SECTION 707.551. What is alternative response?

Alternative response is a type of protective intervention conducted by the Investigations program of the Child Protective Investigations division of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) in response to allegations of abuse or neglect of a child by a person responsible for the child's care, custody or welfare as defined in TFC §261.001(5)(A)-(C), that is an alternative to an abbreviated or thorough investigation as described in §707.489 of this subchapter (relating to How do we respond to reports of child abuse or neglect?). Cases that are handled with alternative response:

(1) do not result in a formal disposition of the allegations of abuse or neglect as provided in §707.495 of this subchapter (relating to How do we make dispositions after completing the investigation?) or in the designation of a perpetrator as described in §707.497 of this subchapter (relating to What roles can we assign to persons involved in a case after the investigation is complete?);

(2) do not result in the listing of any individual on the child abuse and neglect central registry described in subchapter C, chapter 702, of this title (relating to Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry); and

(3) focus on short-term collaboration with and engagement of families in order to empower them to ensure the safety of their children.

Source Note: The provisions of this §707.551 adopted to be effective July 15, 2020, 45 TexReg 4780