The establishment of a statewide child abuse and neglect
reporting hotline system is intended to provide an additional resource for the
public to make an initial report of suspected or known abuse and/or
neglect.
7.102.1
COUNTY HOTLINE
RESPONSIBILITIES [Eff. 8/1/17]
A.
County departments shall establish a dedicated child abuse and neglect
reporting telephone line to receive calls from the statewide child abuse and
neglect reporting hotline system.
B. County departments shall ensure that all
calls received through the statewide child abuse and neglect reporting hotline
system will be answered by a live person designated by the county, which may
include county staff, local law enforcement, the Hotline County Connection
Center, and/or an answering service.
C. County departments shall ensure that any
county department staff that responds to inquiries regarding child abuse and/or
neglect or gathers information for reports of child abuse and/or neglect are
trained and annually certified according to the requirements outlined in
Section 7.603 (12 CCR
2509-7).
D.
County departments shall ensure that all reports and inquiries received through
the statewide child abuse and neglect reporting hotline system are documented
in the state automated case management system by the end of the next business
day following receipt as defined in Section 7.103.10.
E. When county departments select a routing
method in the statewide child abuse and neglect reporting hotline system that
prevents call data from being collected by the hotline system, county
departments shall provide the State Department with designated monthly reports.
1. County departments shall use a uniform
template, provided by the State Department, to report the following:
a. Call volume,
b. Average call duration; and,
c. Average wait time.
2. The monthly reports shall be due to the
State Department by the third business day of the following month.
7.102.2
HOTLINE
COUNTY CONNECTION CENTER RESPONSIBILITIES [Eff. 8/1/17]
A. Hotline County Connection Center staff
shall be continuously available twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a
week to receive and immediately route hotline calls to the appropriate county
department.
The appropriate county department shall be determined by the
following criteria in order of priority:
1. Residence of the child;
2. Current location of the child;
or,
3. Incident location.
B. All Hotline County Connection
Center staff shall be trained and annually certified according to the
requirements outlined in Section 7.603 (
12 CCR
2509-7).
C. Hotline County Connection Center staff
shall ensure that all hotline calls are documented in the state automated case
management system.
7.102.3
TRANSFER OF HOTLINE
RESPONSIBILITIES [Eff. 8/1/17]
A. With
the express written consent of the Board of County Commissioners of a county, a
county department may request that the State Department assist that county with
the taking of calls or initial contacts from the public of reports of possible
child abuse and/or neglect or of inquiries. The Executive Director of the State
Department must approve this arrangement in writing (26-5-111(3)
(B), C.R.S.).
B. A county department may request that the
State Department receive after-hours reports or inquires on behalf of the
county department by submitting a written request to the State Department. The
Board of County Commissioners must officially approve the use of the hotline
system on behalf of the county. Approval of such arrangement shall be approved
by the State Department Executive Director or his/her designee (26-5-111(4) (E),
C.R.S.).
C. In the event of a
natural disaster or other emergency situation in which county departments
cannot receive reports or inquiries from the statewide child abuse and neglect
reporting hotline system, county departments may request that the Hotline
County Connection Center receive their reports or inquiries, until they are
able to resume normal operations.
D. County departments may request another
county department to receive reports and inquiries from the statewide child
abuse and neglect reporting hotline system on behalf of the county department
subject to the Board of County Commissioners' approval. Documentation of
agreement from both county departments must be submitted to the State
Department's Executive Director or his/her designee prior to implementation.
Reports and inquiries taken by a county department or the
Hotline County Connection Center on behalf of another county department must
follow the requirements defined in
26-5-111, C.R.S. and Sections
7.101, 7.101.1, 7.102.1 D., 7.103, 7.103.1, and 7.103.2.
E. When the Hotline County Connection Center
or another county department enters a report of child abuse and/or neglect into
the state automated case management system on behalf of another county
department, it shall transfer the referral to the appropriate responsible
county department through the state automated case management system within two
(2) hours after the call is completed. The method for notification is as
follows:
1. When a referral is sent during
regular business hours, notification shall be through telephone call,
voicemail, e-mail, text, or other emerging technology, and shall be documented
in the state automated case management system; or,
2. When a referral is sent outside of regular
business hours, notification shall be through personal contact to a person who
is the appropriate county department representative, and shall be documented in
the state automated case management system.
F. When a county department receives
referrals from the Hotline County Connection Center or another county
department, the county department shall confirm receipt of the referral within
two (2) hours through the state automated case management system.
G. When the Hotline County Connection Center
or another county department enters an inquiry into the state automated case
management system on behalf of another county department, they shall transfer
the inquiry to the appropriate county department as follows:
1. Child welfare inquiries regarding
child(ren/youth) or families with child welfare involvement shall be
transferred to the appropriate county department through the state automated
case management system within two (2) hours after the call is completed.
a. When a child welfare inquiry is sent
outside of regular business hours, notification shall be through personal
contact to a person who is the appropriate county department representative,
and shall be documented in the state automated case management system.
2. All other inquiries
and requests for non-child welfare information shall be transferred to the
appropriate county department through the state automated case management
system within two (2) hours after the call is completed.
H. When a county department receives an
inquiry from the Hotline County Connection Center or another county department,
the county department shall confirm receipt of the inquiry as follows:
1. Child welfare inquiries regarding child
abuse and/or neglect or families with child welfare involvement shall be
confirmed through the state automated case management system within two (2)
hours of receipt.
a. When a child welfare
inquiry is received outside of regular business hours the county department
shall also confirm receipt through personal contact with the appropriate county
department representative, and shall be documented in the state automated case
management system.
2. All
other inquiries and requests for non-child welfare information shall be
confirmed through the state automated case management system by the close of
the next business day.
Notes
12 CCR 2509-2-7.102
38
CR 19, October 10, 2015, effective 11/1/2015
39
CR 17, September 10, 2016, effective
10/1/2016
39
CR 19, October 10, 2016, effective
11/1/2016
40
CR 11, June 10, 2017, effective
7/1/2017
40
CR 13, July 10, 2017, effective
8/1/2017
41
CR 01, January 10, 2018, effective
2/1/2018
41
CR 03, February 10, 2018, effective
3/2/2018
41
CR 15, August 10, 2018, effective
9/1/2018
42
CR 03, February 10, 2019, effective
3/15/2019
43
CR 09, May 10, 2020, effective
6/1/2020
44
CR 01, January 10, 2021, effective
1/30/2021
44
CR 13, July 10, 2021, effective
7/30/2021
44
CR 21, November 10, 2021, effective
11/30/2021
44
CR 23, December 10, 2021, effective
12/30/2021
45
CR 01, January 10, 2022, effective
1/30/2022
45
CR 05, March 10, 2022, effective
3/30/2022
45
CR 11, June 10, 2022, effective
6/30/2022
46
CR 03, February 10, 2022, effective
3/2/2023
46
CR 09, May 10, 2023, effective
6/1/2023
46
CR 11, June 10, 2023, effective
7/1/2023
47
CR 09, May 10, 2024, effective
6/1/2024