SECTION 707.515. How does the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services assign roles upon receipt of a report alleging child abuse or neglect?

When a report of abuse or neglect is initially received by the Statewide Intake division of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), each person named in the report is assigned one of the following roles:

(1) Alleged victim. An alleged victim is a child who is suspected of being a victim of abuse or neglect as defined in Texas Family Code (TFC) §261.001(1) and (4).

(2) Alleged perpetrator. An alleged perpetrator is a person responsible for the child's care, custody, or welfare as defined in TFC §261.001(5)(A)-(C), who is suspected of committing the alleged abuse or neglect.

(3) Alleged victim/perpetrator. An alleged victim/perpetrator is a child 10 years of age or older who is suspected of both:

(A) being a victim as described under paragraph (1) of this section; and

(B) abusing or neglecting other children in the family/household named in the same report.

(4) Unknown. A person with the role of unknown is a person whose actions with regard to the alleged abuse or neglect are not known by the reporter. The person may or may not have played a part in the suspected abuse or neglect.

(5) No Role. A person with the role of no role is a person, according to the reporter, who could clearly not have had a role in the alleged abuse or neglect.

Source Note: The provisions of this §707.515 adopted to be effective July 15, 2020, 45 TexReg 4780