Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 148 / Wednesday, August 1, 2018 / Notices 37495 

did not contain any material 

misrepresentations by the registered 

entities. 

Dated: July 25, 2018. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2018–16398 Filed 7–31–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. CP18–531–000] 

Florida Gas Transmission Company, 

LLC; Notice of Request Under Blanket 

Authorization 

Take notice that on July 19, 2018, 

Florida Gas Transmission Company, 

LLC (FGT), 1300 Main St., Houston, 

Texas 77002, filed in the above 

referenced docket, a prior notice request 

pursuant to sections 157.205, 157.208, 

157.210, and 157.211 of the 

Commission’s regulations under the 

Natural Gas Act (NGA) and Columbia’s 

blanket certificate issued in Docket No. 

CP82–553–000, for authorization to (1) 

construct, install, own, maintain and 

operate, certain natural gas pipeline 

facilities (including 3.4 miles of 

mainline looping) and appurtenant 

facilities in Hillsborough and Polk 

Counties, Florida and (2) install an 

interconnection and appurtenant 

facilities for gas delivery to a new Meter 

and Regulation station to be 

constructed/owned/operated by Florida 

Public Utilities (FPU) in Martin County, 

Florida. The approximate cost of the 

Okeechobee Expansion Project is 

approximately $19,500,000. This Project 

will enable FGT to provide additional 

capacity of 12,000 million British 

thermal units per day (MMBtu/d) of 

available firm transportation service to 

the proposed interconnection with FPU 

in Martin County, Florida, all as more 

fully set forth in the application which 

is on file with the Commission and open 

to public inspection. 

The filing may also be viewed on the 

web at http://www.ferc.gov using the 

‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Enter the docket 

number excluding the last three digits in 

the docket number field to access the 

document. For assistance, please contact 

FERC Online Support at 

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll 

free at (866) 208–3676, or TTY, contact 

(202) 502–8659. 

Any questions regarding this 

application may be directed to Blair 

Lichtenwalter, Senior Director of 

Certificates, Florida Gas Transmission 

Company, LLC, 1300 Main St., Houston, 

Texas 77002, at (713) 989–2605 or fax 

(713) 989–1205 or Blair.Lichtenwalter@

energytransfer.com. 

Pursuant to section 157.9 of the 

Commission’s rules, 18 CFR 157.9, 

within 90 days of this Notice the 

Commission staff will either: Complete 

its environmental assessment (EA) and 

place it into the Commission’s public 

record (eLibrary) for this proceeding; or 

issue a Notice of Schedule for 

Environmental Review. If a Notice of 

Schedule for Environmental Review is 

issued, it will indicate, among other 

milestones, the anticipated date for the 

Commission staff’s issuance of the EA 

for this proposal. The filing of the EA 

in the Commission’s public record for 

this proceeding or the issuance of a 

Notice of Schedule for Environmental 

Review will serve to notify federal and 

state agencies of the timing for the 

completion of all necessary reviews, and 

the subsequent need to complete all 

federal authorizations within 90 days of 

the date of issuance of the Commission 

staff’s EA. 

Any person may, within 60 days after 

the issuance of the instant notice by the 

Commission, file pursuant to Rule 214 

of the Commission’s Procedural Rules 

(18 CFR 385.214) a motion to intervene 

or notice of intervention. Any person 

filing to intervene or the Commission’s 

staff may, pursuant to section 157.205 of 

the Commission’s Regulations under the 

NGA (18 CFR 157.205) file a protest to 

the request. If no protest is filed within 

the time allowed therefore, the proposed 

activity shall be deemed to be 

authorized effective the day after the 

time allowed for protest. If a protest is 

filed and not withdrawn within 30 days 

after the time allowed for filing a 

protest, the instant request shall be 

treated as an application for 

authorization pursuant to section 7 of 

the NGA. 

The Commission strongly encourages 

electronic filings of comments, protests, 

and interventions via the internet in lieu 

of paper. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) 

and the instructions on the 

Commission’s website (www.ferc.gov) 

under the ‘‘e-Filing’’ link. 

Dated: July 26, 2018. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2018–16461 Filed 7–31–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Administration for Children and 

Families 

Notice for Proposed Model Family 

Foster Home Licensing Standards 

AGENCY: Administration for Children 

and Families, HHS. 

ACTION: Notice; Request for Comments. 

SUMMARY: The Family First Prevention 

Services Act (FFPSA) directs the U.S. 

Department of Health and Human 

Services (HHS) to identify ‘‘reputable 

model licensing standards with respect 

to the licensing of foster family homes. 

In response to this directive, the 

Children’s Bureau (CB) solicits 

comments on the proposed National 

Model Family Foster Home Licensing 

Standards. 

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

October 1, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by one of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: 

https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

All comments received will be posted 

without change to https://

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information provided. 

• Email: CBComments@acf.hhs.gov. 

Include [docket number and/or RIN 

number] in subject line of the message. 

• Mail: Submit written comments to 

Kathleen McHugh, United States 

Department of Health and Human 

Services, Administration for Children 

and Families, Director, Policy Division, 

330 C Street SW, Washington, DC 

20024. Please be aware that mail may 

take an additional 3 to 4 days to process 

due to security screening of mail. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kathleen McHugh, Director, Policy 

Division, Children’s Bureau, 330 C 

Street SW, Washington, DC 20201. 

Email address: cbcomments@

acf.hhs.gov. Deaf and hearing impaired 

individuals may call the Federal Dual 

Party Relay Service at 1–800–877–8339 

between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Eastern 

Time. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents 

I. Background 

II. Overview of the Proposed National Model 

Family Foster Home Licensing 

III. Standards Summary of the Proposed 

National Model Foster Care Licensing 

Standards 


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1For the research results, please see: http://

www.grandfamilies.org/Portals/0/Improving

%20Foster%20Care%20Licensing%

20Standards.pdf. 

I. Background 

(1) Legislative Context 

The President signed the Bipartisan 

Budget Act of 2018, Public Law (Pub. L.) 

115–123 into law on February 9, 2018. 

Public Law 115–123 includes the 

FFPSA in Division E, Title VII. Section 

50731 of the FFPSA directs HHS to 

‘‘identify reputable model licensing 

standards with respect to the licensing 

of foster family homes (as defined in 

section 472(c)(1) of the Social Security 

Act).’’ 

By April 1, 2019, title IV–E agencies, 

which include all states and 12 tribes, 

must provide the HHS specific and 

detailed information about: 

Æ Whether the state or tribal agency 

foster family home licensing standards 

are consistent with the model licensing 

standards identified by HHS, and if not, 

the reason; and 

Æ Whether the state or tribal agency 

waives non-safety licensing standards 

for relative foster family homes 

(pursuant to waiver authority provided 

by section 471(a)(10)(D) of the Act), and 

if so, how caseworkers are trained to use 

the waiver authority and whether the 

agency has developed a process or 

provided tools to assist caseworkers in 

waiving these non-safety standards to 

quickly place children with relatives. 

States and tribes have a long history 

of developing and implementing their 

own foster family home licensing 

standards. These standards are typically 

included in statutes, codes, or 

regulations, but may also be included in 

policy documents or guidance. In 

reference to the title IV–E program, 

section 471(a)(10) of the Act requires 

title IV–E agencies to develop plans that 

provide for the establishment and 

maintaining of standards for foster 

family homes and child care 

institutions. These standards must be 

reasonably in accord with related 

standards developed by national 

organizations, including standards 

related to admission policies, safety, 

sanitation, protection of civil rights, and 

permit the use of the reasonable prudent 

parent standard. 

(2) Reviewing Foster Family Home 

Licensing Standards 

We are proposing one set of standards 

for comment to apply to relatives and 

non-relatives, as well as state and tribal 

title IV–E agencies. 

Prior to drafting these standards, CB: 

• Reviewed several state and tribal 

foster family licensing standards that 

represented a mix of population 

densities, state and county administered 

states, and a range of geographic 

locations; 

• examined the ‘‘Model Family Foster 

Home Licensing Standards’’ published 

by the National Association for 

Regulatory Administration (NARA 

Standards); 

• reviewed the ‘‘Development and 

Implementation of Tribal Foster Care 

Standards’’ published by the National 

Indian Child Welfare Association 

(NICWA); and 

• consulted guidelines, 

recommendations, and best practices for 

foster care services including the 

following: 

• Council on Accreditation Family 

Foster Care and Kinship Care Program 

Accreditation Guidelines; and 

• Child Welfare League of America 

(CWLA) Standards of Excellence for 

Family Foster Care Services. 

The CB relied heavily upon the NARA 

standards in drafting the proposed 

National Model Family Foster Home 

Licensing Standards. The NARA 

standards were developed by attorneys 

at Generations United and the American 

Bar Association who researched family 

foster care licensing standards in state 

codes, regulations, and policies for each 

state and the District of Columbia.1 The 

current NARA standards use model 

language from state licensing standards 

and language from the CWLA and the 

Council on Accreditation with the goal 

to create reasonable and achievable 

safety standards for family foster home 

licensing. NICWA assisted the Council 

on Accreditation with developing foster 

care and kinship care standards used to 

accredit public and private agencies that 

address the unique needs of Native 

children and account for the protections 

of the Indian Child Welfare Act. 

CB assessed whether these materials 

shared purposes, standards, and 

categories to support the conclusion that 

the NARA standards were appropriate 

to use as a main source for the National 

Model Family Foster Home Licensing 

Standards. Through this review, CB 

determined that while it is important for 

standards to be flexible for title IV–E 

agency implementation, overall, the 

standards reviewed shared many 

commonalities. Further, the NARA 

standards are based in significant 

research and input from experts in the 

field; therefore, we consider them the 

best available resource to base a federal 

standard on, and reasonably flexible for 

title IV–E agency implementation. 

CB did not examine the following 

subject areas because this was outside 

the scope of the legislative requirement: 

• Foster home licensing procedures; 

• Emergency placement procedures; 

• Re-licensure procedures; 

• Procedures for pre-service training; 

• Care of children after placement in 

a licensed foster home; and 

• Post-licensing requirements, such 

as foster parent recordkeeping and 

reporting. 

II. Overview of the Proposed National 

Model Family Foster Home Licensing 

Standards 

The proposed standards are 

categorized into eight categories that 

closely resemble the NARA standards: 

A. Foster Home Eligibility 

a. Threshold Requirements 

b. Physical and Mental Health 

c. Background Checks 

d. Home Study 

B. Foster Family Home Health and 

Safety 

a. Living Space 

b. Condition of Home 

C. Foster Home Capacity 

D. Foster Home Sleeping Arrangements 

E. Emergency Preparedness, Fire Safety, 

and Evacuation Plans 

F. Transportation 

G. Training 

H. Foster Parent Assurances 

These categories cover the essential 

components of licensing a foster family 

in terms of ensuring the applicant’s 

capacity to care for a child in foster care, 

and also provide parameters for 

licensing the physical home of the 

family to ensure it is appropriate and 

safe for a child in foster care. 

The National Model Family Foster 

Home Licensing Standards, based on the 

NARA Standards, are designed to be 

broad and flexible enough to respond to 

individual circumstances, state and 

tribal jurisdictions, and help ensure 

children in out-of-home care have safe 

and appropriate homes. The standards 

do not include the many other agency 

practices for how to conduct 

assessments, good practice standards, 

guidelines on re-licensing, or other 

requirements that must be undertaken 

with licensing foster family homes. In 

addition, there are numerous state and 

federal laws that agencies must consider 

when licensing foster family homes that 

we did not address. We encourage 

agencies to utilize best practices, such 

as engaging tribal communities or others 

as appropriate in licensing families; 

however, these standards do not address 

such practices. 


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III. Summary of the Proposed National 

Model Foster Care Licensing Standards 

Subject standard Standard and summary 

Foster Home Eligibility ........................................ A. Foster Home Eligibility: A family foster home license includes the following: 

a. Threshold Requirements: 

i. Applicants must be age 18 or older. 

ii. Applicants must have income or resources to make timely payments for shelter, 

food, utility costs, clothing, and other household expenses prior to the addition of a 

child or children in foster care. 

iii. Applicants must be able to communicate with the child in the child’s own language 

and applicants must be able to communicate with the title IV–E agency, health care 

providers, and other service providers. 

iv. At least one applicant in the home must have functional literacy, such as having 

the ability to read medication labels. 

Summary—Foster Home Eligibility ..................... The proposed eligibility standards provide threshold requirements for a family foster home license to establish a first step in assessing the applicant’s age, financial stability, and ability 

to communicate with the child and agency. 

We propose that adult applicants are financially stable to meet their family’s needs prior to 

placing a child in the home. We proposed communication standards which are flexible for 

both the applicant and agency in that applicants must be able to follow agency and service 

provider instructions as well as communicate directly with a child. The proposed standards 

do not include requirements for English literacy so as not to dissuade potential foster family 

applicants. However, we propose functional literacy to ensure at least one of the applicants 

has the ability to read and write at the level necessary to participate effectively in the community in which they live. 

Foster Home Eligibility—Physical and Mental 

Health.

b. Physical and Mental Health: All applicants must have recent (conducted within the prior 

12 months) physical exams from a licensed health care professional that indicate that 

the applicants are capable of caring for an additional child or children. 

i. All household members must disclose current mental health and/or substance 

abuse issues. 

ii. All household members must provide information on their physical and mental 

health history, including any history of drug or alcohol abuse or treatment. 

iii. The title IV–E agency may require further documentation and/or evaluation to determine the suitability of the home. 

iv. All children who are household members must be up to date on immunizations 

consistent with the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the 

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control 

and Prevention, and the American Academy of Family Physicians, unless the immunization is contrary to the child’s health as documented by a licensed health 

care professional. 

Summary—Foster Home Eligibility—Physical 

and Mental Health.

The proposed physical and mental health standards ensure each applicant is physically, mentally, and emotionally capable of caring for an additional child or children through a required 

physical exam. We are not requiring that household members undergo a physical exam, 

however, they must provide a health history, including any history of drug or alcohol abuse 

or treatment. 

Foster Home Eligibility—Background Checks .... c. Background Checks: 

i. Applicants must submit to criminal record and child abuse and neglect registry 

checks as required in section 471(a)(20) of the Social Security Act (the Act). 

Summary—Foster Home Eligibility—Background Checks.The proposed background check standards mirror the requirements under section 471(a)(20) 

of the Act which requires title IV–E agencies to perform criminal and child abuse and neglect registry background checks as part of meeting the IV–E requirements. The state or 

tribe must not grant final approval to the applicant if a record check reveals a felony conviction for: 

• Child abuse or neglect; 

• Spousal abuse; 

• A crime against children (including child pornography); 

• A crime involving violence, including rape, sexual assault, or homicide, but not including 

other physical assault or battery; 

• Physical assault, battery, or a drug-related offense within the last five (5) years; and 

Title IV–E agencies must check any child abuse and neglect registry maintained by the state 

or tribe for information on any applicant and on any other adult living in the prospective foster home. Further, title IV–E agencies must request any other state or tribe in which any 

such applicant or other adult has resided in the preceding five (5) years. 

Home Study ........................................................ d. Home Study: Applicant must have completed an agency home study, which is a written 

comprehensive family assessment in collaboration with the applicants to include the following elements: 


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Subject standard Standard and summary 

i. At least one scheduled on-site visit to assess the home to ensure that it meets the 

state, tribal and/or local standards applicable to the safety and care of the home. 

ii. At least one scheduled in home interview for each household member to observe 

family functioning and assess the family’s capacity to meet the needs of a child or 

children in foster care. 

iii. The title IV–E agency has discretion on whether to interview or observe each 

household member based on his or her age and development. 

iv. Multiple applicant references that attest to the capability of the applicant to care for 

the child, including at least one from a relative and one from a non-relative. 

Summary—Home Study ..................................... We propose a broad home study standard that requires the title IV–E agency to conduct inperson and on-site interviews and obtain references for all applicants. Most states have 

home study requirements in law and regulation which include explicit home study and interview standards. 

Foster Family Home Health and Safety ............. B. Foster Family Home Health and Safety: 

a. Living Space: The home must be a house, mobile home, housing unit or apartment occupied by an individual or a family. The home, grounds, and all structures on the 

grounds of the property must in a reasonable state of repair within community standards. The home must have: 

i. A continuous supply of safe drinking water. 

ii. A properly operating kitchen with a sink, refrigerator, stove, and oven; 

iii. At least one properly operating bathroom with a toilet, sink and tub or shower. 

iv. Heating and/or cooling as required by the geographic area, consistent with accepted community standards and in safe operating condition. 

v. A working phone or access to a working phone in close walking proximity. 

b. Condition of the Home: The applicants’ home, grounds, and all structures on the 

grounds of the property must be properly maintained in a clean, safe, and sanitary condition and in a reasonable state of repair within community standards. The interior and 

exterior must be free from dangerous objects and conditions, and from hazardous materials. The home must meet the following requirements: 

i. Have adequate lighting, ventilation and proper trash and recycling disposal. 

ii. Be free from rodents and insect infestation. 

iii. Proper water heater temperature. 

iv. Weapons and ammunition (separately) stored, locked, unloaded, and inaccessible 

to children. 

v. Pets are vaccinated in accordance with state, tribal and/or local law. 

vi. Swimming pools, hot tubs, and spas must meet the following to ensure they are 

safe and hazard free (and additionally must meet all state, tribal and/or local safety 

requirements): 

1. Swimming pools must have a barrier on all sides. 

2. Swimming pools must have their methods of access through the barrier 

equipped with a safety device, such as a bolt lock. 

3. Swimming pools must be equipped with a life saving device, such as a ring 

buoy. 

4. If the swimming pool cannot be emptied after each use, the pool must have a 

working pump and filtering system. 

5. Hot tubs and spas must have safety covers that are locked when not in use. 

vii. Prevent the child’s access, as appropriate for his or her age and development, to 

all medications, poisonous materials, cleaning supplies, other hazardous materials, 

and alcoholic beverages. 

The title IV–E agency may include other specific standards as appropriate to their jurisdiction. 

Summary—Foster Family Home Health and 

Safety.

Foster Family Home Health and Safety—These proposed standards apply to the foster family 

home itself, which includes the grounds and all structures found on the grounds. These proposed standards are written broadly to: (1) Address the large amount of variance in home 

hazards across jurisdictions; and (2) prevent potential biases against rural or urban families. 

These standards are divided into two sections: Living space and condition of the home. The 

NARA standards as well as the state standards reviewed include specific requirements to 

address jurisdictional and geographical concerns. For example, requirements around water 

hazards such as swimming pools may not be a priority in all jurisdictions. 

a. Living Space—The proposed living space standards are flexible in order to determine 

that a home includes basic essentials such as safe drinking water (which may include 

water from a municipal drinking source, a private well, or other source), proper kitchen 

and bath facilities and such. This ensures that the home is a suitable and safe foster 

family home, and allows potential foster families to reside in a variety of types of homes 

and locations, such as low-income or rural areas, may qualify as foster parents. A key 

factor is whether the home, grounds, and all structures on the grounds of the property 

are in a reasonable state of repair within community standards taking into account 

neighborhood norms while being mindful of any potential health and safety risks. 

b. Condition of the Home—The proposed condition of the home standards, address the 

overall condition and safety of the home to ensure the home is safe and in a reasonable state of repair considering the community where the home is located. Housing and 

living arrangements must be safe and clean, and hazardous conditions mitigated. The 

proposed standards include specific safety requirements for pools, hot tubs and spas as 

these pose a particular preventable danger to children. 


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Subject standard Standard and summary 

Foster Home Capacity ........................................ C. Foster Home Capacity: The total number of children in foster care in a family foster home, 

must not exceed six (6) consistent with section 472(c)(1)(A)(ii)(III) of the Act. Per section 

472(c)(1)(B) of the Act, the number of foster children cared for in a foster family home may 

exceed this numerical limitation at the option of the title IV–E agency for any of the following 

reasons: 

a. To allow a parenting youth in foster care to remain with the child of the parenting youth. 

b. To allow siblings to remain together. 

c. To allow a child with an established meaningful relationship with the family to remain 

with the family. 

d. To allow a family with special training or skills to provide care to a child who has a severe disability. 

Summary—Foster Home Capacity ..................... Foster Home Capacity—The proposed foster home capacity standards mirror the requirements 

section 472(c)(1)(A)(ii)(III) that the total number of children in a foster family home, must not 

exceed six (6). Per section 472(c)(1)(B) of the Act, the title IV–E agency may make an exception to this numerical limitation for the following reasons: 

• To allow a parenting youth in foster care to remain with the child of the parenting youth. 

• To allow siblings to remain together. 

• To allow a child with an established meaningful relationship with the family to remain 

with the family. 

• To allow a family with special training or skills to provide care to a child who has a severe disability. 

Foster Home Sleeping Arrangements ................ D. Foster Home Sleeping Arrangements: Applicants must provide a safe sleeping space including sleeping supplies, such as mattress and linens, for each individual child, as appropriate for the child’s needs and age and similar to other household members. Foster parents 

must not co-sleep or bed-share with infants. 

Summary—Foster Home Sleeping Arrangements.The proposed sleeping arrangement standard ensures children in foster care sleep in safe and 

comfortable sleeping spaces with appropriate furnishings to meet their basic needs and ensure privacy. All children in the home must be treated equitably. For example, children in 

foster care should not sleep in public living spaces if other children have their own bedrooms. Further, sleeping arrangements should be age and developmentally appropriate for 

the children who are placed in the home. Co-sleeping or bed-sharing, when a parent(s) and 

infant share a sleeping surface (such as a bed, sofa or chair), is prohibited. 

We included this prohibition because approximately 3,500 infants (children under 12 months of 

age) die annually in the United States from sleep-related causes, such as sudden infant 

death syndrome (SIDS) and accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed.2 Both bed sharing with infants and sleeping with infants sleeping on couches or armchairs increase the risk 

of infant death, including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), entrapment, and suffocation. Room-sharing, i.e., when an infant shares a room with a parent(s), but sleeps on a 

separate sleeping surface is not prohibited as it is considered a safe sleep practice that is 

linked to a reduced risk of SIDS.3

Emergency Preparedness, Fire Safety, and 

Evacuation Plans.

E. Emergency Preparedness, Fire Safety, and Evacuation Plans: The applicant must have 

emergency preparedness plans and items in place as appropriate for the home’s geographic 

location. The applicants’ home must meet the following fire safety and emergency planning 

requirements: 

a. Have at least one smoke detector on each level of occupancy of the home and at least 

one near all sleeping areas. 

b. Have at least one carbon monoxide detector on each level of occupancy of the home 

and at least one near all sleeping areas. 

c. Have at least one operable fire extinguisher that is readily accessible. 

d. Be free of obvious fire hazards, such as defective heating equipment or improperly 

stored flammable materials. 

e. Have a written emergency evacuation plan to be reviewed with the child and posted in 

a prominent place in the home. 

f. Maintain a comprehensive list of emergency telephone numbers, including poison control, and post those numbers in a prominent place in the home. 

g. Maintain first aid supplies. 

Summary—Emergency Preparedness, Fire 

Safety, and Evacuation Plans.

Emergency Preparedness, Fire Safety, and Evacuation Plans—The proposed standards help 

protect children and household members from harm in the event of an emergency, a fire, or 

a need to evacuate. The proposed standards are written broadly allowing them to be tailored to unique emergencies, such as natural disasters, that may occur in specific jurisdictions. Safety procedures and emergency plans, and the communication thereof, increase the 

probability of safety and injury prevention for household members. Emergency readiness information provided by the Department of Homeland Security is available at http://

www.ready.gov. 

Transportation ..................................................... F. Transportation: Applicants must ensure that the family has reliable, legal and safe transportation with safety restraints, as appropriate for the child. Reliable transportation would include a properly maintained vehicle or access to reliable public transportation, if one is 

owned; legal transportation would include having a valid driving license, insurance and registration as appropriate and safe transportation would include safety restraints and only 

adults in the home having a driving record in good standing transport the child. 


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2Task Force on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. 

‘‘SIDS and Other Sleep-Related Infant Deaths: 

Updated 2016 Recommendations for a Safe Infant 

Sleeping Environment.’’ Pediatrics, 138, no. 5 

(2016): 1, http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/ 

content/138/5/e20162938. 

3 Ibid., 2–4. 

Subject standard Standard and summary 

Summary—Transportation Standards ................ The proposed transportation standards focus broadly on the applicant having a reliable, legal, 

and safe mode of transportation for a child in foster care to attend appointments, visitation, 

and meetings. We also propose that only adults in the home be permitted to transport children in foster care and only those having a driving record in good standing. We specifically 

avoid proposing standards that could impact a foster parent based on geographic location 

and income. For example, some states require foster parents to have their own vehicle. 

However, applicants in states with a high urban population may not have access to or need 

a vehicle. Rather, they rely upon public transportation. 

Training ............................................................... G. Training: a. Applicants must complete pre-licensing training on the following topics: legal 

rights, roles, responsibilities and expectations of foster parents; agency structure, purpose, 

policies, and services; laws and regulations; the impact of childhood trauma; managing child 

behaviors; first aid (including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for the ages of the children in placement) and medication administration; and the importance of maintaining meaningful connections between the child and parents, including regular visitation. Foster parents 

must participate in ongoing training to receive instruction to support their parental roles and 

ensure the parent is up to date with agency requirements. Further, this training may also include child-specific training and/or may address issues relevant to the general population of 

children in foster care. 

Summary—Training ............................................ The proposed training standards include both pre-licensing and ongoing training and include 

mandatory training topics. The purpose of the pre-licensing training standards is to provide 

information to applicants so they can make an informed decision about their commitment to 

foster a child. In addition, the pre-service training is to prepare the applicant to be licensed 

as a foster parent. This includes training on the reasonable and prudent parent standard per 

section 471(a)(24) of the Act. The ongoing training is to ensure the parent receives ongoing 

instruction to support their parental roles and remain up to date on policies, requirements, 

and services. Therefore, there are no mandatory topics, as these depend on agency priorities and specific individual needs. 

Foster Parent Assurances .................................. H. Foster Parent Assurances: Applicants must agree to comply with their roles and responsibilities as discussed with the title IV–E agency once a child is placed in their care. The title 

IV–E agency must require assurances including: 

a. Applicants will not use corporal or degrading punishment 

b. Applicants will not use any illegal substances, abuse alcohol by consuming it in excess 

amounts, or abuse legal prescription and/or nonprescription drugs by consuming them 

in excess amounts or using them contrary to as indicated. 

b. Applicants and their guests will not smoke in the family foster home, in any vehicle 

used to transport the child, or in the presence of the child in foster care. 

c. Applicants will adhere to the title IV–E agency’s reasonable and prudent parent standard per section 472(c)(1)(A)(ii)(I) of the Act. 

Summary—Foster Parent Assurances ............... There are four proposed foster parent assurances are broadly written to apply across title IV– 

E jurisdictions which cover corporal punishment, alcohol and drug use, the reasonable and 

prudent parent standard and smoking. Assurances help potential foster family to have a 

clear understanding of expectations prior to approval as a foster home, cover behaviors 

which cannot be verified as part of the home study and typically are expectations after a 

home is licensed. Title IV–E agencies may wish to develop additional assurances as appropriate to their jurisdiction. 

Dated: July 24, 2018. 

Steven Wagner, 

Acting Assistant Secretary for Children and 

Families. 

[FR Doc. 2018–16380 Filed 7–31–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4148–25–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Food and Drug Administration 

[Docket No. FDA–2017–N–0007] 

Outsourcing Facility Fee Rates for 

Fiscal Year 2019 

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, 

HHS. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Food and Drug 

Administration (FDA) is announcing the 

fiscal year (FY) 2019 rates for the 

establishment and re-inspection fees 

related to entities that compound 

human drugs and elect to register as 

outsourcing facilities under the Federal 

Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the 

FD&C Act). The FD&C Act authorizes 

FDA to assess and collect an annual 

establishment fee from outsourcing 

facilities, as well as a re-inspection fee 

for each re-inspection of an outsourcing 

facility. This document establishes the 

FY 2019 rates for the small business 

establishment fee ($5,461), the nonsmall business establishment fee 

($18,375), and the re-inspection fee 

($16,382) for outsourcing facilities; 

provides information on how the fees 

for FY 2019 were determined; and 

describes the payment procedures 

outsourcing facilities should follow. 

These fee rates are effective October 1, 

2018, and will remain in effect through 

September 30, 2019. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

more information on human drug 

compounding and outsourcing facility 

fees: Visit FDAs website at: https://

www.fda.gov/Drugs/Guidance

ComplianceRegulatoryInformation/ 

PharmacyCompounding/default.htm. 


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