Chapter 2 : Section 13
Case Transfer
Policy
The Department will transfer cases that are opened for in-home case management to the identified DCS Specialist within one business day of the decision to open a case.
The Department will transfer cases that are opened for ongoing case management to the identified DCS Specialist as soon as possible, and no later than 12 calendar days of a Temporary Custody Notice (TCN) being served or a Dependency Petition being filed.
The Department will transfer cases to an adoption unit within 2 business days of the court granting a motion for termination of parent-child relationship as to all named parents.
When a decision has been made to transfer a case or person record to a different unit for case management, the Department will transfer the case or person record to the identified DCS Specialist as soon as possible.
Procedures
When a decision to open a case is made, the sending DCS Program Supervisor or designee will notify the receiving DCS Program Supervisor or designee the same day. The DCS Specialist will submit the assessment for case creation and the DCS Program Supervisor will submit a request to the Program Specialist or designee to create a case the same day.
If the court grants a motion for termination of parent-child relationship as to all named parents, the DCS Specialist will submit a case transfer request to the DCS Program Supervisor or designee within two (2) business days of the court granting the motion. The DCS Program Supervisor or designee will submit the request to the Program Specialist or designee the same day. The sending DCS Specialist will send the adoptions case file to the receiving DCS Supervisor or designee within two business days from unit assignment.
The receiving DCS Program Supervisor or designee will identify the receiving DCS Specialist within one business day of the case creation.
A transfer dialogue is mandatory for all case transfers. A transfer dialogue between the sending and receiving DCS Program Supervisor or DCS Specialist will occur:
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within one working day of unit assignment for cases with an in-home safety plan;
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within two working days of unit assignment for cases with an out-of-home safety plan; or
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within three working days of requesting a transfer to an adoption unit.
Prior to transferring the case, the sending DCS Specialist will submit immediate service requests for identified services such as Arizona Families F.I.R.S.T; random urinalysis testing; child care; etc.
The sending DCS Specialist will inform the parent(s), child(ren), responsible adult(s) and out-of-home caregiver (if applicable) of the decision to transfer the case and will provide the name, contact information, and office address of the receiving DCS Program Supervisor and DCS Specialist on the same day the decision is made.
For cases that are opened for in-home case management, the sending DCS Specialist will ensure all documentation is complete within two business days of the transfer notification being sent to the receiving DCS Program Supervisor or designee.
For cases that are opened or transferred for out-of-home case management, the sending DCS Specialist will ensure all documentation is complete prior to the transfer notification being sent to the receiving DCS Program Supervisor or designee.
For cases that are opened for in-home case management and out-of-home case management, the receiving DCS Specialist will complete the preparation activities in the Preparation and Introduction Supervision Discussion and discuss the case with their DCS Program Supervisor.
Upon assignment, the receiving DCS Specialist is responsible for all case management responsibilities.
Documentation
DCS Ongoing Specialist documents the court’s order granting the motion to terminate the parent-child relationship in a Court Hearing note.
DCS Program Supervisor- Investigation:
Complete the Supervision Documentation Assessment (DCS-2096) prior to case transfer.
Legal
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