Chapter VIII:Protective Services 1406- ADMINISTRATION AND STAFFING

VII. DATA TRACKING AND STATISTICS

The community has a right to know that the services provided by the DSS are efficient and effective. One way to determine the effectiveness of agency efforts is to gather accurate data on outcomes of provided services. Child Protective Services are often delivered in an atmosphere of fear and distrust from the public. Agencies are sometimes accused of doing either too much or too little to protect a child. Despite the risk of negative feedback, agencies are encouraged to conduct regular client satisfaction surveys that specifically ask for feedback on the professional conduct of service delivery staff. Conducting similar surveys of professionals, paraprofessionals and volunteers who work with children and their families are also encouraged.

All accepted reports of child maltreatment must be reported to the central registry (10A NCAC 70A.0112). The primary responsibility of the Central Registry is to provide statistical information used to study the extent of abuse and neglect within the State. This information is also used to provide statistics and management reports for county departments of social services and to track child fatality information. Refer to Chapter VIII, Section 1426 "Central Registry" of the Children’s Services Manual for more information specific to the functioning of the central registry system.

Each agency should have logs used for screening CPS reports. Agencies should develop separate filing systems for reports accepted for CPS assessment and those reports that are not accepted for CPS assessment (screened out reports).

The use of the XPTR monthly reports and the Children's Services Key Indicators Report can assist in evaluating the agency's practice.