise, I have limited serious advice. Obviously it's important to make sure everyone is covered in these scenarios so I get it. I would hope they could streamline the process a bit as 3 hours is long for what Isounds fairly plug and play at this point.

Depending on the agency, this may also be a patient who should be "fired" and referred elsewhere if that is possible. Hate to turf people, but it may be warranted depending on circumstances.

 

[WisNeuro]

Yeah, your agency is just making stupid decisions. As long as the abuse is old, and has been verified and documented as reported, they are just having you do stupid busywork because they are mis-interpreting the laws. I agree with Ollie, make it as inconvenient for the lawyers as it is for you and maybe they'll rethink their dumb and unnecessary policy.

 

[PsyDr]

I wouldn't accept calling CPS as an institution. Make no mistake, the institution will hang you out to dry if something goes wrong and you didn't report as required by the law.

 

[Groupthink]

I wouldn't accept calling CPS as an institution. Make no mistake, the institution will hang you out to dry if something goes wrong and you didn't report as required by the law.

But if another clinician has reported, and it's clearly noted in the same file that I am adding to, why is it necessary for me to report again?

 

[PsyDr]

But if another clinician has reported, and it's clearly noted in the same file that I am adding to, why is it necessary for me to report again?

Most states do not have a "you're a mandated reporter, unless you think someone else has already reported" clause. Why the law works like that is a question for a different profession.

 

[WisNeuro]

Most states do not have a "you're a mandated reporter, unless you think someone else has already reported" clause. Why the law works like that is a question for a different profession.

Probably depends on how it is documented in the chart. Is it just in someone else's notes? Or, is there uploaded documentation with possible scans of paperwork from CPS? In the latter, I would just refer to those documents in lieu of making a brand new report. But that's for my place of work. Obviously you have to go with the law, and then company policy.

 

[MAClinician]

Am I understanding correctly that in your state, ANY time a clinician is informed of past child abuse/neglect that has already been documented and addressed by CPS, you *STILL* have to file on that same incident? Ex: parent abused child in 2012, was reported, CPS worked with family to resolve the abuse concerns. In 2018, parent disclosed this incident to clinician during intake/gathering psychosocial history. 2018 clinician then has to file with CPS, about 2012 incident, that has already been resolved?? Or are you talking about a new incident? Because the first option sounds crazy to me!

 

[foreverbull]

Am I understanding correctly that in your state, ANY time a clinician is informed of past child abuse/neglect that has already been documented and addressed by CPS, you *STILL* have to file on that same incident? Ex: parent abused child in 2012, was reported, CPS worked with family to resolve the abuse concerns. In 2018, parent disclosed this incident to clinician during intake/gathering psychosocial history. 2018 clinician then has to file with CPS, about 2012 incident, that has already been resolved?? Or are you talking about a new incident? Because the first option sounds crazy to me!

In my state, when working with teens, I reported often. I was told by CPS to file reports multiple times even when I knew it was documented by others (outside of my agency or even within) that a prior report had been filed for the incidents. It caused intense distress to my clients who had to deal with it all over again, and then it was later confirmed by CPS via a letter mailed to me that the matters had been investigated already, so no further investigation needed. Duplicate reporting happens often in my state because clinicians are heavily penalized for not reporting, so they're terrified to not file even if they know it's been documented, and CPS in my state is extremely bureaucratic & paper-trail happy, in my experience, and will simply tell clinicians to report regardless of prior reports.

Very frustrating on all sides, and needs to be fixed. Their bureaucracy takes valuable time away from investigating real cases that involve current abuse.