Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 214 - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN, YOUTH AND FAMILIES › Chapter 40 - Licensing › Subchapter 00 - N/A › Part 3 - Foster Care and Adoption Regulations for Licensure (214-RICR-40-00-3) › Section 214-RICR-40-00-3.5 - DEFINITIONS

Current through June 14, 2024
A. "Adoptive parent" means Adult head of
				 household, also referred to as caregiver, who is licensed to receive children
				 into the home for the purpose of adoption. Pre-adoptive parent is also referred
				 to as adoptive parent. There may be one or two adoptive parents in the
				 household.
B. "Applicant" means
				 person applying for a Foster Care and Adoption License.
C. "Caregiver" means adult head of household,
				 also referred to as foster parent, pre-adoptive parent or adoptive parent, who
				 is granted a license by the Department to provide foster care or to
				 adopt.
D. "Child in care" means
				 child or youth, also referred to as a foster or pre-adoptive child, under the
				 care and supervision of the Department residing in a foster or pre-adoptive
				 home.
E. "Child" means any person
				 under the age of eighteen living in the caregiver's home and/or a youth over
				 the age of 18 placed by the Department.
F. "Corporal punishment" means physical
				 discipline, including slapping, spanking, paddling, hitting with a belt, having
				 a child march, stand or kneel rigidly in one spot or subjecting a child to any
				 kind of physical discomfort.
G.
				 "Department" means the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families,
				 also referred to as DCYF, responsible for child welfare, children's behavioral
				 health and juvenile correctional operations in Rhode Island.
H. "Family Service Unit (FSU) social case
				 worker" means DCYF worker, also referred to as primary worker, who provides
				 ongoing social services and case management to children and families who have
				 become involved with the Department due to abuse, neglect, wayward or
				 dependency, as well as children who are in need of behavioral and/or mental
				 health services.
I. "Foster care
				 and adoption license" means required legal authorization granted by the
				 Department that permits caregivers to provide foster and/or adoptive
				 care.
J. "Foster parent" means
				 adult head of household, also referred to as caregiver, who is granted a
				 license by the Department to provide foster care. There may be one or two
				 foster parents in the household.
K.
				 "Generic foster parent" means a licensed foster and/or pre-adoptive care
				 provider, also referred to as caregiver, not previously known or related to the
				 child in care.
L. "Health history"
				 means information about an individual's past and present physical and mental
				 health, which can include medical records and/or written documentation about
				 treatment.
M. "Home study" means a
				 written evaluation of a home environment to determine whether a proposed
				 placement of a child meets the individual needs of the child, including the
				 child's safety, permanency, health, well-being and mental, emotional, and
				 physical development. Common areas of inquiry include physical and mental
				 health, criminal history, family history, and past and present
				 relationships.
N. "Household" means
				 adults and children who reside with the applicant or caregiver.
O. "Kinship foster parent" means adult head
				 of household, also referred to as caregiver, who is granted a license by the
				 Department to provide foster care for a related child in care or a child with
				 whom the adult has a kinship bond. The kinship foster parent may be a relative
				 or a member of the child's family support system, such as a godparent, close
				 family friend or member of the child's community. There may be one or two
				 kinship foster parents in the household.
P. "Licensing unit" means the division within
				 the Department responsible for issuing Foster and Adoption Licenses.
Q. "Reasonable and prudent parenting
				 standard" means the standard characterized by careful and sensible parental
				 decisions that maintain the health, safety, and best interests of a child while
				 at the same time encouraging the emotional and developmental growth of the
				 child, that the caregiver uses when determining whether to allow a child in
				 care to participate in extracurricular, enrichment, cultural, and social
				 activities.
R. "Variance" means
				 administrative decision that allows a foster or pre-adoptive home to meet a
				 standard for licensure in a manner other than that specified in the
				 regulations. A variance is granted on a case-by-case basis only when the
				 purpose of the licensing standard is achieved and the safety of the child is
				 maintained.
S. "Waiver" means
				 administrative decision that allows case by-case exemptions from compliance
				 with a non-safety related standard.