Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 110 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES › Title 110 CMR 7.000 - Services › Substitute Care › Section 7.108 - Kinship or Child-specific Placements

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
Kinship or child-specific placements may occur when a
				  specific child is to be placed into a specific home and that home is not
				  available for other foster children.
(1)
Emergency
				Placements
. If the Department determines that an emergency kinship
				or child-specific placement is necessary for a child(ren), the Department will
				first conduct an initial eligibility screening of the individual(s) seeking to
				become the child(ren)'s foster parent(s), all household members and the home
				which shall include the following:
(a)
				background checks (CORI and Department history) on all household members 14
				years and older, and on those younger about whom concerns exist;
(b) a home visit;
(c) a determination that the home meets the
				physical standards set forth at
				110 CMR
				7.105;
(d) an initial interview is completed on all
				household members present, as appropriate to age and verbal capacity, including
				an individual interview with at least one potential foster/pre-adoptive parent
				and that person has committed to completing the full assessment and approval
				process;
(e) completion of the
				Family Resource Application;
(f) if
				a Department employee, the placement has been approved in accordance with
				110 CMR
				7.106B(4)
If the proposed placement meets the requirements in 110 CMR
				  7.108, the Department may place the child(ren). If the proposed placement does
				  not meet the requirements in 110 CMR 7.108, the placement shall be deemed
				  ineligible for an emergency placement, and the Department shall not place the
				  child(ren). A determination of ineligibility under 110 CMR 7.108(1) is final,
				  and is not subject to appeal.
Nothing in 110 CMR 7.108 precludes the kinship/child specific
				  home from being considered as a non-emergency placement as set forth in 110 CMR
				  7.108(2).
If an emergency kinship or child-specific placement is made,
				  the individual who has been deemed eligible to apply to become the approved
				  family for the child(ren) shall submit to the Department a completed
				  foster/pre-adoptive application. The Department shall complete a comprehensive
				  assessment of the foster/pre-adoptive application within 40 working days after
				  placement.
If the comprehensive assessment reveals compliance with the
				  standards set forth at
				  110
				  CMR 7.100,
				  7.104
				  and
				  7.105,
				  the placement shall be approved, solely for the child(ren) for whom an
				  emergency placement had been made. If the assessment reveals that the requisite
				  standards are not met, the placement shall not be approved, and the child(ren)
				  for whom an emergency placement had been made shall be removed forthwith. The
				  kinship or child-specific placement resource shall be notified in writing, of
				  the outcome of the comprehensive assessment, within ten working days after
				  completion of the comprehensive assessment. There is no right of appeal from
				  the removal of a child(ren) from an unapproved home, but the denial of a
				  foster/pre-adoptive application may be appealed via the Department's fair
				  hearing process, set forth at
				  110
				  CMR 10.00
et seq
.