SECTION 351.505. Information Collection; Uniform Data Collection Procedures

Each state agency must prepare and keep on file a complete written report of each investigation the agency conducts under Chapter 261 of the Family Code. Each state agency must compile, maintain, and make available statistics on the incidence of child abuse, neglect, and exploitation in each facility it investigates. The statistics also must be forwarded to the Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services to be compiled. The rules and policies adopted and implemented by a state agency must, to the greatest extent practicable, provide a uniform method of collecting and analyzing data on suspected child abuse, neglect, or exploitation in a facility. A state agency must use the following procedures when analyzing data on abuse, neglect, and exploitation investigations:

(1) Sort by program classification the number of investigations completed. Examples of program classification include state hospitals, private psychiatric facilities, and maternity homes.

(2) Sort by program classification the number of confirmed investigations that are completed.

(3) Sort all completed investigations according to disposition for example confirmed, unconfirmed, inconclusive, or unfounded.

(4) Sort all completed confirmed investigations by whether the identity of the perpetrator is known or unknown.

(5) Develop a confirmation rate by dividing the sum of all confirmed investigations by the sum of all completed investigations with dispositions of confirmed, unconfirmed, and inconclusive or other dispositions classification used by the state agencies. Unfounded cases are not included in this calculation.

(6) Calculate the average number of days to complete investigations and sort by program.

(7) Calculate the number of investigations referred to law enforcement.

(8) Calculate the number of investigations pending at the end of the report period.

(9) Calculate the number of disciplinary actions resulting from confirmed findings.

(10) Calculate the number of deaths that occur as a result of child abuse or neglect in the affected facilities.

(11) Calculate the number of appeals and the number of cases appealed that are overturned.

(12) Investigations with multiple allegations are to be counted once, based on the highest level of injury. For example, if a single incident involves one allegation of physical abuse that resulted in serious physical injury and a second allegation of verbal abuse, the investigation should be counted only once, as an instance of physical abuse resulting in serious physical injury. In other words, the sum of completed investigations involving serious injuries, non-serious injuries, verbal/emotional abuse and neglect, and exploitation should not exceed the total number of cases completed.

Source Note: The provisions of this §351.505 adopted to be effective January 12, 2003, 28 TexReg 439