reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
VA Code § 63.2-905 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-905. Foster care services

Foster care services are the provision of a full range of casework, treatment, and community services, including but not limited to independent living services, for a planned period of time to a child who is abused or neglected as defined in § 63.2-100 or in need of services as defined in § 16.1-228 and his family when the child (i) has been identified as needing services to prevent or eliminate the need for foster care placement, (ii) has been placed through an agreement between the local board or the public agency designated by the community policy and management team and the parents or guardians where legal custody remains with the parents or guardians, (iii) has been committed or entrusted to a local board or licensed child placing agency, or (iv) is living with a relative participating in the Federal-Funded Kinship Guardianship Assistance program set forth in § 63.2-1305 and developed consistent with 42 U.S.C. § 673 or the State-Funded Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program set forth in § 63.2-1306. Foster care services also include the provision and restoration of independent living services to a person who is over the age of 18 years but who has not yet reached the age of 21 years, in accordance with § 63.2-905.1.1977, cc. 562, 634, § 63.1-55.8; 1986, c. 281; 1994, c. 865; 2002, c. 747; 2008, cc. 475, 483; 2013, c. 5; 2018, cc. 769, 770; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 254.
VA Code § 63.2-905.1 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-905.1. Independent living services

Local departments and licensed child-placing agencies shall provide independent living services to any person between 18 and 21 years of age who is in the process of transitioning from foster care to self-sufficiency. Any person who was committed or entrusted to a local board or licensed child-placing agency may choose to discontinue receiving independent living services any time before his twenty-first birthday in accordance with regulations adopted by the Board. The local board or licensed child-placing agency shall restore independent living services at the request of that person provided that (i) the person has not yet reached 21 years of age and (ii) the person has entered into a written agreement, less than 60 days after independent living services have been discontinued, with the local board or licensed child-placing agency regarding the terms and conditions of his receipt of independent living services.Local departments and licensed child-placing agencies shall provide independent living services to any person between 18 and 21 years of age who (a) was in the custody of the local department of social services immediately prior to his commitment to the Department of Juvenile Justice, (b) is in the process of transitioning from a commitment to the Department of Juvenile Justice to self-sufficiency, and (c) provides written notice of his intent to receive independent living services and enters into a written agreement for the provision of independent living services, which sets forth the terms and conditions of the provision of independent living services, with the local board or licensed child-placing agency within 60 days of his release from commitment to the Department of Juvenile Justice.Local departments shall provide any person who chooses to leave foster care or terminate independent living services before his twenty-first birthday written notice of his right to request restoration of independent living services in accordance with this section by including such written notice in the person's transition plan. Such transition plan shall be created within 90 days prior to the person's discharge from foster care. Local departments and licensed child-placing agencies may provide independent living services as part of the foster care services provided to any child 14 years of age or older. All independent living services shall be provided in accordance with regulations adopted by the Board.2004, c. 196; 2008, cc. 187, 475, 483; 2010, c. 257; 2013, cc. 5, 362, 564; 2014, cc. 94, 134.
VA Code § 63.2-905.2 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-905.2. Security freezes and annual credit checks for children in foster care

A. Local departments shall request the placement of a security freeze pursuant to the provisions of § 59.1-444.3 on the credit report or record of any child who is less than 16 years of age and has been in foster care for at least six months in order to prevent cases of identity theft and misuse of personal identifying information. The local department shall request removal of the security freeze (i) upon the child's removal from foster care, (ii) upon the child's request if the child is 16 years of age or older, or (iii) upon a determination by the local department that removal of the security freeze is in the best interest of the child.B. Local departments shall conduct annual credit checks on all children 14 years of age or older but less than 18 years of age who are in foster care to identify cases of identity theft or misuse of personal identifying information of such children. Local departments shall resolve, to the greatest extent possible, cases of identity theft or misuse of personal identifying information of foster care children identified pursuant to this section.2012, c. 432; 2016, c. 631; 2019, cc. 676, 677.
VA Code § 63.2-905.3 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-905.3. Documents provided to foster care youth

When a child is leaving foster care upon reaching 18 years of age, unless the child has been in foster care for less than six months, the local department shall ensure that the child has, if eligible to receive, (i) a certified birth certificate, (ii) a social security card, (iii) health insurance information, (iv) a copy of the child's health care records, and (v) a driver's license or identification card issued by the Commonwealth.2016, c. 631.
VA Code § 63.2-905.4 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-905.4. Individuals in foster care on eighteenth birthday; enrollment in Commonwealth's program of medical assistance

Local departments shall ensure that any individual who was in foster care on his eighteenth birthday is enrolled, unless the individual objects, in the Commonwealth's program of medical assistance established pursuant to § 32.1-325, provided that such individual is eligible to receive health care services under the Commonwealth's program of medical assistance and was enrolled in such program on his eighteenth birthday. Prior to enrollment, local departments shall provide such individuals with basic information about health care services provided under the state plan for medical assistance services and inform such individuals that, if eligible, they will be enrolled in the Commonwealth's program of medical assistance unless they object.2017, c. 203.
VA Code § 63.2-905.5 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-905.5. Survey of children aging out of foster care

The Department shall, in coordination with the Commission on Youth, develop a process and standardized survey to gather feedback from children aging out of foster care. The survey shall include requests for information regarding the child's experience with and opinion of the Commonwealth's foster care services, recommendations for improvement of such services, the amount of time the child spent in the foster care system, and any other information deemed relevant by the Department of Social Services or the Commission on Youth.2017, c. 187.
VA Code § 63.2-906.1 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-906.1. Qualified residential treatment programs

A. In cases in which a child is placed by a local board or licensed child-placing agency in a qualified residential treatment program as defined in § 63.2-100, the foster care plan shall include (i) a description of the reasonable and good faith efforts made by the local department to identify and include on the child's family and permanency team all appropriate biological relatives, fictive kin, professionals, and, if the child is 14 years of age or older, members of the child's case planning team that were selected by the child in accordance with subsection A of § 16.1-281; (ii) contact information for all members of the child's family and permanency team and for other family members and fictive kin; (iii) evidence that all meetings of the family and permanency team are held at a time and place convenient for the child's family; (iv) if reunification is the goal for the child, evidence demonstrating that the parent from whom the child was removed provided input on the members of the family and permanency team; (v) the assessment report prepared pursuant to clause (viii) of the definition of qualified residential treatment program set forth in § 63.2-100 and evidence that such assessment was conducted in conjunction with the child's family and permanency team; (vi) the placement preferences of the child and the family and permanency team with recognition that the child should be placed with his siblings unless the court finds that such placement is contrary to the best interest of the child; and (vii) if the placement preferences of the child and the family and permanency team differ from the placement recommended in the assessment report prepared pursuant to clause (viii) of the definition of qualified residential treatment program set forth in § 63.2-100, the reasons why the preferences of the child and the family and permanency team were not recommended.B. In all cases in which a child is placed by a local board or licensed child-placing agency in a qualified residential treatment program as defined in § 63.2-100, a hearing shall be held in accordance with the provisions of subsection E of § 16.1-281 within 60 days of such placement.C. If any child 13 years of age or older is placed in a qualified residential treatment program for more than 12 consecutive months or 18 nonconsecutive months, or any child 12 years of age or younger is placed in a qualified residential treatment program for more than six consecutive or nonconsecutive months, the Commissioner shall submit to the federal Secretary of Health and Human Services (i) the most recent versions of the evidence and documentation required under subdivision E 2 of § 16.1-281 and (ii) a written approval, signed by the Commissioner, for the continued placement of the child in the qualified residential treatment program.2019, cc. 282, 688.
VA Code § 63.2-907 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-907. Administrative review of children in foster care

Each local board shall establish and keep current a social service plan with service objectives and shall provide the necessary social services for achievement of a permanent home for each child for whom it has care and custody or has an agreement with the parents or guardians to place in accordance with regulations adopted by the Board. Each local board shall review the cases of children placed through an agreement or in its custody in accordance with the regulations adopted by the Board. Each local board shall review the cases of children placed through an agreement or in its custody on a planned basis to evaluate the current status and effectiveness (i) of the service plan's objectives and (ii) of the services being provided for each child in custody, which are directed toward the immediate care of and planning for permanency for the child, in accordance with policies of the Board.The Department shall establish and maintain (a) a system to review and monitor compliance by local boards with the policies adopted by the Board and (b) a tracking system of every child in the care and custody of or placed by local boards in order to monitor the effectiveness of service planning, service objectives and service delivery by the local boards that shall be directed toward the achievement of permanency for children in foster care. As part of the system to review and monitor compliance by local boards, the Department shall establish and maintain an online dashboard, to be updated quarterly, that is accessible by local boards. Such dashboard shall be categorized by local board and include information regarding (1) the number of children who did not receive all required caseworker visits and the amount of time that has lapsed since each child's last visit; (2) the number of children placed in children's residential facilities; (3) the number of children who have been in foster care for more than 24 months, 36 months, and 48 months; (4) safety concerns identified in case reviews and whether such concerns have been alleviated; (5) the number of foster care caseworkers with caseloads exceeding the standard established pursuant to § 63.2-913.1; (6) the number of children in foster care to whom a caseworker with a caseload exceeding the standard set forth in § 63.2-913.1 has been assigned; and (7) the turnover rate of entry-level and experienced foster care caseworkers. Local boards shall provide to the Department any data and information necessary to populate the dashboard.The Board shall adopt regulations necessary to implement the procedures and policies set out in this section. The Board shall establish as a goal that at any point in time the number of children who are in foster care for longer than twenty-four months shall not exceed 5,500 children.1977, c. 634, § 63.1-56.2; 1982, c. 171; 1994, c. 865; 2002, c. 747; 2019, c. 446.
VA Code § 63.2-909 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-909. Child support for child placed in foster care by court

Pursuant to § 16.1-290, responsible persons shall pay child support for a child placed in foster care from the date that custody was awarded to the local department. The court order shall state the names of the responsible persons obligated to pay support, and either specify the amount of the support obligation pursuant to §§ 20-108.1 and 20-108.2 or indicate that the Division of Child Support Enforcement will establish the amount of the support obligation. In fixing the amount of support, the court or the Division of Child Support Enforcement shall consider the extent to which the payment of support by the responsible person may affect the ability of such responsible person to implement a foster care plan developed pursuant to § 16.1-281.1995, c. 817, § 63.1-204.2; 2002, c. 747.
VA Code § 63.2-910 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-910. Child support for child placed in foster care where legal custody remains with parent or guardian

Responsible persons shall pay child support for a child placed in foster care through an agreement where legal custody remains with the parent or guardian pursuant to subdivision A 4 of § 16.1-278.2 or § 63.2-900, from the date that the child was placed in foster care. The agreement between the parents and the local board shall include provisions for the payment of child support. In fixing the amount of support, the court, the Division of Child Support Enforcement, and the local board shall consider the extent to which the payment of support by the responsible person may affect the ability of such responsible person to implement a foster care plan. If the responsible person fails or refuses to pay such sum on a timely basis, the local board may petition the juvenile court to order such payment.1995, c. 817, § 63.1-204.3; 1997, c. 420; 2002, c. 747; 2009, c. 124.
VA Code § 63.2-910.1 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-910.1. Acceptance of children by local departments of social services

A local department of social services has the authority to take custody of abandoned children, to arrange appropriate placements for abandoned children, including foster care, and to institute proceedings for the termination of parental rights of abandoned children as provided in this title and Title 16.1.2003, cc. 816, 822.
VA Code § 63.2-910.2 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-910.2. Petition to terminate parental rights

A. If a child has been in foster care under the responsibility of a local board for 15 of the most recent 22 months or if the parent of a child in foster care has been convicted of an offense under the laws of the Commonwealth or a substantially similar law of any other state, the United States, or any foreign jurisdiction that constitutes (i) murder or voluntary manslaughter, or a felony attempt, conspiracy, or solicitation to commit any such offense, if the victim of the offense was a child of the parent, a child with whom the parent resided at the time such offense occurred, or the other parent of the child; or (ii) felony assault resulting in serious bodily injury or felony bodily wounding resulting in serious bodily injury or felony sexual assault, if the victim of the offense was a child of the parent or a child with whom the parent resided at the time of such offense, the local board shall file a petition to terminate the parental rights of the child's parents and concurrently identify, recruit, process, and approve a qualified family for adoption of the child, unless:1. At the option of the local board, the child is being cared for by a relative;2. The local board has determined that the filing of such a petition would not be in the best interests of the child and has documented a compelling reason for such determination in the child's foster care plan, such as (i) a relative has shown the will and ability to care for the child or (ii) the parent's incarceration or participation in a court-ordered residential substance abuse treatment program constitutes the primary factor in the child's placement in foster care, and termination of parental rights is not in the child's best interests; or3. The local board has not provided to the family of the child, within the time period established in the child's foster care plan, services deemed necessary for the child's safe return home or has not otherwise made reasonable efforts to return the child home, if required under § 473(a)(15)(B)(ii) of Title IV-E of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. § 673).B. As used in this section, "serious bodily injury" means bodily injury that involves substantial risk of death, extreme physical pain, protracted and obvious disfigurement, or protracted loss or impairment of the function of a bodily member, organ, or mental faculty.2017, c. 190; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 535.
VA Code § 63.2-911 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-911. Liability insurance for foster parents

The Department may provide liability insurance for civil matters for persons providing basic foster care services in foster homes, as defined in §§ 63.2-100 and 63.2-905, that are approved by local boards for children in their custody or children who the board has entered into an agreement to place where legal custody remains with the parents or guardians.1978, c. 291, § 63.1-56.3; 1994, c. 865; 2002, c. 747.
VA Code § 63.2-912 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-912. Visitation of child placed in foster care

The circuit courts and juvenile and domestic relations district courts shall have the authority to grant visitation rights to the natural parents, siblings, and grandparents of any child entrusted or committed to foster care if the court finds (i) that the parent, sibling, or grandparent had an ongoing relationship with the child prior to his being placed in foster care and (ii) it is in the best interests of the child that the relationship continue. The order of the court committing the child to foster care shall state the nature and extent of any visitation rights granted as provided in this section.1985, c. 583, § 63.1-204.1; 2002, c. 747; 2008, c. 188.
VA Code § 63.2-913 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-913. Establishment of minimum training requirements

The Department shall, pursuant to Board regulations, establish minimum training requirements and shall provide educational programs for foster and adoption workers employed by the local department and their supervisors.2008, cc. 133, 700.
VA Code § 63.2-913.1 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-913.1. Caseload standard

The Department shall, pursuant to Board regulations, establish a caseload standard that limits the amount of foster care cases that may be assigned to each foster care caseworker. Such caseload standard shall be reviewed and updated, as appropriate, annually on the basis of the time and work necessary to effectively manage each foster care case.2019, c. 446.
VA Code § 63.2-914 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-914. Not in effect

Not in effect.
VA Code § 63.2-915 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-915. Appeals to Commissioner

A. Pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 671 (a)(12), any individual whose claim for benefits available pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 670 et seq. or whose claim for benefits pursuant to § 63.2-905 is denied or is not acted upon by the local department with reasonable promptness shall have the right to appeal to the Commissioner.B. The Commissioner shall provide an opportunity for a hearing, reasonable notice of which shall be given in writing to the applicant or recipient and to the proper local board in such manner and form as the Commissioner may prescribe. The Commissioner may make or cause to be made an investigation of the facts. The Commissioner shall give fair and impartial consideration to testimony of witnesses, or other evidence produced at the hearing, reports by the local board and local director or of investigations made or caused to be made by the Commissioner, or any facts that the Commissioner may deem proper to enable him to decide fairly the appeal or review. The decision of the Commissioner shall be binding and considered a final agency action for purposes of judicial review of such action pursuant to the provisions of the Administrative Process Act (§ 2.2-4000 et seq.).C. The Commissioner may delegate the duty and authority to consider and make determinations on any appeal filed in accordance with this section to duly qualified officers.D. The Board shall promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of this section.2013, c. 437.
VA Code § 63.2-916 (2021)
2021 Code of Virginia|Title 63.2 - Welfare (Social Services)|Chapter 9 - Foster Care|§ 63.2-916. Notice of developmental disabilities

The local department of social services shall notify the appropriate community services board as soon as it is known that a child in the foster care system has a developmental disability so that the community services board may screen the child for placement on the statewide developmental disability waiver waiting list.2019, c. 301.