Alternate care for children in out-of-home placement may
be used to provide assistance to foster parents when circumstances requiring
supervision by an appropriate adult other than the foster parents exist.
The Division also promotes the use of certain types of alternate
care (e.g., normal age appropriate activities, interaction with a Foster Family
Support System) among children and youth as a way to foster normalcy in the
lives of children and youth in out-of-home
placements.
There are five categories of alternate
care:
A.
Normal
Age-Appropriate Activities -
Children in all
out-of-home placement types will be encouraged to participate in
extracurricular, enrichment, cultural, and/or social activities
that are age- and developmentally-appropriate for a particular
child. Age- and developmentally appropriate activities are those that are
generally accepted as suitable for children of the same chronological age and
that are determined to be developmentally- appropriate for a child, based his
or her cognitive, emotional, physical, and behavioral capacities. Examples of
normal age- and developmentally appropriate activities include, but are not
limited to, overnight visits with friends, school
field trips, school sports or other sport leagues,
faith-based activities, and short-term summer camps.
Foster parents, contract placement providers,
and any private provider with whom the Division maintains a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) will uphold the reasonable and prudent parent standard in
regards to children participating in age- and developmentally appropriate
activities. The reasonable and prudent parent standard requires foster parents
and other out-of-home placement providers to exercise careful
and sensible consideration when determining whether
an activity for a particular child will
not only encourage the emotional and developmental growth of the child, but
also maintain the health, safety, and best interests of the
child.
All contract placement providers as well as
any private provider with whom the Division maintains an MOU will establish an
on-site official who is authorized to apply the reasonable and prudent parent
standard to ensure appropriate caregiver liability when approving an activity
for a child in an out-of-home placement.
A caregiver is not liable for harm caused to
a child who participates in an activity approved by the caregiver, provided the
caregiver has acted in accordance with the reasonable and prudent parent
standard. This paragraph may not be interpreted as removing or limiting any
existing liability protection afforded by law.
The Division will provide information and
skill-based training to foster parents, contract placement providers, and
private providers with whom the Division maintains an MOU regarding how to
apply the reasonable and prudent parent standard for the participation of a
child in age- and developmentally-appropriate activities. This training will
include sharing knowledge and skill-based applications relating to the
developmental stages of the cognitive, emotional, physical, and behavioral
capacities of a child.
Foster parents, contract placement providers,
and private providers will notify the
child's FSW if the child will spend more than 24
continuous hours outside the approved placement when
participating in said activities.
B.
Child Care - Child care may be
routinely provided as a part of an out-of-home placement case. Child care
providers must be on the voucher system and licensed by The Division of Child
Care and Early Childhood Education or on the Voluntary Child Care Registry.
Every attempt should be made to place children in care in a quality child care
setting.
Child care for children may also be provided as a part of
an out-of-home placement case to provide assistance to foster parents for
non-routine circumstances that relate to the retention and/or support of the
foster home such as foster parent training. Child care provided for such
purposes may be reimbursed by the Division.
C.
Babysitting - Babysitters may be
used to provide occasional care for children in the foster home for no more
than eight continuous hours at one time. Foster parents shall exercise careful
consideration when evaluating the character and competence of any individual
asked to babysit. Foster parents may reimburse the babysitter if they choose to
do so. The Division will not reimburse for baby-sitting services. Babysitters
shall not transport children. Background checks are not
required.
D.
Foster
Family Support System - The Foster Family Support System (FFSS) may be
comprised of up to three other households identified by the foster family. FFSS
members may provide care for children when the foster parent is unable to do so
on the occasion of anticipated or unanticipated events.
Foster parents shall exercise careful consideration when
evaluating the character and competence of any household asked to serve as an
FFSS member. FFSS members must be at least 21 years of age. There is not a
standard maximum age limit for FFSS members, but FFSS members must be
physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of caring for children for up to
72 hours. Foster parents may reimburse an FFSS member if they choose to do so.
The Division will not reimburse FFSS members.
Members of a Foster Family Support System may transport
children and care for children in the foster home or in the home of the FFSS
member. However, an FFSS member shall not provide care for more than 72
continuous hours at one time regardless of the location in which care is
provided and/or regardless of which FFSS member is providing care. No
extensions may be granted for FFSS care of a child. The FSW shall be notified
when an FFSS member will provide care for more than 24 continuous hours. FFSS
members taking children out-of-state for overnight trips are prohibited. The
Foster Family Support System shall not be used in place of respite care or as
an out-of-home placement. The number of children placed in an FFSS member
household must meet all Minimum Licensing and DCFS Policy
requirements.
All prospective FFSS members must be cleared through the
Child Maltreatment Central Registry and a State Police Criminal Record Check.
The Division will request any other state where the prospective FFSS member has
resided in the preceding five years to check its child abuse and neglect
registry. The Division will provide documentation in the case record that the
Child Maltreatment Central Registry and State Criminal Record Checks were
received on the prospective FFSS member. Documentation of at least one visual
inspection of the home for evaluation purposes is required of all prospective
FFSS members.
The Division will check the driving record (violation
points) for each potential FFSS member. The Arkansas State Vehicle Safety
Program sets the maximum number of traffic violation points an FFSS member
foster parent may be allowed.
Documentation of at least one visual inspection of the
home for evaluation purposes is required of all prospective FFSS
members.
E.
Respite Care - When a Foster Family Support System member is not available to
provide needed care on a short-term basis, respite care may be utilized in
order to temporarily relieve the foster family of the ongoing responsibilities
and stresses of care. There are two types of respite care:
1)
Informal Respite - An approved DCFS
foster home that can provide temporary care when the Foster Family Support
System is unable to assist or for situations in which children will be outside
of the foster home for more than 72 continuous hours. An informal respite home
may provide care
for no more than seven continuous days at one time.
Periods of respite care in an informal respite home lasting longer than seven
consecutive days require approval from the Area Director or
designee.
If an Area Director approved extension exceeds fourteen
continuous days, the regular foster parents' board payment will be affected. If
the child has stayed in any combination of FFSS or informal respite homes
(i.e., outside of the regular foster home placement, the total amount of days
within those alternate care types cannot exceed 14 consecutive days as board
payment may be affected.
A stay in an informal respite home must be documented in
CHRIS, but not as a separate/new placement. The number of children placed in an
Informal Respite Home must meet all Minimum Licensing and DCFS Policy
requirements.
Foster parents may reimburse an informal respite provider
if they choose to do so. The Division will not reimburse an informal respite
provider. The number of children placed in an Informal Respite Home must meet
all Minimum Licensing and DCFS Policy requirements.
2)
Formal Respite - A DCFS contract
provider who supplies short-term respite care particularly when a child's
current placement is at risk of disruption and/or respite is needed to prevent
a residential, acute psychiatric or similar placement. Formal respite care
should be provided in accordance with a family-driven, youth-guided respite
plan and in coordination with a child's behavioral health treatment plan (if
applicable).
Formal respite care shall be provided for no more than 7
days per 3 month period. A stay with a Formal Respite Care provider must be
documented in CHRIS, but not as a separate/new placement (provided it does not
exceed the more than 7 days per 3 month period).
Longer periods of formal respite care require approval
from the Prevention & Support Manager. If an approved extension exceeds 14
consecutive days, the regular foster parents' board payment will be affected.
If the child has stayed in any combination of FFSS or informal respite homes
before a formal respite stay, the total amount of days within those alternate
care types (i.e., outside the regular foster home placement) cannot exceed 14
consecutive days as board payment may be
affected.
PROCEDURE VII-G1: Normal Age Appropriate
Activities
The foster family or authorized official of a
contract placement provider will:
A.
Use the reasonable and prudent
parent standard in determining whether to give permission for a child living in
an out-of-home placement to participate in extracurricular, enrichment,
cultural, or social normal age-appropriate activities by
considering:
1)
The
child's chronological age, maturity level, physical and behavioral capacities,
and cognitive and emotional developmental levels;
2)
The potential risk factors and
the appropriateness of the activity;
3)
The best interest of the
child, based on information known by the caregiver;
4)
The importance of encouraging
the child's emotional and developmental growth;
5)
The importance of providing
the child with the most family-like living experience
possible;
6)
The behavioral history of the child and the child's ability to
safely participate in the proposed activity.
B. Notify the Family Service Worker if the
child will participate in an age appropriate activity that will cause the child
to be outside of the approved placement for more than
twenty-four continuous hours. The foster family will provide as much advance
notice as possible particularly for normal age appropriate activities that
require the child to be outside the approved placement
for several days such as summer camps.
C. Provide the Family Service Worker with:
1) Activity location address
2) Contact name at identified
location
3) Contact phone
number
4) Anticipated dates for
which the child will stay at this location
5) Date that the child returns to the home
once the activity has ended (i.e., actual end date of activity).
The Family Service Worker will:
A. Assess the appropriateness of the proposed
activity when notified by the foster family
or the authorized
official of a contract placement provider that the child in care
will be outside the
approved placement for more than
24 continuous hours in order to participate in said activity.
1) If the proposed activity is determined to
be appropriate:
a) Select the Alternate Care
button on the Foster Children Screen in CHRIS.
b) Complete the Alternate Care Screen.
i. If the child is already participating in
the activity, this screen should be completed immediately.
ii. If the child has not yet begun
participating in the activity, this screen should be completed prior to the
start of the activity.
c) Enter the actual end date of the activity
on the Alternate Care Screen when the foster family or other placement provider
confirms with the Family Service Worker that the child has returned to the
foster home.
2) If there
are concerns regarding the appropriateness of the proposed activity:
a) Notify the FSW
Supervisor.
b) If the
FSW Supervisor and Family Service Worker determine
that the proposed activity is inappropriate, notify the foster family
or authorized official of a contract placement
provider that the child shall not participate in the said
activity.
c) Document notification
in the Contact Screen.
The FSW Supervisor will:
A. After
receiving any notification of concerns from the Family Service Worker, hold a
case conference with the worker to determine if proposed activity is
appropriate.
B. Notify the Area
Director of the Family Service Worker's concern and the action taken as a
result of the case conference between the Family Service Worker and the FSW
Supervisor.
PROCEDURE VII-G2:
Babysitting
The Family Service Worker will:
A. Notify the County Supervisor if he or she
has cause to believe that babysitting services are being used inappropriately,
excessively and/or if the Family Service Worker has concerns about the
character or competence of the individual(s) providing baby-sitting
services.
B. Call a meeting with
the foster family, if deemed appropriate by the Supervisor, to clarify the
appropriate use of babysitting services.
C. Document the meeting with the foster
family in the Contacts screen.
The County Supervisor will:
A. After receiving any notification of
concerns from the Family Service Worker, hold a case conference with the worker
to determine if a meeting with the foster family or another action is needed to
ensure the appropriate use of babysitting services.
B. Notify the Area Director of the Family
Service Worker's concern and the action taken as a result of the case
conference between the Family Service Worker and the Supervisor.
PROCEDURE VII-G3 Child Care for Children in
Temporary Out-of-Home Placement
For routine child care services, the Family Service Worker
will:
A. Complete the Child Care
Referral Request Screen. ,
B. Authorize services for a maximum of three
months.
C. Make verbal requests to
the County Supervisor for approval in an emergency, followed by a completed
automated request within five working days.
D. Initiate renewals no later than the first
day of the last month of the eligibility period.
E. Notify the child care center in writing 10
business days prior to last day child will attend if the child will no longer
be attending.
F. Complete a new
Child Care Referral Request if the child leaves Foster Care and enters
Protective Services and child care is to continue.
G. Complete a new Child Care Referral Request
if the child has been part of a Protective Services case and enters Foster Care
and Child Care is to continue.
If the child leaves the foster care or protective services
program, CHRIS will automatically notify the child care system.
The County Supervisor will:
A. Approve the Child Care Referral Request,
which will then be sent automatically to Central Office for review and
approval.
For non-routine child care services (e.g. when the foster
parents are obtaining foster parent training), the Family Service Worker
will:
A. Assist foster
parents to obtain childcare. This transportation is payable via DHS-1914. All
other requests must receive prior approval from the Area Director.
PROCEDURE VII-G4: Foster Family Support
System for Children in Out-of-Home Placement
The Family Resource Worker will:
A. Per Procedure VII-C1, collect and process
the CFS-419: Foster Family Support System Information (one per FFSS member
household) and for each appropriate member of each FFSS family:
1) CFS-316: Request for Child Maltreatment
Central Registry Check
2) CFS-342:
State Police Criminal Record Check
3) CFS-593: Arkansas State Vehicle Safety
Program (ASVSP)
4) VSP-1:
Authorization to Operate State Vehicles and Private Vehicles on State
Business
5) VSP-2: Authorization to
Obtain Traffic Violation Record
B. Complete and document visual inspection of
the FFSS home.
C. Select the
Support System Button on the Provider Screen
D. Complete the Foster Family Support System
Individual Member Tab and Required Checks Tab for all appropriate members of
the Foster Family Support System.
E. Update this information as necessary
following each annual reevaluation.
The Foster Family will:
A. Notify the Family Service Worker each time
the child in care will stay with a member of the Foster Family Support System
for more than 24 continuous hours and indicate:
1) With which member of the Foster Family
Support System the child will be staying; and,
2) The dates that the child will be with the
identified member of the Foster Family Support System.
3) Date that the child returns to the home
once the activity has ended (i.e., actual end date of activity).
The Family Service Worker will:
A. Select the Alternate Care Button on the
child's current placement screen each time a child stays with a member of the
Foster Family Support System for more the 24 continuous hours.
B. Complete the Alternate Care
Screen.
C. Enter actual end date of
stay with FFSS on the Alternate Care screen when the child returns to the
regular foster family.
PROCEDURE VII-G5: Respite for Children in
Out-of-Home Placement
The foster family will:
A. Notify the Family Service Worker in
advance of each time the child in care will stay with an informal respite home
and indicate:
1) With which informal respite
home the child will stay; and,
2)
The dates that the child will be with the identified informal respite
home.
3) Date that the child
returns to the home once the activity has ended (i.e., actual end date of
activity).
B. Request
approval from the Family Service Worker for informal respite home stays longer
than seven consecutive days.
C.
Notify the Family Service Worker immediately if the child is in need of formal
respite care in order to prevent a child's current placement from disrupting
and/or to prevent a residential, Division of Youth Services (DYS), juvenile
detention center, acute psychiatric, or similar placement.
The Family Service Worker will:
A. For informal respite care:
1) Select the Alternate Care Button on the
Foster Children Screen each time a child stays with an informal respite home
for more than 24 continuous hours.
2) Complete the Alternate Care
Screen.
3) Update the Alternate
Care Screen with the actual end date when the child returns to the regular
foster family.
4) Request extension
approval for stays in an informal respite home longer than seven consecutive
days from the Area Director through CHRIS.
5) Notify the foster family as to whether a
request for the child's placement in an informal respite home for longer than
seven consecutive days is approved or denied.
6) Complete Alternate Care Screen
accordingly.
B. For
formal respite care:
1) Contact the financial
coordinator to request formal respite placement for up to 7 days.
2) If a formal respite placement is
authorized and available, make necessary arrangements with the formal respite
care provider (however, please note the referral form for the formal respite
provider must be signed by a DCFS County Supervisor, Financial Coordinator,
Area Director, or Central Office Staff ) and the regular foster
family.
3) Select the Alternate
Care Button on the Foster Children Screen each time a child stays with a formal
respite placement.
4) Complete the
Alternate Care Screen.
5) Update
the Alternate Care Screen with the actual end date when the child returns to
the regular foster family.
6) If an
extension is needed beyond 7 days, consult with Area Director as to whether it
is in the child's best interest to request an extended stay in formal respite
care from the Prevention & Support Manager in Central Office.
7) If the request for an extended stay in
formal respite care is deemed in the child's best interest, request extension
approval from Prevention & Support Manager in Central Office.
8) Notify the foster family and financial
coordinator as to whether a request for the child's placement in a formal
respite placement for longer than 7 days is approved or denied.
The Financial Coordinator will:
A. Contact the appropriate provider to assess
formal respite availability for up to 7 days.
B. If formal respite is available, notify the
Family Service Worker and encumber in PIE/CFM.
C. If formal respite is needed for more than
7 days, encumber in PIE/CFM once approval from the Prevention & Support
Manager in Central Office is granted.
The Area Director will: (
A. Consult with the Family Service Worker as
to whether an extended stay request in an informal respite home (more than 7
consecutive days at one time) or formal respite placement (more than 7
consecutive days per three month period) is in the child's best
interest.
The Prevention & Support Manager will:
A. Consult with the Family Service Worker and
Area Director as to whether formal respite care is appropriate for more than 7
days.
B. Approve or deny
accordingly. *
C.
Notify the Family Service Worker or the Financial Coordinator of the decision
to approve or deny.