Revision 24-2; Effective Dec. 2, 2024

3110 Intake Meets the Definition of Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation

Revision 21-1; Effective April 26, 2021

Before investigating an intake, PI reviews the intake and determines whether:

  • the information is within PI’s jurisdiction;
  • the information meets the definition of an allegation of abuse, neglect, or exploitation; and
  • a referral to the provider or another agency or an investigation by PI is appropriate.

Time frames for investigation contacts (3320 Contacts) and completion (3500 Investigation Completion) are based on the location of the incident and the priority of the intake.

3120 Intake Priority

Revision 24-2; Effective Dec. 2, 2024

PI maintains a prioritization system for investigations conducted in all provider settings. SWI assigns the priority of the allegation. The investigator verifies the provider type at intake to make sure the priority is correct and the time frame for completing the investigation is accurate. Refer to 3500 Investigation Completion. The investigator may change the intake priority based on information gathered by preliminary investigation activities.

Priority I: Initial contact is required within 24 hours of the report.

Priority I reports:

  • have a serious risk that a delay in the investigation will impede the collection of evidence; or
  • allege that the victim has been subjected to abuse, neglect, or exploitation by an act or omission that caused or may have caused serious physical or emotional harm.

Priority I reports include:

  • death;
  • sexual abuse;
  • an injury caused by serious physical abuse;
  • serious verbal or emotional abuse; or
  • incitement to harm self or others.

Priority II: Initial contact is required within 72 hours of the report if the victim is a child, or three calendar days of the report if the victim is an adult.

Priority II reports:

  • have some risk that a delay in investigation will impede the collection of evidence; or
  • allege that the victim has been subjected to abuse, neglect, or exploitation by an act or omission that caused or may have caused non-serious physical injury or emotional harm not included in Priority I.

Priority II reports include:

  • a nonserious injury caused by physical abuse; or
  • nonserious verbal or emotional abuse.

Sexual abuse reports cannot be prioritized as a Priority II.

Priority III: Initial contact is required within seven calendar days of the report.

Priority III reports allege:

  • abuse, neglect, or exploitation that would otherwise be classified as Priority I or II, but:
    • the alleged incident occurred more than 30 days before the date of the report; and
    • there is no known or perceived risk; or
  • exploitation when it is the only allegation type in the report.

If another allegation type occurs in conjunction with exploitation, the report is classified as the more urgent priority.

Allegations involving children cannot be classified as a Priority III.