47 Kids and the Law • the alleged perpetrator (person accused of being abusive or neglectful) is not a caretaker; • the specific injury or condition reported is so old that it is outdated; • the specific injury or condition reported is already being addressed by DCF (at times DCF receives several reports about the same incident); or • on rare occasions, the report is not reliable. DCF will “screen in” a report because there is reasonable cause to believe that a child has been or may have been abused or neglected. Some reports are au- tomatically screened in for investigation; for example, domestic violence that creates a substantial risk of serious injury to the child or newborns who test positive for certain drugs. What happens if DCF screens in the report? If there appears to be a threat of immediate danger to the life, health, or phys- ical safety of the child, then the screener shall designate the report an “emer- gency report” and cause the matter to be assigned for an immediate investi- gation. If the reported condition does not pose a threat of immediate danger to the life, health or physical safety of the child, then the screener shall desig- nate the report a “non-emergency report” and cause the matter to be assigned for investigation. Emergency reports must be investigated more quickly than non-emergency reports, but all screened in reports must be investigated. What is a 51B investigation? All screened in reports must be investigated by DCF in what is called a 51B investigation. As part of the investigation, a DCF worker will go to the home to talk with the parent or caretaker, see the child, talk with the person who made the report, and review any DCF files concerning any family member. The investigation may also include: • An assessment of the nature, extent, and cause of the injury. • Determining the identity of the person responsible for the injury. Abused and Neglected Children 5