1. (a) The Child Abuse Hotline worker will:

   1. (1) Receive and document all child maltreatment allegation reports with sufficiently identifying information as defined by Arkansas law;

   2. (2)

      1. (A) Receive fax transmission in nonemergency situations by identified reporters who provide their:

2. (i) Name;

   1. (ii) Phone number; and

      1. (iii) Email address (for online reporting).
      2. (B) Confirm receipt of fax transmission via a return fax transmission;

   2. (3)

      1. (A) Conduct a history check on all reports unless calls waiting to be answered by the hotline have been waiting for fifteen (15) minutes or longer.
      2. (B) History checks will be conducted on serious maltreatment allegations or allegations involving children three (3) years of age and younger regardless of wait time;

   3. (4) Attempt to secure all information requested in each screen within the referral section of CHRIS and elicit all information requested on the “referral” and “narrative” screens:

      1. (A) Reason or reasons the reporter suspects child maltreatment and how the reporter acquired the information;
      2. (B) Current risk of harm to the child;
      3. (C) Mental and physical condition of alleged offender;
      4. (D) Potential danger to staff assessing the report;
      5. (E) Identity and location of possible witnesses or persons knowledgeable about the alleged child maltreatment;
      6. (F) Relevant addresses and directions; and
      7. (G) Licensing authority and facility involved (if applicable);
   4. (5) Prioritize and determine the appropriate investigating agency (either the Crimes Against Children Division or the Division of Children and Family Services) as outlined in the Department of Human Services and Division of Arkansas State Police agreement, to include, pursuant to Arkansas Code § 12-18-303, a referral to the Division of Children and Family Services Prevention and Reunification Unit for a secondary review of an accepted report that contains no reporter information and collateral information as outlined in the department and the Division of Arkansas State Police agreement;
   5. (6) Forward report to appropriate investigating agency (either the Crimes Against Children Division or the Division of Children and Family Services) for investigation with any pertinent Child Maltreatment Central Registry information, and the Division of Children and Family Services may refer for assessment;
   6. (7) Inform the caller if the report does not constitute a report of child maltreatment and make appropriate referrals;

   7. (8)

      1. (A) Notify each mandated reporter who makes a call to the hotline if the mandated reporter’s call is not accepted or is screened out on a subsequent hotline supervisor review.
      2. (B) Said notification should be made within forty-eight (48) business hours;
   8. (9) Notify on-call Division of Children and Family Services or Crimes Against Children Division staff by telephone for any Priority I report received after business hours or on holidays;
   9. (10) Provide local law enforcement with the name and contact information for the appropriate on-call staff employee at the Division of Children and Family Services if local law enforcement contacts the hotline due to a seventy-two-hour hold initiated on a child or if a hold needs to be taken on a child to protect the child; and
   10. (11) If at any time the system should be inoperable or the respective entities do not have access to the computerized entry, maltreatment reports shall be forwarded by telephone.

3. (b) The Child Abuse Hotline supervisor will ensure that each Child Abuse Hotline worker has access to a comprehensive and current listing of on-call Family Service Workers.

   1. (c) The Division of Children and Family Services Prevention and Reunification Unit will:

   2. (1) Review accepted reports that flagged for secondary review by the Child Abuse Hotline due to the report not containing reporter information or collateral information as outlined in the department and Division of Arkansas State Police agreement and make determinations based on the following considerations:

      1. (A) Review of the report to ensure it meets all acceptance requirements under Arkansas Code §§ 12-18-303 – 12-28-310; and

      2. (B) Review of all relevant information pertaining to the report, to include, but not be limited to:

         1. (i) Current report to ensure:
4. (a) (a) Information is otherwise sufficient for the department to make contact with the alleged victim; and

5. (b) (b) The current allegations are not identical to a previous report that has had a prior preliminary investigation within the past six (6) months and was administratively closed;

   1. (ii) Previous investigations of child maltreatment pertaining to the current alleged offender; and

      1. (iii) Previous case history in CHRIS; and

   2. (2) After secondary review of the accepted child maltreatment report:

      1. (A) Assign credibly accepted reports to the appropriate county office investigative or differential response pathway; or
      2. (B) Complete steps to screen out the accepted referral under Arkansas Code § 12-18-303.

Codification Notes: This section as promulgated prior to codification into the Code of Arkansas Rules provided as follows: "02/2020"