March 18th, 2009 | 
Author: Child Abuse investigation is the process of investigating the abuse. It means getting background information on the abuser getting proof of the abuse with pictures, audio, video, and talking to others that may know something about the abuse. The Texas department of family and protective services outlines key information about child abuse.
Child Protective detectives investigate reports of child abuse or neglect in order to determine whether any child in the referred family has been abused or neglected. In addition, caseworkers assess critical areas of individual and family functioning to determine whether any child in the referred family is at risk of abuse or neglect; and initiate protective services for children who need protection.
To determine whether any child in the family has been abused or neglected and is still at risk of abuse or neglect, the investigative worker may interview family members and appropriate collateral sources. At the end of the investigation, staff must assign a disposition to each allegation identified for the investigation. Dispositions include the following:
1. Reason-to-believe. Based on a preponderance of the evidence, staff conclude that abuse or neglect has occurred.
2. Ruled-out. Staff determines, based on available information, that it is reasonable to conclude that the abuse or neglect has not occurred.
3. Unable To Complete. An “unable to complete” investigation is one that cannot be concluded and assigned another disposition because the family could not be located to begin the investigation, or the family was contacted but subsequently moved and could not be located to complete the investigation or the family refused to cooperate with the investigation. CPS policy outlines several required actions the caseworker needs to complete with the “Unable To Complete” disposition.
4. Unable-to-determine. Staff concludes that none of the dispositions specified in [1 through 3 above] is appropriate.
5. Administrative closure. Information received after a case was assigned for investigation reveals that continued Child Protective Services intervention is unwarranted.
The private detective must also determine whether there is a reasonable likelihood that a child will be abused or neglected in the foreseeable future. There are two alternatives.
1. The worker concludes that the children are not at risk if
(a) no significant risk factors have been identified, and abuse or neglect has not been found to have occurred in the current investigation; or
(b) the family appears willing and able, through use of family and community resources, to deal with risk factors in their lives in such a manner as to ensure the safety of the child(ren) for the foreseeable future. If the worker concludes that the children are not at risk, then the case may be closed.
2. The worker concludes that the children are at risk of abuse or neglect if:
(a) the worker has identified significant risk factors, and
(b) the family appears unable or unwilling to utilize family and community resources to deal with the risk factors in a manner that will ensure the safety of the child(ren) for the foreseeable future.
If the background investigation concludes that the children are at risk of abuse or neglect, then the worker may recommend:
* services to address the problem,
* open the case for family based safety services or
* file a petition to initiate civil court action to protect the victim.
Actions could include removal of the children from the home and possibly termination of parental rights. Private investigators often play a keep roll in the collection of evidence. Assigning the case to the appropriate private detective agency could be the difference in developing the information needed to uncover the facts needed to prove the case is indeed a criminal investigation.
Jay Barker started working background investigations in the late 70’s. He currently runs an international detective network and operates a detective agency. He consults for both business and individuals and works with private detectives throughout the world.
Article Source: Child Abuse Investigation
