1. (a) The Differential Response (DR) Supervisor will:

   1. (1)

      1. (A) Assign each new report to a DR Worker within two (2) hours of receipt from the DR Program Manager or designee.
      2. (B) Initial face-to-face contact with the victim child or children and at least one (1) parent or caregiver must be made in the home within seventy-two (72) hours of receipt of initial hotline report;

   2. (2) Conference with the DR Worker:

      1. (A) Immediately upon the identification of a safety threat; and
      2. (B) Within twenty-four (24) hours (excluding weekends and holidays, in which case the conference will take place the next business day) after the DR Worker’s initial face-to-face contact with the child or children named in the report and at least one (1) parent/caregiver and identify a plan for the next steps to be taken;
   3. (3) Document all supervisor activities in the Division of Children and Family Services’ information management system within two (2) business days of completion of each activity;
   4. (4) Regarding families with whom the DR Worker cannot make face-to-face contact, assess information and determine whether DR Worker has met due diligence no later than the seventh day after case assignment; and
   5. (5) Provide consultation to the DR Worker as appropriate.

2. (b) The Differential Response (DR) Worker will:

   1. (1) Prepare for meeting the family by completing the following activities prior to making initial face-to-face contact with the family:

      1. (A) Interview other persons, including the individual or individuals who called the report into the hotline, with information listed on the report;
      2. (B) Conduct a Division of County Operations records check of members of the household;
      3. (C) Conduct a history search in the Division of Children and Family Services’ information management system prior to contacting the family unless the report is received after hours or during the weekend or a holiday; and
      4. (D) Contact the family by phone within twenty-four (24) hours of case assignment if a phone number is provided in the report and if appropriate considering initiation timeframe requirements to:

3. (i) Explain differential response;

   1. (ii) Schedule the initial in-home family visit that will include at least the child or children named in the report and one (1) parent/caretaker; and

      1. (iii) Verify the names and dates of birth of all family members and other persons living in the household;

   2. (2) Consider the DR report initiated when:

      1. (A) The health and safety of the child named in the report in the family’s household has been assessed within seventy-two (72) hours from the time the referral was received from the Child Abuse Hotline, and the DR Worker has also met with at least one (1) parent/caregiver in the home within seventy-two (72) hours from the time the referral was received at the Child Abuse Hotline (based on the reported needs and safety issues of the family, DR Supervisor may require that the initial contact with the family occur sooner than seventy-two (72) hours);

      2. (B)

         1. (i) A safety assessment of the child named in the report could not be made but due diligence has been exercised and documented within seventy-two (72) hours of receipt of the hotline referral.
         2. (ii) Due diligence must include making an announced (or unannounced, if needed) visit to the child’s home at least three (3) times at different times of the day or on different days (provided the three (3) visits are within the appropriate DR initiation timeframes) in an attempt to assess the health and safety of the children named in the report.
         3. (iii) In addition, completion of as many of the following activities necessary to meet due diligence in establishing face-to-face contact with the children named in the report and at least one (1) parent/caretaker:
4. (a) (a) Contacting the reporter again;

5. (b) (b) Visiting or contacting the child’s school, child care facility, and all other places where the child is said to be located;

   1. (c) (c) Sending a certified letter to the location given by the reporter, if attempts to locate the child have failed;

      1. (d) (d) Contacting appropriate local Division of County Operations staff and requesting research of the Arkansas Integrated Eligibility System (ARIES) and other files to obtain another address;
6. (e) (e) Asking the local, county, and state law enforcement agencies to check their records for information that may locate the child and family;
7. (f) (f) Asking relatives and friends of the subjects to provide information to help locate the subjects;
8. (g) (g) Contacting the local post office, utility companies, and schools to request a check of their records;

9. (h) (h) Conducting a CLEAR or similar records search to attempt to locate the family; and

   1. (i) (i) Complete other actions listed on the CFS-155: Unable to Locate Checklist.

      1. (iv)
10. (a) (a) If, after completion of all the due diligence activities listed above, no contact is made with the family by the sixth business day after case assignment, document information in a case contact.

11. (b) (b) The DR Supervisor will assess the information and determine whether due diligence has been met no later than the seventh day after case assignment.

    1. (v) If DR Supervisor deems that due diligence has been met, close the assessment as unable to locate;

    2. (3) Provide the following information to the parent/caregiver and other household members during the initial in-home visit:

       1. (A)

          1. (i) Explanation of differential response including the disclosure that the DR Worker must assess the safety of the child or children as well as the need for services, and that the Division of Children and Family Services must address any safety threats or service needs as appropriate.
          2. (ii) If the family will not allow the worker access to the child or children, the family has declined family assessment services (see 9 CAR § 40-305, management of family’s refusal to participate, for more information); and
       2. (B) PUB-85: Differential Response: A Family-Centered Response to Strengthen and Support Families;

    3. (4) Gather information during the initial in-home visit through the activities listed below:

       1. (A) Identify information and legal relationships of all household members;
       2. (B) Obtain the names and addresses of any noncustodial parents;
       3. (C) Obtain DHS-4000: Consent for Release of Information signed by a family member with the authority to give consent as needed; and

       4. (D)

          1. (i) Complete a safety assessment for the family.
          2. (ii) If the safety assessment identifies safety threats, the DR Worker will contact the DR Supervisor to discuss the results of the safety assessment and corresponding actions that will take place based on those results and as informed by professional judgement;
    4. (5) Request a supervisor conference to review and discuss case information (meaning, allegations, risk or safety threats, immediate needs, and other case-specific information);
    5. (6) Document all activities, including the safety assessment, in the applicable information management system within two (2) business days after they are completed;
    6. (7) Visit with all other household members within five (5) days from the time the referral was received at the Child Abuse Hotline; and
    7. (8) Update the safety assessment in the applicable information management system for the family after all household members have been contacted.

Codification Notes: This section as promulgated prior to codification into the Code of Arkansas Rules provided as follows: "02/2025"