reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Family Support Services › Section 7.033 - Application Information Required

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Any client seeking family support services shall be required
				  to provide sufficient information to allow the Department to assess the
				  applicant's need and eligibility for family support services. In addition, an
				  individual applying for family support services may be required to provide such
				  authorization(s) for collateral contacts as are necessary for the Department to
				  verify or assess the individual's need for family support
				  services.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Family Support Services › Section 7.034 - Sliding Fee

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Family support services which are, in the judgment of the
				  Department, provided on a protective basis, shall not be subject to any sliding
				  fee requirement. All other family support services provided by the Department
				  may be subject to a sliding fee requirement.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Family Support Services › Section 7.035 - Denial, Reduction, or Termination of Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Any client aggrieved by the denial, reduction, or termination
				  of family support services may request a fair hearing on the matter pursuant to
				  110
				  CMR 10.00
et seq
. However, the
				  transfer of a client's case, at 60 years of age, to the Department of Elder
				  Affairs is not appealable.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Babysitting Services › Section 7.040 - Introduction to Babysitting Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Babysitting services provide direct care, protection and
				  supervision to children during some portion of a day. Babysitting services are
				  provided to parents (including foster parents) on either an occasional,
				  short-term basis or, under certain circumstances, on a regular, ongoing basis.
				  Babysitting services shall not be authorized on an overnight basis. Babysitting
				  services may be authorized on a night shift basis, but shall not be authorized
				  on an overnight basis.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Babysitting Services › Section 7.041 - Eligibility

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
In order to be eligible for babysitting services paid for in
				  whole or in part by the Department, there must be an assessed need for
				  babysitting services. The Department may assess a need for babysitting
				  services:
(1)
Occasional,
				Short-term Babysitting Services
.
(a)
Non-emergency
.
				When the client needs babysitting services to participate in other services
				contained in the client's service plan.
(b)
Emergency
. When
				the client needs babysitting services to correct a temporary emergency
				situation or during a period of injury of the parent and primary care
				giver.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Babysitting Services › Section 7.042 - Limitation

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1)
Emergency
:
				Emergency babysitting services may be authorized for a maximum of ten hours per
				day for a maximum period of 30 days.
(2)
Non-emergency
:
				Non emergency babysitting services may be authorized for a maximum of ten hours
				per week for a maximum period of six months. Babysitting services will be
				reviewed during each case review, and six month extensions may be authorized as
				often as is, in the judgment of the Department, necessary.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Babysitting Services › Section 7.043 - Application Information Required

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Any client seeking babysitting services shall be required to
				  provide sufficient information to allow the Department to assess the
				  applicant's need and eligibility for babysitting services. In addition, an
				  individual applying for babysitting services may be required to provide such
				  authorization(s) for collateral contacts as are necessary for the Department to
				  verify or assess the individual's need for babysitting
				  services.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Babysitting Services › Section 7.044 - Sliding Fee

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Babysitting services which are, in the judgment of the
				  Department provided on a protective basis, shall not be subject to any sliding
				  fee requirement. All other babysitting services provided by the Department may
				  be subject to a sliding fee requirement.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Babysitting Services › Section 7.045 - Babysitting Providers

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1) Providers
				utilized by the Department to provide out-of-home babysitting services shall
				comply with OFC regulations for licensure. Babysitters providing services in
				the child(ren)'s home need not be registered, licensed, or approved by the
				Office for Child Care Services (OCCS); however, such babysitters must meet the
				standards of the Department, as established from time to time.
(2) Babysitters shall not provide services
				for more than six children at a time, including the babysitter's own children
				(if any). No more than two children under two years of age shall receive
				babysitting services at the same time from the same babysitter unless the
				babysitter is aided by an approved assistant.
(3) In-home babysitters shall be at least 16
				years of age.
(4) If, in the
				judgment of the Department, a relative or other alternative individual becomes
				available as a babysitter, babysitting services shall be terminated.
(5) No approval for payment shall be given to
				relatives or other adults living in the home of the family requesting
				babysitting services. No parent shall be approved for babysitting services to
				his or her child or children even if the parent is not living in the home of
				the child or children. Other relatives approved to provide babysitting who are
				living outside the home where care is to be provided must comply with 110 CMR
				7.045(1) through (3).
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Babysitting Services › Section 7.046 - Denial, Reduction or Termination of Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Any client aggrieved by the denial, reduction, or termination
				  of babysitting services may request a fair hearing on the matter pursuant to
				  the provisions of
				  110
				  CMR 10.00
et seq
.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Respite Care › Section 7.050 - Respite Care for Families with Developmentally Disabled Members

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Families with developmentally disabled children may be
				  eligible to receive respite services from the Department of Mental Retardation,
				  under the auspices of an Interagency Agreement between the Department and DMR.
				  (This Interagency Agreement, as of July 1, 1988, transferred the responsibility
				  for providing those respite care services for developmentally disable persons
				  that were previously defined in 110 CMR 7.000, (specifically 7.050 through
				  7.057), to the Department of Mental Retardation.)
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Respite Care › Section 7.051 - Other Respite Care

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
The Department may develop and make available other forms of
				  respite care for other populations of families and/or children served by the
				  Department.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Parent Aide Services › Section 7.060 - Introduction to Parent Aide Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Parent Aide services provide a consistent relationship
				  between a trained and supervised individual and a parent or primary caretaker
				  whose family is at risk of or is currently experiencing problems with child
				  abuse or neglect. Parent Aide services provide support and encouragement; build
				  self-esteem; assist in ability to mobilize personal resources; enhance
				  parenting skills; and reduce isolation. The objectives of Parent Aide services
				  are to assist in the prevention of child abuse and neglect and its recurrence;
				  improve self-esteem and promote the emotional growth and independent
				  functioning of the parent or primary caretaker; strengthen parent-child
				  relationships and enhance parenting skills; promote the effective and
				  appropriate use of community resources; enable the parent or primary caretaker
				  to develop appropriate relationships with others; enable the parent or primary
				  caretaker to cope with normal periods of stress and adjust to changes
				  associated with develop-mental stages of growth; reduce or eliminate stress
				  leading to the abuse or neglect of children; support efforts to prevent
				  placement of children or to assist in the acceptance of placement when
				  necessary; prepare a parent or primary caretaker for eventual reunification
				  when substitute care has been used and assist when reunification occurs; and
				  reduce isolation resulting from cultural and linguistic
				  barriers.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Parent Aide Services › Section 7.061 - Target Population

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
The Department may offer or authorize Parent Aide services
				  when, in the judgment of the Department, the individual(s) in question are
				  members of the target population. The target population for Parent Aide
				  services shall consist of parents, expectant parents, or primary caretakers
				  whose families are at risk of or are currently experiencing problems with child
				  abuse or neglect, which may include situations of:
(1) Physical abuse/neglect
(2) Emotional abuse/neglect
(3) Inexperience in parenting
(4) Inadequate support systems
(5) Isolation resulting from cultural or
				linguistic barriers
(6) Marital
				difficulties
(7) Family dysfunction
				resulting from a variety of situational or social factors
(8) Risk due to physical, developmental
				and/or emotional disability
(9)
				Sexual Abuse
(10) Substance
				Abuse
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Parent Aide Services › Section 7.062 - Purchased Parent Aide Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
The Department purchases parent aide services directly or
				  through providers, who in turn may utilize volunteer or paid employees. In
				  either case, parent aides must meet the following criteria:
(1)
Training
. Prior
				to matching a Parent Aide with a client, the Parent Aide shall receive from the
				provider or volunteer organization a minimum of 12 hours of initial training,
				which shall include the following topics:
(a)
				Overview of child abuse and neglect including the protective service delivery
				system and M.G.L. c. 119.
(b)
				Community resources.
(c) Basic
				Parent Aide skills including: communicating, listening, problem solving,
				relationship building, values clarification, identifying and understanding
				parental stress factors and preparing for an initial home visit.
(d) Roles and responsibilities of the Parent
				Aide in relation to the clients, his/her agency, and the Department.
(e) The purpose of supervision.
(f) Crisis intervention procedures.
(g) Confidentiality and ethics.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Parent Aide Services › Section 7.063 - Limitation

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Parent Aide services will be provided to a family for a
				  maximum period of 12 months. This limitation may be extended for a maximum
				  total of 18 months, but only with the written approval of the Area
				  Director.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Parent Aide Services › Section 7.064 - Denial, Reduction, or Termination of Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Any client aggrieved by the denial, reduction, or termination
				  of Parent Aide services may request a fair hearing on the matter pursuant to
				  110
				  CMR 10.00
et seq
.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Day Care Services › Section 7.070 - Introduction to Supportive Child Care Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Supportive child care is a program of transportation and
				  supportive social services providing direct child care to children who have
				  open cases with the Department.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Day Care Services › Section 7.071 - Supportive Child Care

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Supportive child care is offered to protect a child who has
				  an open case with the Department. Supportive child care subsidies are
				  administered by the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) in accordance
				  with 102 CMR 10.00:
Subsidized Child Care
and policies. The
				  Department or its designee, a contracted partnership agency, will determine
				  appropriateness and authorize all referrals for supportive child
				  care.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Day Care Services › Section 7.072 - Eligibility - Need

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
In order to be authorized for child care services by the
				  Department, there must be an assessed need for child care services. The
				  Department will assess a need for child care services when, in the judgment of
				  the Department, the provision of child care will aid in protecting a child who
				  has an open case with the Department.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Day Care Services › Section 7.073 - Intake for Supportive Child Care Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
When child care is requested, the Department social worker
				  and supervisor shall assess whether supportive child care is required as part
				  of the family's service plan. Utilization and continuation of child care
				  services shall be reviewed as needed, but not less than every six months, to
				  determine the appropriateness of continuing supportive child care. Area
				  director approval is required for continuation of suppportive child care
				  services beyond 12 months.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Day Care Services › Section 7.074 - Sliding Fee

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1) A family with a
				documented need for protection from abuse or neglect must meet income
				requirements unless waived on a case by case basis by the Department
(2) Families of children who are approved by
				the Department to receive supportive child care services may be required to
				contribute to the cost of the child care services they receive in accordance
				with a sliding fee established by the EEC.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Day Care Services › Section 7.075 - Denial, Reduction or Termination of Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Any client aggrieved by the denial, reduction, or termination
				  of supportive child care services may request a fair hearing from the
				  Department on the matter pursuant to the provisions of
				  110
				  CMR 10.00
et seq
.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Day Care Services › Section 7.076 - Exceptions to Sliding Fee

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Families of children with a need as documented by the
				  Department for protection from abuse and/or neglect, may have fees assessed or
				  waived on a case by case basis. Teen parents enrolled in services for teen
				  parents and their children may have fees waived for the first year at the
				  discretion of the provider, and subsequent years, if they have no income. In
				  lieu of fees, a work contribution must be documented. Children placed in foster
				  care and children living with relatives not legally responsible for them are
				  exempt from the sliding fee requirements of
				  110 CMR
				  7.070 through 7.076.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Day Care Services › Section 7.077 - Redetermination

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
The Department shall redetermine the fee status of each
				  family receiving child care services at least once every six months. In
				  addition, the Department may redetermine the fee status at any time it learns
				  of a change in family size or income which may dictate a new fee. The
				  Department may require a family to submit appropriate income verification to
				  support the income reported, and to report any change in income or
				  circumstances.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Day Care Services › Section 7.078 - Delinquent Payments - Termination of Basic Child Care Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1) All child care fees must be paid no later
				than the last business day of the week prior to the week being paid
				for.
(2) A fee is delinquent if it
				is not received by the Department or provider agency by the end of the day on
				which it is due.
(3) Clients who
				fail to pay a weekly fee on time will be sent a notice that their services will
				be terminated unless the delinquent fee is paid. Payment must be made by the
				14th calendar day after the notice is issued or the
				services will be terminated the following service day. Families who are
				habitually late and therefore receive five such notices in a fiscal year will
				be terminated on the fifth notice even though they pay their late fee. However,
				a client may appeal any termination notice via the fair hearing process. In
				order to have services continue pending the outcome of the fair hearing, the
				client must pay any delinquent fees by the date stated and must continue to pay
				all current fees as they become due. If this is not done, the fair hearing may
				still be held but services will be terminated and will only be reinstated if
				the decision is favorable to the client.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Day Care Services › Section 7.079 - Denial, Reduction or Termination of Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Any client aggrieved by the denial, reduction, or termination
				  of child care services may request a fair hearing on the matter pursuant to the
				  provisions of
				  110
				  CMR 10.00
et seq
.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Counseling and Case Management Services › Section 7.080 - Introduction to Counseling and Case Management Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Counseling and case management services are services provided
				  by a trained individual of support, intervention and/or treatment services,
				  through a range of methods, to an individual or family, on an individual,
				  family, or group basis.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Counseling and Case Management Services › Section 7.081 - Eligibility

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Counseling and case management services are provided both
				  directly by the Department's direct service staff and by purchase of services.
				  Purchased counseling and case management services are available on both an open
				  referral and closed referral basis. Closed referral case management services
				  are required to conform to the Department's policies, practices, procedures,
				  and regulations, as reflected in the provider's contract. Counseling services
				  are provided to meet a wide variety of needs, including:
(1) to prevent placement of children in
				substitute care;
(2) to reduce or
				eliminate stress leading to abuse or neglect of children or adults;
(3) to assist victims of abuse, neglect,
				sexual abuse, and domestic violence to cope with and respond to these
				experiences;
(4) to prepare
				families for eventual reunion when substitute care has been used and to assist
				families when reunions occur;
(5)
				to assist families or individuals to achieve a higher level of independent
				functioning;
(6) to assist families
				or individuals to cope with normal periods of stress and adjusting to changes
				caused by the developmental stages of growth;
(7) to assist parents and foster parents to
				strengthen their parenting skills;
(8) to assist families, foster families or
				individuals to cope with crisis and develop ways to resolve the
				crisis;
(9) to prepare children in
				the Department's care and all members of permanent alternative families for
				their new living experience;
(10)
				to assist individuals and their families and foster families in coping with
				developmental disabilities;
(11) to
				prepare children and adolescents, as well as their families and foster
				families, for substitute care placement;
(12) to assist children and adolescents in
				substitute care, and their families and foster families, to attain agreed upon
				service goals;
(13) to prevent
				families and individuals from becoming homeless, and to assist the homeless and
				those living in inadequate or substandard housing to locate and retain
				appropriate housing; and
(14) to
				assist recently immigrated and refugee families and individuals in adjusting to
				living in a new culture.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Counseling and Case Management Services › Section 7.082 - Application Information Required

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Any individual applying for counseling services directly to
				  the Department shall be required to provide sufficient information to allow the
				  Department to assess the applicant's need and eligibility for counseling. In
				  addition, an individual applying for counseling services may be required to
				  provide such authorization(s) for collateral contacts as are necessary for the
				  Department to verify or assess the individual's need for
				  counseling.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Counseling and Case Management Services › Section 7.083 - Sliding Fee

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Case management services are not subject to any sliding fee
				  requirement. Counseling services which are, in the judgment of the Department,
				  provided on a protective basis, shall not be subject to any sliding fee
				  requirement. All other counseling services provided by the Department may be
				  subject to a sliding fee requirement.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Counseling and Case Management Services › Section 7.084 - Denial, Reduction, or Termination of Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Any client aggrieved by the denial, reduction, or termination
				  of counseling services may request a fair hearing on the matter pursuant to the
				  provisions of
				  110
				  CMR 10.00
et seq
.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Emergency Shelter Services › Section 7.090 - Introduction to Emergency Shelter Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Emergency Shelter is a service which provides short-term
				  residential placement for women, children, families, and adolescents who are in
				  crisis because they have suffered or are at substantial risk of suffering
				  serious physical or emotional injury as a result of abuse, neglect or
				  abandonment; or who are, due to financial constraints, unable to obtain
				  housing.
Services to Women in Transition is a program of services
				  which offers safety, protection, and support to women (with or without
				  children) who have been threatened with or have experienced harassment,
				  intimidation, or assault by someone within their household.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Emergency Shelter Services › Section 7.091 - Scope of Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1) Emergency
				shelter for adolescents shall be provided by agencies or individuals under
				contract to the Department and licensed by EEC, and shall be available on a
				24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week basis. These shelters may be either
				self-contained facilities or foster homes designated as emergency
				shelters.
(2) Emergency shelter for
				homeless women with children shall be provided at the Department's New Chardon
				Street Shelter in Boston or by referral to other appropriate facilities or
				agencies on a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day- a-week basis.
(3) Services to women in transition shall be
				provided by agencies or individuals under contract to the Department. Shelters
				shall be located in facilities that provide a safe, temporary residence in an
				anonymous location and shall be accessible on a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week
				basis.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Emergency Shelter Services › Section 7.092 - Application for Emergency Shelter Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Clients may apply for emergency shelter services in the
				  following manner:
(1) by applying
				directly to the Department;
(2) by
				applying directly to an emergency shelter service provider under contract with
				the Department; or
(3) by applying
				to another agency, which may refer the client to the Department or to an
				emergency shelter service provider under contract with the
				Department.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Emergency Shelter Services › Section 7.093 - Approval of Application for Emergency Shelter Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Emergency shelter service may be provided if one or more of
				  the following conditions exist at the time of application:
(1) children have suffered or are in
				immediate danger of suffering physical or emotional injury as a result of abuse
				or neglect.
(2) children have been
				abandoned and are in need of temporary placement pending completion of an
				assessment and a search for parents and family.
(3) children are placed into the Department's
				custody by a court pending a hearing on a CHINS petition.
(4) children have had difficulty with
				previous placements and need a short-term placement pending resolution of the
				immediate crisis and development of a new service plan.
(5) children have run away from
				home.
(6) women have been
				threatened with or have experienced harassment, intimidation or abuse by a
				member of their household.
(7)
				families with children are homeless.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Emergency Shelter Services › Section 7.094 - Sliding Fee

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1) Emergency
				shelter services, if approved by the Department, are available without regard
				to income, and are not subject to a sliding fee.
(2) Shelter services to families temporarily
				placed at the New Chardon Street Home shall be subject to a sliding fee for
				services, as determined by the Department.
(3) Services to women in transition are
				available without regard to income, and are not subject to a sliding
				fee.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Emergency Shelter Services › Section 7.095 - Limits on Use of Emergency Shelter Services

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1)
				Emergency shelter for an individual child shall be provided for a maximum
				period of 30 days in a six month period. Those 30 days may be consecutive or
				may accumulate. In the event of a court order for out-of-home placement of a
				child, emergency shelter for an individual child shall be utilized for a
				maximum period of 45 days in a six-month period.
(2) Emergency shelter to women in transition
				shall be provided for a maximum period of six consecutive weeks.
(3) Emergency shelter facilities may provide
				placement for children without parental consent for up to 72 hours, during
				which time either the parents' consent must be obtained or a court order
				allowing continued placement must be obtained. If the client is a mature child,
				he/she may be required to sign a Voluntary Placement Agreement with the
				Department in order for the Department to provide placement for 72 hours
				without parental consent or court order.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Substitute Care › Section 7.101 - Out-of-home Placements

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1) All out-of-home
				placement decisions shall be made in the best interests of the child, based
				upon safety, well-being and permanency of the child and the child's individual
				needs. Placement decisions should be made in a manner conducive to permanency
				planning and the safe and timely return of children to their homes or their
				placement into a new permanent setting. The following factors shall be taken
				into consideration:
(a) the least restrictive
				setting for the child;
(b) close
				proximity to the home of the child's family and/or the child's
				school;
(c) ability for frequent
				visits between child and his/her family;
(d) the child's individual needs including
				those related to his/her physical, mental, and emotional well-being and the
				capacity of the prospective foster or pre-adoptive parents to meet those
				needs;
(e) a placement that can
				serve as the placement for any of the child's siblings in the Department's care
				or custody; and
(f) a mature
				child's choice of residence.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Substitute Care › Section 7.102 - Applicability of 110 CMR 7.100 through 7.303

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1)
									110
				CMR 7.100 through 7.199 apply to foster and
				pre-adoptive homes, foster and pre-adoptive parents, and foster and
				pre-adoptive parent applicants; as well as children placed in community
				residential care.
(2)
									110 CMR
				7.200 contains special provisions relating to
				pre-adoptive placements.
(3)
									110 CMR
				7.300 applies to persons who wish to become
				legal guardians of children in the Department's care or custody.
(a) When used in
				110
				CMR 7.100 through
				7.303, the
				term custody shall mean child in either the care or custody of Department
				unless otherwise specified.
(b)
				When used in
				110
				CMR 7.100 through
				7.303, the
				term days shall mean calendar days unless otherwise specified.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Substitute Care › Section 7.105A - Waiver of Standards for Approval of Foster/Pre-adoptive Parents or Homes

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
The requirement set forth in
				  110 CMR
				  7.104(6)  may be waived for
				  an applicant for a child specific or kinship home as set forth in
				  110 CMR
				  7.108, provided the applicant otherwise meets
				  the eligibility criteria set forth for child specific and kinship applicants
				  and a determination is made that it would be in the child's best interest to be
				  placed in the applicant's home.
In determining whether a waiver is in the child's best
				  interest, the decision maker(s) shall consider the nature and length of the
				  applicant's relationship with the child(ren), the applicant's ability to
				  support and maintain the child's connection to family, community and culture
				  and the child's anticipated length of stay in placement.
The decision whether to waive the requirement shall be made
				  by a Regional Clinical Review Team (RCRT), or in an emergency placement
				  situation, by the Regional Director who shall then arrange for a final decision
				  by the RCRT after the comprehensive assessment under
				  110
				  CMR 7.107. Waiver decisions made in
				  connection with an emergency placement may be changed as a result of
				  information obtained or reassessed during the comprehensive assessment under
				  110
				  CMR 7.107. There shall be no appeal from a
				  decision not to waive the requirement for an emergency
				  placement.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Substitute Care › Section 7.106A - Non-department State Employees as Foster/Pre-adoptive Parents

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Any state employee, including a special state employee, full
				  or part time who is licensed as a foster/pre-adoptive parent, must file with
				  the State Ethics Commission a disclosure of financial interest on a form
				  prescribed by the Ethics Commission. The disclosure of financial interest form
				  must be filed with the Ethics Commission prior to the placement of a child in
				  the foster/pre-adoptive home.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Substitute Care › Section 7.106C - Department Employees as Mentor, Visiting Resource or Other Significant Adult to Child in Department Care or Custody

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
The Department is committed to developing opportunities that
				  will provide youth in its care or custody with positive, sustainable adult
				  connections. In some cases, this adult connection may be a Department employee.
				  A Department employee, or Department special state employee, who seeks to
				  continue or establish a relationship with a child in Department care or custody
				  outside of the employee's duties must obtain prior written permission of the
				  Deputy Commissioner for Field Operations, Assistant Commissioner for Foster
				  Care, Adoption and Adolescent Services and the General Counsel in accordance
				  with the Department family resource policy.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Substitute Care › Section 7.106D - Employees of Department Contracted Agencies as Foster/Pre-adoptive Parents

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Any employee of an agency on contract with the Department,
				  who is providing services under the Department contract who wishes to become a
				  foster/pre-adoptive parent, mentor, or visiting resource for a child in
				  Department care or custody, must inform, and obtain the permission of, the
				  Department prior to initiating a license study process and the placement of a
				  foster/pre-adoptive child by writing to the Deputy Commissioner for Field
				  Operations. The Deputy Commissioner will consult with the General Counsel and
				  the Assistant Commissioner for Foster Care, Adoption and Adolescent Services to
				  ascertain that there are no ethical or other conflicts with the proposed
				  home-study or placement, in accordance with the Department's Family Resource
				  Policy.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Substitute Care › Section 7.106E - Department Contracted Foster/Pre-adoptive Parents

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
The Department may utilize foster or adoptive care agencies
				  licensed under the laws of the Commonwealth to provide foster/pre-adoptive
				  services to children in Department care or custody. When it does so, the
				  contracted foster/pre-adoptive homes must comply with the standards set forth
				  at
				  110
				  CMR 7.100(3) and (4),
				  7.103
				  and
				  7.104.
				  The Department reserves the right, through its procurement and contracting
				  process, to further define standards that the contracted foster/pre-adoptive
				  homes must meet, such as further limiting the number of children that may be
				  placed in a foster/pre-adoptive home, or requiring additional skills of the
				  foster/pre-adoptive parents.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Substitute Care › Section 7.107 - Assessment and Licensing of Foster/Pre-adoptive Parent Applicants

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1) All applicants seeking licensure as an
				unrestricted foster/pre-adoptive parent are required to complete the
				Department's foster/pre-adoptive parent pre-service training program. Within 30
				working days after the applicant completes the training, or approval of a
				pre-service training waiver, the Department shall complete a comprehensive
				assessment of the foster/pre-adoptive applicant, unless the foster/pre-adoptive
				applicant requests, and the Department approves, an extension of time to
				complete the assessment.
(2) The
				comprehensive assessment will be performed by the Department in accordance with
				102 CMR 5.10(5) and shall include at least the following:
(a) an interview with each household member
				as appropriate to her/his age and verbal capacity including an individual
				interview with each applicant.
(b)
				Home visit(s); and
(c) Contact(s)
				with personal references supplied by the applicant and other individuals seen
				by the Department as useful to the assessment.
(d) Contact(s) with a licensed physician who
				has conducted a current medical examination of the applicant and each household
				member; and
(e) contact with the
				employer for each employed applicant; and
(f) contact with the school for the school
				age children living in the home and younger children who participate in
				pre-school or a child care program; and
(g) a check of the Department's Central
				Registry, and the Department's Computerized data system; and
(h) for any applicant who has lived out of
				state within the five years prior to application, a check of the Central
				Registry of child abuse and neglect of each state in which the applicant lived
				in the prior five years; and
(i) a
				check of the state criminal offender record information as defined pursuant to
				M.G.L. c. 6, §§ 167 and 172; and
(j) a fingerprint-based check of the national
				crime information databases for each foster/pre-adoptive parent during the
				initial license study. This requirement will begin October 1, 2008 for new
				applicants only; and
(k) A specific
				assessment of the applicant's ability to meet the special needs of children the
				Department will be placing; and
(l)
				Successful completion of the Department's training program, unless waived;
				and
(m) confirmation that the
				applicant(s) and the home meet the standards established by
				110 CMR
				7.104 and
				7.105.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Substitute Care › Section 7.109 - TAFDC Grantee Relative vs. Department Foster Care Payments

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
If a home is approved or licensed as a foster/pre-adoptive
				  home by the Department, and if the family is or could be receiving TAFDC
				  Grantee Relative payments from the Department of Transitional Assistance, the
				  family must choose to receive either TAFDC Grantee Relative payments or foster
				  care payments. The family may not receive payments from both programs
				  simultaneously.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Substitute Care › Section 7.111 - Written Agreement Between Department and Foster/Pre-adoptive Parents

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Once a foster/pre-adoptive parent applicant has been licensed
				  by the Department as a foster/pre-adoptive parent and has completed pre-service
				  foster/pre-adoptive parent training, the Department and the foster/pre-adoptive
				  parent shall enter into a written agreement. The written agreement shall be
				  signed by each foster/pre-adoptive parent and the Department's authorized
				  agent, shall be renewed annually, and shall include at least the following
				  terms:
(1) a statement of the
				responsibilities of the foster/pre-adoptive parent, including a recognition
				that foster care is a temporary arrangement which envisions the eventual
				reunification of the child with his/her birth family and the obligation of the
				foster/pre-adoptive parent to support that reunification;
(2) a statement of the Department's
				responsibilities to the foster/pre-adoptive parents;
(3) a prohibition against the use of any form
				of corporal punishment by foster/pre-adoptive parents upon any foster
				child(ren);
(4) a statement of any
				limitations on the identity or individual characteristics of children who may
				be placed in the foster/pre-adoptive home;
(5) any other terms required by the EEC under
				its regulations at 102 CMR 5.10(7)(a); and
(6) a statement that the foster/pre-adoptive
				parent is bound by the same standards of confidentiality as the Department and
				its employees.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Substitute Care › Section 7.113A - Limited Reassessments

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
In addition to the annual reassessment or license study, the
				  Department may perform a limited re-assessment of the foster/pre-adoptive
				  parent and/or foster/pre-adoptive home at other times.
(1) The Department shall conduct a limited
				reassessment whenever the Department:
(a)
				investigates and supports a report of abuse or neglect under G.L. c. 119,
				§ 51B and the foster/pre-adoptive parent or other household member is
				identified as responsible for abuse or neglect; or
(b) learns that a foster/pre-adoptive parent
				has moved to a new residence; or
(c) learns that corporal punishment has been
				used on a foster/pre-adoptive child placed in the home; or
(d) removes a foster/pre-adoptive child from
				the foster/pre-adoptive home on an emergency basis.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Substitute Care › Section 7.113B - License Revocation

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1) Except as
				provided otherwise in
				110
				CMR 7.100
et seq.,
whenever
				the Department reaches a decision to revoke a license, it shall give written
				notice to the foster/pre-adoptive parent. The written notice shall include at
				least the following information:
(a) notice
				that the Department will no longer place any foster children in the
				home;
(b) notice that agreement(s)
				between the Department and the foster/pre-adoptive home is terminated and that
				the license should be returned to the Department;
(c) the reason(s) for the license revocation;
				and
(d) if applicable, notice of
				the foster/pre-adoptive parent's right to appeal and the procedures for taking
				such appeal.
A copy of the written notice shall be entered in the
				  foster/pre-adoptive parent file.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Substitute Care › Section 7.113C - Closing a Foster/Pre-adoptive Home

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Foster/pre-adoptive homes may be closed either at the request
				  of the foster/pre-adoptive parent or as a result of a decision by the
				  Department. The basis and process for decisions by the Department are set forth
				  above in
				  110
				  CMR 7.113 through
				  7.113B.
				  Whenever a foster/pre-adoptive parent requests that their foster/pre-adoptive
				  home be closed they shall do so in writing. Prior to closing the home, the
				  Department will meet with the foster/pre-adoptive parent to discuss the reasons
				  for closing the home, plans to remove any foster child(ren) placed in the home
				  and to establish dates for the removal of the foster child(ren) and the closure
				  of the home. The Department will confirm in writing the decisions agreed upon
				  at that meeting, the reasons for those decisions, and provide a copy to the
				  foster/pre-adoptive parent.
Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Substitute Care › Section 7.113D - Reopening of Former Foster/Pre-adoptive Home

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
If a foster/pre-adoptive family seeks to resume the provision
				  of foster/pre-adoptive care within six months after their home was closed at
				  their request, the Department shall conduct an annual reassessment or license
				  renewal study, which ever would have been due had they remained open with the
				  Department. After the six months, the Department shall conduct a new license
				  study and they shall be treated as a new applicant.