Oklahoma Administrative Code › Title 317 - Oklahoma Health Care Authority › Chapter 40 - Developmental Disabilities Services › Subchapter 5 - Member Services › Part 5 - SPECIALIZED FOSTER CARE STANDARDS › Section 317:40-5-55 - Specialized Foster Care (SFC) provider responsibilities

Current through Vol. 41, No. 20, July 1, 2024
(a)
General responsibilities.
The SFC providers responsibilities are listed in (a) through (c) of this
				  Section. Each provider:
(1) Is required to
				  meet all applicable standards per OAC
				  317:40-5-40;
(2) Is required to receive competency-based
				  training per OAC
				  340:100-3-38.
				  The provider keeps all required training current and submits documentation to
				  the SFC specialist at the time training is completed;
(3) Is an active participant of the member's
				  Personal Support Team (Team) and assists in developing the member's Individual
				  Plan (Plan), per OAC
				  340:100-5-50
				  through 100-5-58;
(4) Documents and
				  notifies the case manager of any changes in the member's behavior or medical
				  conditions within one working day. The SFC provider completes incident reports
				  and submits them to the Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS) case manager
				  per OAC
				  340:100-3-34;
(5) Is available to the member at any
				  time;
(6) Has primary
				  responsibility to provide SFC services to the member. The SFC provider does not
				  have employment unless the employment is pre-approved by the DDS area
				  residential services programs manager or the State Office residential services
				  programs manager;
(A) The provider must be
				  available before and after school or vocational programs and as needed during
				  the day due to holidays or illnesses;
(B) After receiving employment approval, if
				  the provider's employment interferes with the member's care, training, or
				  supervision, the provider must determine if he or she wants to terminate the
				  employment or have the member moved from the home; and
(C) DDS does not authorize homemaker,
				  habilitation training specialist, or respite services in order for the SFC
				  provider to perform employment.
(7) Does not deliver services that duplicate
				  public school district mandated services that are provided pursuant to the
				  Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA-B);
(8) Allows the member to have experiences,
				  both in and out of the home, to enhance the member's development, learning,
				  growth, independence, community inclusion, and well-being, while assisting the
				  member to achieve his or her maximum level of independence;
(9) Ensures confidentiality is maintained
				  regarding the member per OAC
				  340:100-3-2;
(10) Is sensitive to, and assists the member
				  in participating in, the member's religious faith. No member is expected to
				  attend any religious service against his or her wishes;
(11) Arranges for, and ensures the member
				  obtains, a dental examination at least annually, and is responsible for
				  obtaining regular and emergency medical services as needed;
(12) Has a valid Oklahoma driver license and
				  maintains a motor vehicle in working order, per OAC
				  317:40-5-103;
(13) Transports, or arranges transportation
				  for the member, using adapted transportation when appropriate, per OAC
				  317:40-5-103, the
				  SFC provider:
(A) May enter into a
				  transportation contract;
(B)
				  Assures availability and use of an approved and appropriate child auto
				  restraint system as required by law in transporting children and, in cases of
				  adults receiving services, any additional safety devices identified as
				  necessary in the Plan; and
(C) Does
				  not claim transportation reimbursement for vacation travel or any other
				  transportation service not covered per OAC
				  317:40-5-103.
(14) Assures the member is clean,
				  appropriately dressed, and on time for activities and appointments;
(15) Ensures no other adult or child is cared
				  for or resides in the home on a regular or part-time basis who is not approved
				  through the home profile review process or without prior approval from the DDS
				  area residential services programs manager;
(16) Does not provide services to more than
				  three(3) individuals regardless of service type provided, including SFC,
				  Welfare Services foster care, respite, baby-sitting, or other such services.
				  Any exception to this paragraph must be approved in writing by the DDS director
				  or designee prior to authorization or service delivery;
(17) Permits DDS staff to conduct monitoring
				  and home visits. In order to assure standards are maintained, some visits are
				  unannounced. The visits occur at least monthly and are not intended to be
				  intrusive but to ensure the member's safety and well-being;
(18) Encourages and cooperates in planning
				  visits in the SFC home by the member's relatives, guardians, or friends. Member
				  visits to his or her friends' or relative's homes must be approved by the
				  member's legally authorized representative;
(19) Is prohibited from signing an
				  authorization for school personnel to use physical discipline or corporal
				  punishment;
(20) Notifies the DDS
				  social services specialist (SSS) when the need arises for substitute
				  supervision in an emergency, per OAC
				  317:40-5-59.
				  When the provider is out of the home for a short duration, a natural support in
				  the home can provide time-limited substitute supervision;
(A) A natural support is defined as an adult
				  relative or spouse of the specialized foster parent who resides in the
				  home;
(B) The Team approves the
				  natural support and defines when this support may be accessed;
(C) Persons considered a natural support must
				  complete training, per OAC
				  340:100-3-38.12;
(D) Persons acting as a natural support may
				  only provide supervision for brief, intermittent time periods and do so without
				  payment;
(E) When the Team
				  determines it to be appropriate, the SFC provider may select a volunteer to
				  serve as a substitute caregiver for a member eighteen (18) years of age and
				  younger. The volunteer resides outside the home, has no waiver contract, is not
				  employed by a contracted agency, and has an established relationship with the
				  member;
(i) A volunteer is defined as an
				  adult, at least twenty-one (21) years of age, who is the SFC provider's a
				  friend, relative, or neighbor;
(ii)
				  A volunteer may provide support for up to two (2) consecutive days. The member
				  may not be in volunteer care for more than three (3) days total in a thirty
				  (30) calendar day period;
(iii) The
				  SFC provider ensures the volunteer possesses the maturity and skills necessary
				  to address the member's needs;
(iv)
				  The foster care provider notifies the DDS SSS within one (1) business day when
				  volunteer respite is used and includes address, contact information and length
				  of stay;
(v) When the member is
				  also a child in OKDHS or tribal custody, the SFC provider gives the volunteer
				  contact information for the DDS SSS, case manager, and child welfare specialist
				  (CWS) as well as his or her own contact information;
(vi) A volunteer must not be someone who has
				  been excluded by OKDHS; and
(vii)
				  The volunteer is not subject to background check or home profile requirements
				  unless the stay will exceed two (2) consecutive days.
(F) When the Team determines it to be
				  appropriate, the SFC provider may select a camp, retreat, or conference program
				  as a substitute caregiver for the member when the member wishes to attend the
				  program. A camp, retreat, or conference program is defined as a day or
				  overnight program with adult supervision for children, teenagers, or adults
				  conducted for educational, athletic, or cultural development. The SFC provider:
(i) Ensures the program has the essential
				  skills and supports to meet the member's needs;
(ii) Notifies the DDS SSS prior to the member
				  attending the program; and
(iii)
				  Provides the program with contact information for the foster care provider, DDS
				  SSS, case manager, and CWS when the member is also a child in OKDHS or tribal
				  custody.
(21)
				  Provides written thirty (30) calendar day notice to the member and DDS case
				  manager when it is necessary for a member to be moved from the home;
(22) Does not serve as the member's
				  representative;
(23) Ensures the
				  member's funds are properly safeguarded;
(24) Assists the member in accessing and
				  using entitlement programs for which the member may be eligible;
(25) Must use the room and board
				  reimbursement payment to meet the member's needs, per the Fixed Rate Foster
				  Home Contract;
(A) The provider retains a copy
				  of the current Fixed Rate Foster Home Contract in the home at all
				  times;
(B) Items purchased with the
				  room and board reimbursement include, but are not limited to:
(i) Housing;
(ii) Food;
(iii) Clothing;
(iv) Care;
(v) Incidental expenses such as:
(I) Birthday and Christmas gifts;
(II) Haircuts;
(III) Personal grooming equipment;
(IV) Allowances;
(V) Toys;
(VI) School supplies and lunches;
(VII) School pictures;
(VIII) Costs of recreational
				  activities;
(IX) Special clothing
				  items required for dress occasions and school classes such as gym shorts and
				  shirts;
(X) Extracurricular
				  athletic and other equipment, including uniforms, needed for the member to
				  pursue his or her particular interests or job;
(XI) Prom and graduation expenses including
				  caps, gowns, rings, pictures, and announcements;
(XII) Routine transportation expenses
				  involved in meeting the member's medical, educational, or recreational needs,
				  unless the provider has a transportation contract;
(XIII) Non-prescription medication;
				  and
(XIV) Other maintenance
				  supplies required by the member.
(C) All items purchased for the member with
				  the room and board payment are the member's property. Purchased items are
				  documented on OKDHS Form 06AC022E, Personal Possession Inventory, and are
				  provided to the member when a residence change of residence occurs;
				  and
(D) The room and board payment
				  is made on a monthly basis and is prorated based on the actual days the member
				  is in the home on the initial and final months of residence.
(26) Maintains Form 06AC022,
				  Personal Possession Inventory, for each member living in the home;
(27) Maintains the member's home record, per
				  OAC
				  340:100-3-40;
(28) Immediately reports to the DDS SSS all
				  changes in the household including, but not limited to:
(A) Phone number;
(B) Address;
(C) Marriage or divorce;
(D) Persons moving into or out of the
				  home;
(E) Provider's health
				  status;
(F) Provider's employment;
				  and
(G) Provider's
				  income.
(29) Maintains
				  home owner's or renter's insurance, including applicable liability coverages,
				  and provides a copy to the DDS SSS;
(30) Serves as the health care coordinator,
				  and follows the rules per OAC
				  340:100-5-26;
				  and
(31) Follows all applicable
				  OKDHS and Oklahoma Health Care Authority rules, included but not limited to:
(A) OAC
				  340:100-3-27;
(B) OAC
				  340:100-5-32;
				  and
(C) OAC
				  340:100-5-33.