Current through Register Vol. 57, No. 6, March 17, 2025
(a) The child
protective investigator shall interview the alleged child victim in person and
individually, during the investigation of a report containing any allegation.
The child protective investigator shall observe each non-verbal alleged child
victim. The child protective investigator shall use sensitivity to avoid
further trauma to each alleged child victim.
(b) The child protective investigator shall,
in completing an investigation of a report containing any allegation:
1. Complete a safety assessment;
2. Interview, in person and individually, the
caregiver and each adult in the home. The child protective investigator shall
interview the alleged child victim's caregiver on the same day as the alleged
child victim, if possible;
3. In
cases where a service case is currently closed but had been open within the
previous two years, interview a prior permanency worker who is the most
knowledgeable about the family, if he or she is available;
4. Interview, in person and individually,
each other child residing in the home of the alleged child victim. The child
protective investigator shall observe each non-verbal child;
5. Read and review each available prior
investigation relevant to the report;
6. Interview the reporter and each other
person identified in the current report or related information as having
knowledge of the incident or as having made an assessment of physical harm,
including, but not limited to, the:
iv. Other professional who treated the
alleged child victim's current condition, other than the reporter;
v. Assigned permanency worker;
vi. Youth services provider;
vii. Private agency caseworker; and
viii. Other Department representative working
with the alleged child victim or his or her family;
7. Interview the alleged perpetrator, in
person;
8. Complete a Child Abuse
Record Information check of each household member and each other individual
regularly frequenting or living in the alleged child victim's home;
9. Conduct a PROMIS/GAVEL check to identify a
paramour's record of criminal history, when the report involves a
paramour;
10. Complete a risk
assessment;
11. Observe the
environment where alleged abuse or neglect occurred or which poses a threat to
the child; and
12. Obtain and
document written approval by a supervisor when seeking to eliminate any
requirement listed in (b)1 through 11 above.
(c) The child protective investigator shall
assess the need to contact and cooperate with law enforcement or a prosecutor,
based upon the allegation(s) made in the report when completing an
investigation. In particular, the child protective investigator shall determine
if a joint investigation in accordance with the DCF/Law Enforcement Model
Coordinated Response Protocol,
http://www.nj.gov/oag/dcj/pdfs/dcf-lawenf-protocol.pdf [File Link Not
Available] is possible and consult with the investigating police officer or
prosecutor before interviewing the alleged child victim, unless emergency
action is needed, when completing an investigation of sexual abuse.
(d) The child protective investigator shall
obtain a medical assessment of the injury, which may include photos or a body
chart, when completing an investigation of a report containing any allegation
that involved a physical injury and when a physician has examined the child.
The child protective investigator shall request a certified copy of hospital or
other medical or forensic records, if available, for the Division of Child
Protection and Permanency record, if abuse or neglect is substantiated or
established.
(e) The child
protective investigator shall, in completing an investigation:
1. Assess the strengths and needs of the
caregiver;
2. Assess the strengths
and needs of the alleged child victim;
3. Interview collateral contacts who have
knowledge of the incident or circumstances;
4. Confirm child care arrangements reported
by the caregiver where appropriate;
5. Interview school personnel or a child care
provider, if any, with knowledge of the parental care provided to that
child;
6. Interview each identified
witness who is reported to have knowledge of the alleged abuse or
neglect;
7. Interview each
community professional who has first-hand knowledge of the alleged abuse or
neglect;
8. Interview the following
persons:
i. Each person residing at the
address of occurrence, at the time of incident; and
ii. Each witness offered by the alleged
perpetrator who could provide evidence that he or she did not abuse or neglect
the alleged child victim;
9. Interview each investigative law
enforcement officer working on the report;
10. Interview each of the primary response
law enforcement personnel called to the scene of the alleged abuse or
neglect;
11. Interview each medical
professional directly involved with the treatment of the reported injury or
condition, and obtain, if possible, a certified copy of any report;
12. Obtain a collateral contact from each
medical professional who has seen the alleged child victim; and
13. Obtain and document written approval by a
supervisor when seeking to eliminate any requirement listed in (e)1 through 12
above.
