In Ohio, a Public Children Services Agency has 45 days to complete a child abuse or neglect investigation, counted from the day the report is screened in. If the caseworker cannot gather what they need in that window, the agency can extend the investigation by up to 15 more days, for an absolute maximum of 60.1Legal Information Institute. Ohio Admin. Code 5101:2-36-03 – PCSA Requirements for Intra-Familial Child Abuse and/or Neglect Assessment/Investigations That is the outside limit. Several shorter deadlines run inside it, and how the case looks at day 45 depends a lot on what happened in the first hours.
When the Clock Starts
The 45-day count does not begin when someone picks up the phone to make a report. It begins on the screening decision, which the agency must make within 24 hours of receiving the report.2Legal Information Institute. Ohio Admin. Code 5101:2-36-01 – Intake and Screening Procedures for Child Abuse, Neglect, Dependency, Family in Need of Services, and Post-Emancipation Reports A report that meets Ohio’s legal thresholds for abuse, neglect, or dependency is screened in and assigned for either a formal investigation or, in lower-risk cases, an alternative family assessment. A report that does not meet the threshold is screened out and no investigation follows.
Once a report is screened in, every deadline in the investigation is measured from that date.
Faster Deadlines Inside the 45 Days
The overall window is 45 days, but Ohio Administrative Code sets much tighter response times for the caseworker’s first contact with the child:1Legal Information Institute. Ohio Admin. Code 5101:2-36-03 – PCSA Requirements for Intra-Familial Child Abuse and/or Neglect Assessment/Investigations
- For emergency reports, the caseworker must attempt face-to-face contact with the child within one hour of the screening decision.
- For non-emergency reports, the caseworker must attempt face-to-face contact, or at minimum reach someone by phone who has direct knowledge of the child’s current condition, within 24 hours.
- If the first 24 hours produced only a telephone contact, the caseworker still has to attempt face-to-face contact with the child within 72 hours of the screening decision.
In a non-emergency case, in other words, a caseworker who talks to a teacher or relative by phone on day one has three days to actually see the child in person. These timelines run concurrently with, not on top of, the 45-day investigation clock.
Extensions and What a Missed Deadline Does
The 15-day extension is not automatic. To go past 45 days, the agency has to document in the case record exactly why more time is needed.1Legal Information Institute. Ohio Admin. Code 5101:2-36-03 – PCSA Requirements for Intra-Familial Child Abuse and/or Neglect Assessment/Investigations Typical reasons are a family that has moved or become hard to reach, pending medical exam results, and delays in obtaining school or healthcare records.
Sixty days is the hard ceiling, but a missed ceiling is not a get-out clause. Ohio law does not say that an investigation running past 60 days is void or that its findings must be discarded. The agency may face administrative consequences for non-compliance, but the disposition can still stand. Waiting for the clock to run out is not a workable defense.
What You Can Refuse While the Investigation Is Running
Ohio law gives parents and caregivers meaningful rights during a CPS investigation, and the caseworker is not obligated to recite them the way a police officer recites Miranda warnings. The most important ones to know:
You can refuse to let a caseworker into your home if they do not have a court order. You are not required to let the caseworker interview your children, sign releases for medical or school records, or agree to evaluations or testing. Exercising these rights, on its own, is not evidence of abuse or neglect.
Refusal has a realistic consequence, though. If the agency believes it needs access, it can ask a court for an order compelling it, and a judge may grant one if there is enough information to justify it.
You also have the right to consult an attorney at any point. Ohio guarantees parents the right to counsel at all stages of juvenile court proceedings, and the court must inform you of appointed counsel if a case reaches court and you cannot afford a lawyer.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code Section 2151.352 – Right to Counsel Before court involvement, you can still hire one, and having an attorney present for interviews is generally wise if it is possible.
One boundary worth naming: emergency removal is a separate track. A juvenile judge can issue an emergency custody order by telephone if there is probable cause the child is in immediate danger, with a probable cause hearing that must occur no later than 72 hours after the order is issued.4Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code Section 2151.421 – Reporting Child Abuse or Neglect The 45-day investigation timeline still runs, but the family is now also inside a court process with its own much shorter deadlines.
How the Investigation Ends
At the close of the investigation, the PCSA assigns a formal disposition. The three you are most likely to hear:5Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code Rule 5180:2-1-01 – Children Services Definitions of Terms
- Unsubstantiated: no evidence that abuse or neglect occurred, and the case is closed.
- Indicated: circumstantial or isolated signs point toward abuse or neglect, but nothing confirms it definitively.
- Substantiated: there is an admission by the responsible person, a court ruling of abuse or neglect, or another confirmation the agency treats as valid.
Ohio also has two dispositions for cases that cannot be completed, “family moved, unable to complete” and “unable to locate,” used when the family disappears during the investigation.5Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Administrative Code Rule 5180:2-1-01 – Children Services Definitions of Terms
An indicated or substantiated case does not automatically go to court. The agency may recommend voluntary services, such as counseling, parenting classes, or substance abuse treatment. If the agency believes the child remains at risk and the family will not engage, it can file a complaint in juvenile court seeking protective measures or a change in custody.
Appealing an Indicated or Substantiated Finding
If you are named as the alleged perpetrator and the report comes back indicated or substantiated, you can appeal. Ohio requires every PCSA to keep a written policy for handling appeals from alleged perpetrators who disagree with a disposition.6Legal Information Institute. Ohio Admin. Code 5101:2-33-20 – PCSA Complaint Review and Report Disposition Appeal Policy The steps and deadlines vary by county because each agency writes its own procedure, so ask the investigating PCSA for the written policy that applies to your case.
Move quickly. A substantiated or indicated finding can appear in background checks and affect employment involving children, the elderly, and other vulnerable populations. Bringing in an attorney and filing the appeal soon after the disposition letter arrives is the best way to get the finding reviewed before it starts causing downstream problems.