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Department
of Human Services Families
First Online Policy Manual Child Support Cooperation |
Revised: |
26.5 |
VERIFICATION |
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All good cause claims must be
verified. Verification is primarily
the responsibility of the caretaker except when the information is already
known to the Department or when it is more reasonable for the caseworker to
obtain the needed information. The following documents are acceptable for such verification: ·
Birth
certificates, medical records, or law enforcement records that indicate that
the child was conceived as the result of incest or forcible rape. ·
Court
document or other records that show that adoption or termination of parental
rights legal procedures are pending. ·
Court,
medical, criminal, child protective services, social services, psychological
or law enforcement records that show that the absent parent may inflict
physical or emotional harm to the child or caretaker if cooperation is
required. ·
A written
statement from a public or licensed private social agency that the caretaker
is being assisted by that agency to decide whether to keep the child or
relinquish for adoption. ·
Notarized
statements from individual other than the caretaker that have knowledge of
the good cause circumstances. The
statements should include what he/she knows about the situation and how
he/she is in a position to know about the circumstances. In some instances, the caretaker may claim good cause for physical
harm and there is no documentary evidence.
For example, some battered individuals have not reported prior abuse
because of fear or embarrassment. In
these cases a determination must be made to determine the credibility and
reliability of the caretaker. Good
cause may be granted in these instances if the physical harm can be
reasonably anticipated and the case is fully documented to substantiate this
decision. These decisions must be
approved by the supervisor prior to granting good cause. If the caretaker’s statements and evidence are insufficient to make a
decision about good cause, the caseworker may contact the absent parent if
necessary. However, before contacting
the absent parent, the caseworker must inform the caretaker so that he/she
can provide additional verification, withdraw the application or have the
case closed or withdraw the good cause claim. |
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