6620 Services to the Substitute Caregiver
CPS 98-1 September 2007
Over the course of a child's placement with a substitute caregiver, the child's worker must provide all of the following services to the caregiver:
· Ensure that the caregiver has up-to-date information about the child.
· Ensure that the caregiver has the child’s education portfolio.
· Ask the caregiver to help develop and implement the child's service plan.
· Give the caregiver copies of the following materials:
· placement transfer summary,
· child's plan of service,
· education portfolio,
· IMPACT form, Medical and Developmental History and Physical Examination,
· medical records, and
· medical log
When the worker gives the child's caregiver the medical log from the IMPACT system, the worker must ask the caregiver to:
· update the form each time the child receives medical services; and
· give the worker an updated copy before each service plan review.
· Placement information. The worker does not give the caregiver a copy of the placement information from the Placement Detail window in CAPS.
· Identify in the child's service plan any support services that the caregiver must receive to meet the child's needs, and (within the limits of available resources) ensure that the caregiver receives those services.
· Help and encourage the caretaker to participate as a team member in planning for, delivering services to, and evaluating the progress of the child.
· Give 10-day written notification of permanency planning team staffings (PPTs) and Chapter 263 court review hearings, as required by law, so that the caregiver can plan to attend and present testimony, if desired.
· Give the caretaker a copy of the initial permanency court report, subsequent permanency court reports, and placement court reports 10 days before the court hearings.
· At least once every three months, visit the child and the caregiver at the caregiver's home or facility.
· Give appropriate notification of permanency planning meetings so that the caregiver can plan to attend and be heard, if desired.
· Give appropriate notification of any other reviews held with respect to the child, so that they can plan to attend and be heard, if desired.
· Give the caretaker a copy of the initial permanency court report, subsequent permanency court reports, and placement court reports 10 days before the court hearings.
· Make monthly contact with the caregiver, at least by phone. Visit the child and the caregiver at the caregiver’s home or facility in a majority of the monthly visits with the child.
During monthly contact, discuss specific concerns that the caregiver expresses about the child's care, such as the child's relationship with the caregiver’s family, changes in the composition or functioning of the caregiver’s family, problems with DFPS policies, and so on. Identify any follow-up support services that may be needed.
For detailed information about visiting the caregiver, see Appendix 6620, Quarterly Visits to Foster Families.
· Confer with the caregiver to help the caregiver comply with the Child-Care Licensing (CCL) division's Minimum Standards for Child-Placing Agencies.
Note: The worker must advise CCL of:
· serious accidents involving children placed with the caregiver, and
· other incidents that may substantially affect the care of children placed with the caregiver.
· Respond to requests for information.
· Help the caregiver find ways to manage the child’s behavior.
· Assess the caregiver’s ability to respond to and meet the child’s needs.
· Assess the caregiver’s need for services to support the placement.
· Provide any follow-up support services that are requested or needed.
· Provide recruitment services, training, and general support as needed, if the caregiver is a CPS-verified foster home.
· Offer the caregiver an administrative review, if the caregiver is a CPS-verified foster home and the caregiver disagrees with a CPS decision to transfer the child to a new placement.
For information about the worker’s services to the caregiver at the time of the child's placement, see:
· 6123.3 Services to the Caregiver
· 6318 Issues Regarding Subsequent Placements
For information about CPS's recruitment and training of foster parents, see 7000 Foster and Adoptive Home Development.
For additional information about services provided to kinship caregivers, see 6322.6 Services for Kinship Caregivers.
6844 Making Adoptive Placements in Other Regions and with Private Agency Adoptive Homes
CPS 2000-2 September 2007
In recent years, CPS has made an increasing number of adoptive placements across regional lines and with private agency adoptive homes. Because of this, defining roles and responsibilities in these types of placements is necessary. Before placing a child in a DFPS adoptive home in a region other than the region which has conservatorship of the child, the caseworker or supervisor must follow procedures as stated in 6512 Making Placements Across Regional or Unit Lines Item 6512.3, Placements In DFPS Foster or Adoptive Homes Across Regional or Unit Lines.
When an adoptive, foster-adopt or legal-risk adoptive family moves across regional lines, that case and all responsibilities must be transferred to the region where the family is moving. Under no circumstances may a region retain responsibility for an adoptive home which has moved to another region.
Private Agency Adoptive Home
When a child is placed in a private agency adoptive home, the contract with that agency will address supervision. Supervision in these types of placements, with the exception of the required CPS worker quarterly face to face contacts with a child in CPS conservatorship, is usually done by the contracted child-placing agency.
Monthly Face-to-Face Contacts with Children In These Settings
CPS staff must ensure that contract staff are conducting monthly face-to-face visits with children in adoptive placements, and that the monthly visits are conducted at the child’s residence in a majority of the months of the year, according to the standards noted in 6511 Contact with the Child and 6851 Supporting the Adoptive Placement.
In order to meet federal reporting requirements on this issue, CPS staff must enter into IMPACT information about the monthly face-to-face contact, including the location of the contact, upon receipt of the information from the contract provider.
Case Closure in Adoptions
When a child has been placed in an adoptive home across regional lines and case closure is appropriate, the following steps should be taken:
· a copy of any external documents from the adoptive family's record that the sending worker does not already have is given to the sending worker,
· the sending worker attaches the adoptive family's external record to the child's external record and closes the child's case, as discussed in 1476 Retention of Consummated Adoption Case Records.
· procedures for case closure of the ADO stage in IMPACT are followed,
· the location of the adoptive family's original external record is documented in the ADO stage;
· procedures for case closure of the FAD stage in IMPACT are followed, and
· the location of the child's original external record is documented in the FAD stage.
6851 Supporting the Adoptive Placement
CPS 96-8 September 2007
DFPS's Continuing Legal Responsibility
When a child in DFPS's managing conservatorship is placed for adoption, DFPS remains legally responsible for the child until the adoption is consummated.
After placing a child for adoption, DFPS continues to provide services to the child and the adoptive family based on the adoption service plan.
Objectives
CPS provides services under the adoption services plan to:
· help the adoptive family and the child adjust to the adoption by:
· identifying and expressing any doubts or concerns that the adoptive parents have about raising the child,
· identifying and obtaining support services for raising the child,
· identifying and obtaining services that the child needs,
· developing appropriate methods of discipline, and
· noting changes in the adoptive family's health, financial condition, or composition that may affect the child;
· assist the adoptive family to find ways to develop the child's understanding of background and adoption;
· help the adoptive parents and their attorney consummate the adoption. See 6852 Consummating the Adoption.
The Adoption Service Plan
The adoption worker must establish an adoption service plan no more than 30 days after placing the child for adoption.
The worker develops the plan with input from the:
· adoptive family;
· child, if the child can understand and participate; and
· child's conservatorship unit.
The service plan must identify the:
· services needed by the child and family;
· possible resources for securing the services; and
· methods of discipline suited to the child's needs.
The service plan must also comply with applicable program standards and federal law. See 6400 Case Planning. the requirements of the Social Security Act, Title IV-B, §427.
Although the adoptive family's worker is usually responsible for providing services under the adoption service plan, sometimes the child's worker is responsible. In either case, until the adoption is consummated, the unit that manages the child's case and keeps the child's case record is responsible for the child's well-being and service-planning.
Frequency of contact. When CPS staff provide postplacement services directly, the worker must
· make a home visit within two weeks after the child's placement;
· make face-to-face contact with the adoptive family at least once a month during the first six months of placement; and
(Note: At least two of those contacts must include all family members living in the home.)
· continue making home visits at least once a quarter after the first six months of placement, until the adoption is consummated.
6851.1 Contact with the Child and Adoptive Family
CPS September 2007 NEW ITEM
When CPS staff provide post-placement services directly, the worker follows the contact policy discussed in 6511 Contact With the Child, 6851.2 Conducting Visits With the Child and Adoptive Family, and documentation policy in 6930 Documentation Requirements for Substitute Care, with the following adjustments for the adoptive placement:
· The worker must make a home visit within two weeks after the child's placement;
· The worker must make monthly face-to-face contact with the child and adoptive family until the adoption is consummated;
· At least one monthly face to face contact must take place at the residence each month in a majority of the months in a year. See 6511 Contact with the Child and 6930 Documentation Requirements for Substitute Care for additional requirements.
· At least two of the monthly contacts during the first six months must include all family members living in the home.
As noted in 6511, the 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 child. These visits should focus on the child’s bonding and adjustment to the new adoptive family, the needs of the adoptive family in caring for the child, and the issues identified in the adoptive service plan.
Generally, when a child is first placed in an adoptive home, more frequent contact is needed. The amount and type of contacts will depend on the child and family’s needs.
6851.2 Conducting Visits With the Child and Adoptive Family
CPS September 2007 NEW ITEM
Staff follow the policies in 6511.2 Conducting Visits With the Child, with the following adjustments for the adoptive placement:
Preparing for the Visit
The service plan that is referenced is the adoptive service plan.
Conducting the Visit
The worker talks with the child and parent separately and together. The worker observes the interaction of the child and the adoptive parents. The separate conversations are important as they allow the child or parents to bring up concerns that they might not share in front of others. If the child is nonverbal, the worker should have some interaction with the nonverbal child.
During the visits in the home the child’s worker discusses with the child and parents the progress since the last visit. The worker asks them about what has gone well, what are the problems or difficulties, and how they have tried to handle these. The worker asks them about their thoughts and feelings about the adoptive placement. The worker asks them about their use of family and community supports and resources, as needed.
During the visit with the child, the worker also asks about and discusses:
· the child's thoughts and feelings about living with the adoptive family, and the child’s interactions with other children in the home;
· various Life Book issues
· the Transition Plan, if youth is 16 years of age or older (this is important, even in an adoptive placement).
Assessing the Visit
The worker assesses the adoptive parent’s ability, willingness and efforts to:
· care for the child; and
· meet the child’s needs, particularly those of safety.
The worker assesses the child’s progress in the home, bonding with the family, and ability to protect him or herself. The worker assesses the quality of the interaction of the child and the adoptive parents.
Documenting the Visit
After each contact, the worker documents observations of and discussions with the child and family and any follow-up tasks that are needed. For a discussion of documentation requirements, see Contact Narrative in 6930, Documentation Requirements for Substitute Care.
Following Up
The worker must take steps to ensure that any identified needs for the child or support services needed for the family are addressed. This may include such actions as revising the service plan, setting up additional testing or evaluations, assisting the adoptive parents in setting up appointments with specialists to see the child, or setting up an appointment at the child’s school.