REFUGE HOUSE, INC.

1. PURPOSE

This policy governs the lifecycle of audio/video recordings and transcripts of client-related interviews — including Monthly Pulse interviews with foster parents and children (FC3-01 Provision 7) and any other recorded client contact — so that recordings serve documentation quality without becoming an unmanaged archive of sensitive material.

2. POLICY STATEMENT

Recordings are a means to an accurate record, not the record itself. The signed summary (and transcript, where indicated) filed to the case record is the enduring artifact; the raw recording is transitional and is purged on schedule unless deliberately pinned or promoted. No recording occurs without documented consent, and no clinical judgment is delegated to automated systems.

3. LIFECYCLE

1. Consent. Documented before recording begins, consistent with DFPS/conservatorship requirements for recording children in care. Refusal is honored and noted; the interview proceeds unrecorded, notes-based.
2. Record. Only on approved platforms meeting Section 5 requirements.
3. Transcribe. Recordings are transcribed within [5 business days — pending decision]. The transcript becomes the working artifact.
4. Summarize and sign. A summary with recommendations is drafted (AI-assisted drafting permitted); a staff member reviews, edits, and signs. AI-assisted documents are identified as such. The signed summary — and the transcript where clinically or administratively indicated — is filed to the case record.
5. Retain, then purge. The raw recording is retained for [90 days after summary acceptance — pending decision], then purged on schedule. Each purge is logged (date, recording identifier, authorizing rule).
6. Pin (legal/compliance hold). Any recording may be pinned, suspending its purge schedule, when needed for legal or compliance documentation — litigation hold, licensing investigation, abuse/neglect allegation, serious incident review. Pins are logged with reason, authorizer ([Program Director or Executive Director — pending decision]), and a review date. When a pin is released, the recording returns to the purge schedule.
7. Promote to client record. Where the recording itself — not just its transcript — is clinically or legally significant, it may be promoted into the child's permanent record. Once promoted, client-record retention rules govern instead of this policy's purge schedule.

4. AI BOUNDARY

AI may generate interview instruments, transcripts, and draft summaries. A qualified staff member reviews, edits, and signs all clinical content; the signature owns the content. AI-assisted artifacts are labeled. Professional judgment — including continued-stay determinations and goal dispositions — is never delegated to an automated system.

5. SECURITY & ACCESS

• Recordings and transcripts are stored on approved, access-controlled platforms ([platform selection pending]; a BAA is required where applicable).
• Access is role-based and logged. Recordings are not downloaded to personal devices, forwarded externally, or excerpted for any purpose outside the case record without Program Director approval.
• The purge, pin, and promotion log is auditable and reviewed by the QA Coordinator quarterly.

6. DEFINITIONS

Pin: A logged suspension of a recording's purge schedule for legal or compliance documentation, with reason, authorizer, and review date.

Promotion: The deliberate transfer of a recording into the child's permanent record, after which client-record retention rules govern.

Monthly Pulse: See FC3-01 Provision 7.

7. REGULATORY & RELATED REFERENCES

• 26 TAC §749.1301 / §749.1309 / §749.1335 (service planning and review)
• FC3-01 Individual Service Planning Policy (Provision 7 — Monthly Pulse)
• FC-CSR-01 Continued Stay Review Policy
• Information Technology Data Management and Security Policy
• RCC Contract; DFPS records requirements

DOCUMENT CONTROL

This policy document establishes the governing principles for recorded interview and transcript management. The corresponding procedure document (FC-REC-01.1) operationalizes these principles. While policies require Board approval, procedures may be updated by the Executive Director provided changes maintain alignment with the policy's intent.