A Specialized Assessment/Investigation is the assessment/investigative activities conducted by a PCSA when the child abuse or neglect report involves an alleged perpetrator who meets one or more of the following criteria:

• Is responsible for the care of a child in an out-of-home care setting as defined in rule 5101:2-1-01 of the Administrative Code (e.g., a school teacher).
• Is a person responsible for a child's care in out-of-home care as defined in section 2151.011 of the Revised Code (e.g., a day camp counselor, a foster parent, a pre-finalized adoptive parent, an employee of a residential facility, or a licensed/approved child care provider or facility).
• Has access to the child by virtue of his/her employment or affiliation with an institution (e.g., a Boy/Girl Scout leader).

For these reports, the Safety Assessment and Family Assessment tools are not completed. The Specialized Assessment/Investigation tool (JFS 1403) is completed. The Specialized Assessment/Investigation tool assists workers in capturing the investigative requirements for investigations involving out-of-home care child abuse and/or neglect, involving out-of-home care settings, and involving an alleged perpetrator who has access to the child by virtue of his/her employment or affiliation with an institution. An assessment of safety has been included to help evaluate safety threats and safety responses in out-of-home care settings.

When a specialized assessment/investigation involves an abuse and/or neglect report involving alleged child victims from multiple cases, a separate assessment/investigation is required for each case. This involves the use of multiple Specialized Assessment/Investigation tools. However, each tool may reference one another.

Third Party Investigations - A Third Party Investigation is the requirement that a PCSA request the assistance of law enforcement or another PCSA or both when conducting an Specialized Assessment/Investigation due to the potential conflict of interest a PCSA may have assessing/investigating an entity when the following entities and/or parties are involved as principals:

• PCSA's own licensed foster home, group home and child residential center;
• PCSA's own approved pre-finalized adoptive home.

In instances where the Third Party Investigation includes both Specialized Assessment/Investigation child abuse and/or neglect and intra-familial child abuse and/or neglect reports (e.g., a CA/N report involving foster children and foster parent's biological children), a Specialized Assessment/Investigation tool is completed for the investigation involving the report on the out-of-home care entity (e.g., foster children) and the Safety Assessment and Family Assessment are completed on the intra-familial report (e.g., foster parent's biological/adoptive children). All tools may reference one another.