6511 Contact With the Child

CPS June 2004 September 2007

Federal Requirements

Federal law requires states to have standards for the content and frequency of caseworker visits for children who are in foster care [federal definition] under the responsibility of the state. At a minimum, these standards must ensure that the children are visited on a monthly basis. The caseworker visits must be well-planned and focused on issues pertinent to case planning and service delivery to ensure the safety, permanency, and well-being of the children. The majority of the visits are to occur in the residence of the child. Reports on this are to be sent to the Administration for Children and Families.

The Child and Family Services Improvement Act of 2006 (CFSIA) P.L. 109-288

Section 7 (a) and (b) and the Social Security Act, Title IV-B, Section 424 (e)(1) and (2)

According to subsequent federal instructions, the “majority of visits at the residence” is interpreted as meaning that there is at least one visit each month at the residence in a majority of the months over the year.

ACYF-CB-PI-07-08

Objectives and Content of a Face-to-Face Visit

When a child in DFPS's managing conservatorship is in substitute care, the caseworker must ensure that:

  ·  there is a face-to-face visit with each child at least once a month; and

  ·  the majority of visits must be held in the child’s residence.

  ·   assess the child's progress in and adjustment to substitute care;

  ·   discuss the child's thoughts and feelings about:

  ·   living with the caregiver, and

  ·   being away from home;

  ·  involve the child in developing and reviewing his or her service plan; and

  ·  help the child prepare for:

  ·   family reunification, or

  ·   another permanent living situation if family reunification has been ruled out.

After each contact, the worker documents observations of and discussions with the child in the child's case record.

This requirement is based on research showing that regular casework visits significantly enhance the quality and outcomes for children in substitute care. 

Monthly Frequency of Face-to-Face Contact

The worker must have a face-to-face visit with the child see the child in person at least once a month. More frequent face-to-face or other contact such as by phone is determined on a case by case basis to ensure the safety, permanency, and well-being of the child and to promote achievement of case goals.  Whenever possible, the worker sees the child more often.

Majority of Contacts at Child’s Residence

Without exception, every child's worker must have at least one face-to-face visit at the child’s residence each month in a majority of the months during the year. For the first three months a child is in care, visits must be conducted in the child’s home every month. 

Child Safety and Permanency

To best serve the goals of child safety and permanency the monthly visits should:

  ·  reflect that the caseworker conducting the visit is knowledgeable about the case and prepared to ask relevant questions, provide information to the child and caregivers and follow up on ongoing issues;

  ·  be focused on issues pertinent to case planning and service delivery to ensure the safety, permanency and well-being of the child; 

  ·  result in the caseworker identifying the follow up steps necessary to meet the child’s identified needs and taking those steps in a timely manner;

  ·  be conducted at the child’s home or residence in the majority of monthly visits, and always be held in a location that is conducive to open and honest conversation (for instance, not a crowded hallway at the courthouse).

Approval

Exception:

If it is not possible for any worker to see the child in person as often as once a month, the program director and supervisor of the worker assigned to the child must:

  ·  approve a reduced frequency of face-to-face contact; and

  ·  ensure that the worker communicates with the child by telephone or by mail at least once a month, unless the child is unable to communicate.

The supervisor and program director approvals must be documented in the child's monthly summary. Both the supervisor and program director must then approve the monthly summary within IMPACT. Any approval for less frequent face-to-face contact with the child must be re-examined by the worker's supervisor and program director within six months of the original approval date and once every six months thereafter in order to determine any need for change in the approved frequency of contact. The worker must document each six-month staffing in the child's monthly summary. The supervisor and program director must approve the monthly summaries related to these staffings within IMPACT.

Time Frames for Contacts at the Caregiver's Residence/Facility

Without exception, regardless of the frequency and location of other face-to-face contacts, every child's worker must visit the child in person at the caregiver's residence or facility once every three months.

Courtesy Supervision Maintains Required Contacts

When another CPS unit provides courtesy supervision as specified in Item 6512, Making Placements Across Regional or Unit Lines, that unit maintains the required contacts with the child.

6511.1 Targeted Case Management

CPS September 2007 NEW ITEM

For funding purposes the caseworker must document separately specific activities that qualify as Targeted Case Management (TCM). These are activities that caseworkers commonly conduct in preparation for, during, and in following up on child visits, but a claim can only be made if there is specific documentation for an approved activity on the specific date that it occurred.

For example, when a caseworker is arranging for a child to access needed medical, social, educational and other services, this is properly claimed as TCM. Specific activities include assessment, case planning, referral and linkage (service coordination) and monitoring/follow-up (case plan reassessment).

In most cases, preparing for and conducting the visit, assessing and evaluating the child’s needs and progress and documenting these activities should meet TCM requirements. If not, another contact that meets TCM requirements is required at some point during the month. For additional information about TCM requirements, see 6930 Documentation Requirements for Substitute Care.

6511.2 Conducting Visits With the Child

CPS September 2007 NEW ITEM

Required Components

Preparing for the Visit

To prepare for a monthly visit with a child the worker must:

   ·  review the current child’s service plan to see what services should be in place for the child at the current time;

  ·  review the case record to see if any outstanding medical or dental exams, psychological reports, report cards or other critical documents have been received;

  ·  contact service providers to discuss progress in the case, if appropriate;

  ·  review any other notes or materials necessary to be familiar with the child’s current needs and situation; and

  ·  review any information that may need to be provided to or requested from the caregiver.

When the worker calls to schedule the visit, the worker must ask the caregiver about any issues or concerns that may need to be addressed with the child. 

Conducting the Visit

The visit must include quality time with the child separate from the caregiver, if the child is verbal.

If the child is nonverbal, the caseworker:

  ·  has interaction with the child; and

  ·  observes the caregiver’s interaction with the child.

If the worker is visiting with a sibling group that is placed together, there must be some individual time spent with each child separate from the sibling(s), as well as some time together.

During the visit with the child, the child’s worker must ask about and discuss:

  ·  what has happened since the last visit;

  ·  contacts with parents, siblings, and others, if approved in the case plan;

  ·  the child's thoughts and feelings about:

  ·  living with the caregiver, and

  ·  being away from home;

  ·  the child’s understanding of why he or she is in care and remains in care;

  ·  the child’s interactions with other children in the home;

  ·  the child’s school situation;

  ·  the child’s health, growth and development, racial and ethnic identity development;

  ·  services that have been provided;

  ·  the status of the case

  ·  the child’s input on his or her service plan; and

  ·  the Transition Plan, if the youth is 16 years of age or older;

The caseworker must keep the child informed of overall progress and allows the child to express how he or she feels about the situation and what needs the child may have. The worker also must help the child prepare for:

  ·  family reunification, or

  ·  another permanent living situation if family reunification has been ruled out.

The worker must also do a physical walk-through of a foster or kinship home and backyard when doing the monthly visit at the residence to observe the circumstances in which the child is living.

Assessing the Visit

Both during and after the visit, the worker must assess the child’s progress and adjustment to substitute care, the child’s interaction with the caregiver, the safety of the home environment for the child, and the child’s ability to protect him or herself. The worker also assesses the caretaker’s ability, willingness and efforts to care for the child and meet the child’s needs, particularly those of safety. 

For Targeted Case Management purposes, the worker assesses the progress in addressing the child’s medical, educational, and social needs.

Documenting the Visit

After each contact, the worker must document observations of and discussions with the child and caretaker and must note any follow-up needed. For a discussion of documentation requirements, see Contact Narrative in 6930 Documentation Requirements for Substitute Care.

Following Up

The worker must follow through with meeting any identified needs for the child or support services needed for the caregiver. This may include such actions as revising the child’s service plan, setting up a psychological evaluation, assisting foster parents in setting up an appointment for a medical specialist to see the child, or setting up an appointment at the child’s school.

6511.3 Visits Conducted by an Alternate Caseworker

CPS September 2007 NEW ITEM

The primary caseworker may be unable to conduct the monthly visit, if the child is placed out of region,  the worker has one or more contested court hearings that could last a week or more in a given month or because the worker is out on leave. In such situations, the alternate caseworker assigned to make the monthly visit must take the steps discussed in 6511.2 Conducting Visits With the Child.

The alternate worker must ensure that the steps under the heading Preparing for the Visit are taken by

  ·  contacting the assigned worker or supervisor, if possible, to review what is happening in the case;

  ·  reviewing key information in the case record in IMPACT, particularly:

  ·  the child’s current service plan;

  ·  the family’s current plan if there is an open family stage in IMPACT;

  ·  contacts and monthly summaries within the last couple of months in IMPACT;

  ·  current medical and psychological information on the child and dates for medical and dental appointments;

  ·  the child’s Transition Plan if 16 or older;

  ·  the identity of the child’s medical consenter;

  ·  the identified Child Placement Characteristics;

  ·  the child’s identified Service Level; and

  ·  the recent Permanency Planning Meeting Notes, if any.

When the worker calls to schedule the visit, the worker must ask the caregiver about any issues or concerns that may need to be addressed with the child.

The alternate worker must either take the steps discussed under the heading Following Up in 6511.2, or make arrangements for this. 

6511.4 Responsibility for Contact Across Regional Lines

CPS September 2007 NEW ITEM

When another CPS unit provides courtesy supervision as specified in 6512 Making Placements Across Regional or Unit Lines, the unit providing the supervision must maintain the required contacts with the child and perform the activities discussed under Objectives and Content of a Face to Face Visit as discussed in 6511 Contact With the Child and its sub-items.

6512 Making Placements Across Regional or Unit Lines

CPS 2000-2 September 2007

This item has been edited for style and clarity only. Policy has not changed.

Staff may request home studies, placement, and supervision outside the region or geographical area of the unit that has conservatorship of the child, when it is appropriate to do so. Supervision handled by one CPS unit for another unit has been historically referred to as courtesy supervision.

Courtesy supervision can be requested for placements with:

  ·  a parent;

  ·  a relative;

  ·  family friends with possessory conservatorship; or

  ·  foster care and adoptive families.     

No placement shall occur until approval for the placement has been requested and obtained from the receiving region or unit.