Services
For Families
For Youth
For Providers
Partnerships
More About the Services OCS Provides
Child Protective Services
The purpose of Child Protective Services (CPS) is to identify, treat, and reduce child abuse and neglect, as well as to ensure that reasonable efforts are made to protect and maintain children in their own homes.
The OCS staff provide protective services for children by:
- Assisting families in diagnosing and resolving problems.
- Investigating reports of harm.
- Referring families to community resources.
- Initiating legal intervention if children are unable to remain safely in their own homes.
- Providing out-of-home placements and permanency planning when necessary
The licensing of community care facilities is a preventive service that reduces predictable risks to the health, safety and well-being of children in out-of-home care. Licensing requirements establish acceptable standards of care, while the licensing and monitoring processes provide support and quality control services to the care providers.
OCS has statutory responsibility for the licensing of:
- Foster Homes/Foster Group Homes.
- Child placement agencies.
OCS may enter into an agreement with a local agency to evaluate and inspect community care foster homes.
Residential Care for Children and Youth
Residential care facilities provide treatment services within a therapeutic environment that is staffed 24 hours a day. Residential care facilities may offer short-term emergency shelter as well as more long-term residential treatment. Placement in a residential facility is for a specified period of time, and generally occurs only after less restrictive placement options have been found inappropriate or have been exhausted.
Child Protective Day Care
Child Protective Day Care services provide day care to children of families where the children are at risk of being abused or neglected. The services are designed to lessen that risk by providing child care relief, offering support to both the child and the parents, monitoring for occurring or reoccurring maltreatment, and providing role models for the parents.
Interstate Compact On The Placement Of Children (ICPC)
The Interstate Compact On The Placement of Children (ICPC) is a uniform law in all 50 States that establishes procedures for the interstate placement of children. The ICPC also places specific responsibilities on those involved in placing the children. The three principle goals of the ICPC are to:
- Protect the children being placed.
- Ensure that they receive the services they need.
- Facilitate permanent placements for those children who are in state custody