Family Violence Program Nonresidential Center Provider Manual
Appendix II
Integrated Tracking System (ITS) Definitions
Revision 09-1; Effective April 22, 2009
The following are definitions and clarifications for the services that every shelter center must document in the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) reporting software. The services reported into this system are used by HHSC to report to the Texas Legislature, to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at the federal level and for the allocation of funds to shelter centers. In order to ensure accurate counts of services, share these definitions with direct service staff and administrative staff entering data into the reporting software system.
Child Services — HHSC
The designated children’s staff members have face-to-face contact with a child resident or the parent resident, if the child is not developmentally able to be involved in this process. This also can include structured arts and crafts activities and/or non-counseling, information activities provided by a trained staff person or a volunteer. This service also may include child care for nonresidential clients when the child’s parent is receiving a family violence service or when child care services are provided for current family violence clients by the center’s licensed DFPS child care facility.
Notes
- In order to enter infant or child care in FV NET (ITS), the center should use this service. To qualify as a service, it must be provided by an employee or volunteer of the organization or by an HHSC FVP-approved subcontractor.
- If the center contracts with a non-HHSC approved subcontractor, then the service can only be counted as a one-time referral. If transportation to the service is provided, each round trip can count as a transportation service.
Dating Violence Activities — HHSC
Dating violence is defined in the Texas Administrative Code as an act by an individual that is against another individual with whom that person has or has had a dating relationship and that is: (a) intended to result in physical harm, bodily injury, assault or sexual assault; (b) a threat that reasonably places the individual in fear of imminent physical harm, bodily injury, assault or sexual assault; or (c) intended to inflict emotional harm, including an act of emotional abuse.
Note: HHSC dating violence activities can be reported either at the client level when providing a victim of dating violence with a service (as support groups are reported), or at the non-client level, when discussing dating violence with a group, as presentations are reported. One or more dating violence activities can be added to the HHSC-approved services list, and applied to either residential or nonresidential clients.
Educational Arrangements for Children — HHSC
Face-to-face services that result in a resident or nonresident child being in compliance with the compulsory attendance requirements found in the Education Code. Examples include providing clothing or supplies for school, conferring with schoolteachers or administrators. It does not include transportation.
Note: If the center runs a state-approved charter school or on-site school for resident or nonresident children, the center cannot count the children served under this service.
Entered Shelter — HHSC
Date adult/child resident entered emergency shelter.
Exited Shelter — HHSC
Date adult/child resident left the emergency shelter. If a resident leaves the shelter for over 24 hours, then the client must be exited from the FV NET (ITS), even if the resident, for example, will be returning to the shelter after the weekend.
Notes
For each resident of a shelter, the following steps govern how shelter days are counted in the HHSC reporting software.
- Each individual must have an Entered Shelter date recorded into the system. The client is then considered a residential client until the date representing their exit is recorded. This applies to all residential clients, including infants.
- If the arrival date and the departure date are the same, the client is counted for one day.
- A client may enter and exit numerous times during a reporting period. The sum of these stays is counted as the number of residential days for the report period.
Information and Referral Employment — HHSC
Information and referrals are provided to adult/child residents or nonresidents about employment training and employment opportunities, either directly or through formal arrangements with other agencies.
Intervention Services — HHSC
Face-to-face intervention services for a resident or nonresident child/adult that provide safety planning, understanding and support, advocacy, case management, information and education, and resource assistance to victims of family violence. Also included is the use of therapeutic methods of treatment and/or one-on-one support delivered by a trained staff or a volunteer.
Legal Assistance — HHSC
Providing face-to-face services directly to the client that include assisting adult/child residents or nonresidents in safety planning; identifying individual legal needs, legal rights and options, and providing support and accompaniment (including court accompaniments) in their pursuit of those options.
Medical Care — HHSC
Medical care provides face-to-face assistance in responding to any urgent medical situations for the adult/child residents, nonresidents or program participants accessing shelter center services. This also can include basic first aid, arranging for non-emergency professional medical services for adult/child residents, nonresidents, or program participants, or obtaining prescription or nonprescription medication for the victim’s self-administration.
Support Groups — HHSC
Support groups related to family violence led by trained staff or volunteers covering educational material or issues brought up by the group. Support groups may be gender, population and/or age specific. Support groups may be open-ended or closed, time specific or on-going.
Notes
- Weekly support groups must be provided, but attendance cannot be mandated.
- The shelter center's adult support groups may include recreational and/or social activities.
Transportation — HHSC
Arranging transportation to and from emergency medical facilities for shelter residents and nonresidents and/or from a safe place to the shelter for persons being considered for acceptance as residents of the shelter and who are located within the shelter’s service area. This also includes non-emergency transportation for the adult/child resident, nonresident or program participant to a single destination or to a series of destinations in a single trip.
Notes
- Transportation can include staff providing or arranging clients’ transportation to court, place of employment and other appointments.
- Transportation provided to a victim to enter a shelter center is counted as a resident service; it is entered after the Enter Shelter service is recorded.
- A safe place is a location that is mutually agreed upon by the victim and the shelter center. The shelter center may arrange with taxis, law enforcement, another agency or volunteers to provide emergency transportation, and should consider the victim's safety concerns when determining emergency transportation. A particular victim might not feel safe using law enforcement for transportation, but should not be denied services based on inability or unwillingness to use the shelter center's prearranged transportation method.