The DPPC Oversight Unit maintains a caseload that is monitored according to the statute and regulations. The type of monitoring/oversight necessary for each case is determined on a case-by-case basis according to risk. The Oversight Unit also works in collaboration with the State Police Detective Unit (SPDU) assigned to the DPPC.
The overall goal of the Oversight Unit is to ensure that individuals that are identified as victims or are at risk of abuse or neglect are protected. The oversight officer is available to the Investigator, service providers and law enforcement as a resource, supplementing their work and providing another perspective. An oversight officer may at times accompany an Investigator on site visits or interviews during the course of an investigation.
The DPPC Oversight Unit is primarily responsible for the following:
- Assessing risk to victims throughout the investigative process
- Answering the 24-hour abuse Hotline, collecting and evaluating information from reporters and making decisions regarding the actions necessary
- Maintaining an extensive database of reports of abuse and of deaths
- Reviewing completed APS 19C investigation reports for compliance with governing statute and regulations
- Evaluating recommendations and protective service actions made during and as a result of an investigation
- Ensuring that appropriate and adequate protective service measures are put in place
An oversight officer's activities may include, but are not limited to:
- Site visits to assess risk to victim and other consumers
- Attendance at meetings to discuss service planning for victims
- Communicating with investigators or service providers for the purpose of developing protective service plans
- Accompanying an investigator to the site of abuse or to interviews
- Conducting death investigations
- Conducting retaliation investigations