...and seems to support Laurent's suggestion

"Detention" and "custody" to British ears are strange terms here, which we would associate with somebody arrested for a crime. We would speak of a child being "taken into care".

Anyway this is from USA and not GB so I won't go on about that.

Detention Reports

When a child is taken into temporary custody and/or a Non-Detained Petition is filed, the Detention Report is the primary evidentiary document submitted by DCFS in support of the petition allegations. The Detention Report must be routed to Intake and Detention Control (IDC) no later than 10:00 A.M. on the judicial day prior to the detention/ arraignment hearing. The detained and non-detained petitions, as well as the Court Addendum report are written by IDC, which are submitted with the Detention Report and considered by the court within seventy-two (72) judicial hours of the child's detention or of a Non-Detention Petition being called into IDC. Weekends, court holidays, furlough days, and legal holidays are excluded in calculating these deadlines.



When a CSW decides to take one or more children (related or unrelated) into temporary custody while leaving one or more children (related or unrelated) in the home, the CSW must address the reasons why the child (ren) was not detained in the Detention Report. The facts must state that the child(ren) is not at risk of abuse, and/or neglect if allowed to remain in the home. Additionally, the signature of the Assistant Regional Administrator (ARA) is required on the Detention Report to leave children in the home when siblings are detained. When a child(ren) is left in the care of a non-offending parent who resides in a different home, the signature of the Assistant Regional Administrator (ARA) is not required.



At the detention/arraignment hearing, the court examines the child's parents, legal guardians and other persons having knowledge of the circumstances that caused a petition to be filed. The court will release the child to his/her parent(s) unless a prima facie case is made and can show that the child comes within WIC Section 300 and any of the following circumstances exists:

There is a substantial danger to the physical health of the child or the child is suffering severe emotional damage and there are no reasonable means by which the child's physical or emotional health may be protected without removing the child from the parents' or legal guardians' physical custody.

There is substantial evidence that a parent, legal guardian or custodian of the child is likely to flee the jurisdiction of the court.

The child has left a placement in which he or she was placed by the juvenile court.

The child indicates an unwillingness to return home, if the child has been physically or sexually abused by a person residing in the home.



The juvenile court determines whether reasonable efforts were made to prevent or eliminate the need for removal of the child from his/her home and whether there are available services, which would prevent the need for further detention. For American Indian children, the juvenile court determines whether active efforts were made to prevent or eliminate the need for removal.



Standards and information that must be addressed in the Detention Report include the following:

Date and time of the child's detention

Indicate, without compromising the confidentiality of the reporting party, how the case was referred to DCFS.

Reason(s) why the child was removed from the parent/legal guardians/relative or non-relative extended family member's custody.

Describe any services available, which would prevent or eliminate the need for further detention.

State the facts that indicate a danger exists in returning the child home, and if the need for continued detention exists.

Describe the current placement of the child (i.e., with whom, relationship of caregiver, if any).

Provide the current address of parents; if unknown, state the last known address.

Describe reasonable efforts made to prevent or eliminate the need for removal.

If the child is not detained with a relative, identify known relatives and efforts made to contact them in an effort to evaluate for placement.

If the child is a "prenatally-exposed to drugs infant", provide specific information concerning his or her condition and a copy of the hospital's Newborn Risk Assessment of the mother.

For each statement included in the report, identify who said what to whom and when it was said.

If children from more than one family are found during an investigation, consult with SCSW to determine if a referral needs to be generated for the other children living in the home.

Available services and the referral methods to those services which could facilitate the return of the child to the custody of the child's parents or legal guardians.

Non-Detained Petitions

Non-Detained Petitions may be filed at any time when the assessment of the family leads to the conclusion that the safety and protection of a child requires judicial intervention, but immediate detention is not warranted. There are three (3) types of non-detained petitions: WIC 300, 342 and 387. The CSW is responsible for writing the Detention report when filing a Non-Detained Petition.

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Note added at 1 day 43 mins (2022-08-31 22:56:02 GMT)
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http://m.policy.dcfs.lacounty.gov/Src/Content/Writing_the_De...