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1.4 Documentation

Legal Authority

Introduction

Once the decision is made to open an in home or out-of-home care (OOHC) case, registration paperwork is completed with the family. The timeframes for face-to-face contact with the family, as well as development of the case plan are different for different types of cases however the following policy applies to all cases.

Practice Guidance

Procedure

Opening a Case

The SSW completes the following tasks when opening a case:

Obtains hard copy versions of the DCBS-1 Informed Consent and Release of Information and Records, DCBS-1A Informed Consent and Release of Information and Records Supplement, and DCBS-1B Application for Services from the client; 1
Provides the family or client a copy of the DPP-154 Protection and Permanency Service Appeal to inform them of their right to appeal;
Ensures the assessment is current; and
Completes a case plan with the family or client using the following timeframes:

Ten (10) calendar days for OOHC cases;
Fifteen (15) calendar days for in-home cases; and
Fifteen (15) working days for adult protective services.

Ongoing Documentation

The SSW:

Maintains supportive documentation of all visits, ongoing casework, and contacts with clients, community partners, and service providers in the hard copy case file and in the appropriate TWIST screens;
Enters contacts into TWIST during the calendar month the contact was made unless the contact is made in the last week of the month; and
Enters the contact no later than the fifth (5th) calendar day of the following calendar month, if the contact was made the last week of the month.