Arkansas Administrative Code › Agency 016 - DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES › Division 15 - Children and Family Services › Rule 016.15.11-003 - Policy to comply with the Arkansas Supreme Court?s decision to overturn Initiated Act I

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 6, June, 2024
POLICY VI=A: OUT-OF-HOME PLACEMENT CRITERIA
Placement shall be chosen:
A.
To ensure the health and safety of a
			 child;
B.
To ensure
			 that caretakers have the skills and training sufficient to deal with the
			 child's specialj needs and any disabling condition; and
C.
To keep the child in close proximity
			 to the family, if possible, to maintain enrollment in the school the child
			 attended before placement.
A foster home may not house or admit anv
				roomer or boarder. A roomer or boarder is:
A.
a person to whom a
			 household furnishes lodging, meals, or both, for a reaisonable monthly payment:
			 and,
B.
not a household member.
A household member is a resident of the home
				who:
A.
owns or is legally responsible for paving rent on the home
			 (household head): or.
B.
is in a close personal
			 reationship with a household head: or.
C.
is related to a
			 household head or a to person in a close personal relationship with a household
			 head.
Any household member who resides in the home
				for more than 3 cumulative months ifeacalendar year must clear the following
				background checks: Arkansas Child Maltreatmertt Central Registry. Arkansas
				Adult Maltreatment Registry. Arkansas State Police Criminal Background Check,
				and FBI Crimfnal Record Check.
PROCEDURE VI-A1: Out-of-Hpme Placement
				Criteria
05/11
The Family Service Worker will:
A. Consider placement with appropriate
			 relatives in a licensed or approved foster home.
B. Conduct a review of the home that will
			 include:
C. Place a child in a
			 provisional foster home if a relative-is identified and it is in the best
			 Interest of the child. The FSW must inform the Resource Worker of a relative
			 who is interested in becoming a Provisional Foster Home for a child in foster
			 care. The Resource Worker will need to coordinate with the FSW to obtain
			 demographic information on family members and enter the information into the
			 CHRIS Provider screens.
1) A child may be
			 placed in the home of a relative on a provisional basis for up to six months
			 pending the relative's home being opened as a regular foster home. If the
			 relative opts to have his or her home opened as a proyjsional foster home, the
			 relative shall not be paid a board payment until the relative meets all of the
			 requirements and is opened as a regular foster home. The child(ren), if age
			 appropriate, should also be interviewed about the placement with the relative
			 to determine iiow the child feels about the placement.
2) The child is in the custody of the
			 Department, therefore, the child shall remain in an approved foster home or
			 licensed shelter or facility, until the relative's home is opened as a
			 provisional home.
a. The FSW will:
i. Evaluate how the other children and adults
			 in the home will affect the successful development of a child in foster care,
			 and how the child in foster care will impact the other members of the home;
			 and
ii. Make individual placement
			 decisions on a case by case basis in the best interest of the child.