Children in Group Home Care

0100-510.50 | Revision Date: 07/01/14

Overview

This policy guide outlines the steps to take when placing a child six (6) years old or younger in group home care and the group home assessment requirement for children/youth residing in group home care longer than one year.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Policy

Youth Residing in Group Home Care Longer than One (1) Year

Group Home Reassessment Requirement

Placement of Children Six (6) Years or Younger in a Group Home Care Setting

Placement Prior to the Disposition Hearing

Placement after the Disposition Hearing

Procedure

Assessing Youth Residing in Group Home Care Longer than One (1) Year

CSW Responsibilities

Placing a Child in Group Home Care

CSW Responsibilities

SCSW Responsibilities

ARA Responsibilities

Approvals

Helpful Links

Attachments

Forms

Referenced Policy Guides

Statutes

Version Summary

This policy guide was updated from the 03/04/10 version, as part of the Policy Redesign, in accordance with the DCFS Strategic Plan. This policy guide incorporates content from FYI 14-04, Assessing Youth Residing in Group Homes Longer than One Year, thereby cancelling that FYI. The title of the policy has changed from Placing Children Six Years of Age or Younger in Congregate Care.

POLICY

Youth Residing in Group Home Care Longer than One (1) Year

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is mandated to report to the California Legislature on the assessment of each youth placed in a group home for longer than one (1) year and the outcomes of transitional planning for each youth. Pursuant to All County Letter (ACL) 13-86, the CDSS has developed a procedure for identifying youth who have been placed in group homes for one (1) year or longer. This procedure helps to determine the need for the youth’s continued stay in group home care or, if appropriate, to develop a plan for them to transition to a family like setting.

Twice a year, the CDSS will use the information contained in CWS/CMS to identify:

• Children/youth that currently have an open foster care episode and that have been living in the same group home for over three hundred and sixty-five (365) consecutive days.

• Children/youth that have been in group home placements with breaks in placement and that have returned to group home placements within the same placement episode for a total stay of three hundred and sixty-five (365) cumulative days, or more. These days will include the Total Days in Care and Total Group Home Placements.

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Group Home Reassessment Requirement

Once a year, the information on the CDSS list of children/youth in group home care for over three hundred and sixty-five (365) days is provided by the ARA and/or SCSW to CSWs. CSWs will reassess any child/youth identified on their caseload on their next monthly visit with the child/youth. Information gathered at this visit will help to determine whether or not the group home placement continues to be suitable and appropriate based on the child/youth's identified needs and strengths.

Placement of Children Six (6) Years or Younger in Group Home Care Setting

When children age six (6) or younger require out-of-home care placement, the assessment process and placement selection must take the following into consideration:

• Possible impact of placement on a young child

• Child's overall needs

• Ability to transfer attachments

• Child’s need for continuity of care giving routines

These young children should never be placed in group home care unless exceptional circumstances exist that require group home care services.

Placement Prior to the Disposition Hearing

The court must find that a child’s placement in a group home care facility is necessary to obtain a complete and adequate evaluation of the child, including placement planning and transition.  The CSW must clearly document the reasons supporting a child’s placement in group home care in the Detention Hearing Report and/or Jurisdiction/Disposition Hearing Report.

The placement cannot exceed sixty (60) calendar days unless the child's case plan documents the need for extended placement and has been approved by the CSW's ARA.

Placement after the Disposition Hearing

Children age six (6) or younger may be placed in a group home care facility after disposition only if his/her unique needs require specialized care, which can only be provided in such a facility. The need for specialized care and the nature of the treatment plan must be clearly documented in the Case Plan. The length of time in a group home care facility must not exceed more than one hundred and twenty (120) calendar days, unless additional time is needed based on the treatment plan and the Case Plan that was approved by the SCSW.

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PROCEDURE

Assessing Youth Residing in Group Home Care Longer than One (1) Year

CSW Responsibilities

1. Review and use the current Case Plan Service Objective and the DCFS 6019, Group Home Reassessment Summary, to identify the youth's current service needs and strengths.

• The use of this form is not mandatory and designed to help determine if the youth's needs, when matched with the specialized services offered in the group home, continue to support this level of placement.

2. If the reassessment determined the youth no longer requires a group home placement, develop a plan of transition to a more family-like setting.

• Placement selection should follow the preference priority of relatives, nonrelative extended family members (NREFM), tribal members, foster family, etc.

3. Document the reassessment in CWS/CMS. Follow the steps outlined in the Assessing a Child/Youth Residing in a Group Home Longer than One Year.

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Placing a Child in Group Home Care

CSW Responsibilities

1. Prior to the considering group home care placement for a child under the age of six (6), explore placement in an Intensive Treatment Foster Care (ITFC) or Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) setting.

2. Consult with the D-rate evaluator and/or co-located Department of Mental Health (DMH) staff to determine if placing the child in group home care before or after the disposition hearing is the best placement option.

3. In an office where the Coordinated Services Action Team (CSAT) has been implemented:

1. Work with appropriate CSAT members to determine the appropriateness of group home care for the child.

2. Ensure the age appropriate California Institute for Mental Health (CIMH) Mental Health Screening Tool (MHST) has been completed.

3. Work with the Service Linkage Specialist (SLS) to establish benefits by obtaining:

1. Consent for mental health treatment

2. Authorization for release of protected health information

4. Consult with the Resource Utilization Management (RUM) and Wraparound Liaisons in the office before selecting the placement.

5. Initiate and participate in a Resource Management Process/Child and Family Team (CFT) Meeting.

6. Document the following in the initial Case Plan or Case Plan Update, as appropriate:

7. Document the child's placement needs on the following forms, and submit them to the SCSW for to approve the group home care placement plan.

1. Initial Case Plan or Case Plan Update

2. DCFS 280, Technical Assistance Action Request

3. DCFS 709, Foster Child Needs and Case Plan Summary

4. Any other supporting documentation

If the child is being placed in group home care prior to the disposition hearing:

1. Document the need to place the child in group home care in the Detention Hearing Report and/or Jurisdiction/Disposition Hearing Report.

1. Provide clear and specific reason(s) why group home care is necessary.

2. Provide the anticipated date that the child will be replaced from group home care.

2. If the placement will exceed sixty (60) calendar days, ensure that the initial Case Plan/Case Plan Update and court report are completed within the required time frame.

3. Document all contacts in the Contact Notebook.

If the child is being placed in group home care after the disposition hearing:

1. Upon SCSW and ARA approval of the child's placement, inform the court of the child's placement into group home care.

1. Follow the steps outlined in Report on Notice of Replacement.

2. Notify the child's attorney of the child's replacement.

1. Provide the attorney with the child's whereabouts, physical well-being, legal status, and group home care placement plan.

3. If the child leaves the group home placement to return to a less restrictive placement, work with the group home care facility to develop a discharge plan in consultation with the SCSW.

SCSW Responsibilities

1. Review the completed Case Plan, DCFS 280, DCFS 709, and any supporting documentation to determine if proposed placement will meet the child's placement needs.

2. Confirm that a RMP/Child and Family Team Meeting has taken place and that the CSW has consulted with the RUM and Wraparound Liaison.

3. If placing the child in group home care prior to the disposition hearing:

1. If the placement plan is approved and includes a recommendation for group home care beyond sixty (60) days:

1. Sign and date the Case Plan and DCFS 280.

2. Forward the packet to the ARA for review and approval.

2. If the placement plan is approved and does not include a recommendation for group home care beyond sixty (60) days, sign and date the Case Plan and DCFS 280 and return it to the CSW.

4. If placing the child in group home care after the disposition and the placement plan is approved:

1. Sign and date the case plan and DCFS 280

2. Forward the packet to the ARA for review and approval.

5. If the placement plan is not approved, return it to the CSW for corrective action.

ARA Responsibilities

1. Review the completed Case Plan, DCFS 280, DCFS 709, and any supporting documentation to determine if proposed placement will meet the child's placement needs.

2. Confirm that a RMP/Child and Family Team Meeting has taken place and that the CSW has consulted with the RUM and Wraparound Liaison.

3. If the placement plan is approved, sign and date Case Plan and return it to the SCSW for placement processing.

4. If the placement plan is not approved, return it to the SCSW for corrective action.

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APPROVALS

SCSW Approval

• Placement of child in group home care

ARA Approval

• Placement of child in group home care

HELPFUL LINKS

Attachments

Assessing Child/Youth Residing in a Group Home Longer than One Year

Forms

LA Kids

DCFS 280, Technical Assistance Action Request

DCFS 709, Foster Child Needs and Case Plan Summary

DCFS 6019, Group Home Reassessment Summary

Referenced Policy Guides

0070-516.15, Screening and Assessing Children for Mental Health Services and Referring to the Coordinated Services Action Team (CSAT)

0070-548.01, Child and Family Teams

0080-502.10, Case Plans

0100-525.41,The Wraparound Services Program

0300-303.15, Writing the Detention Report

0300-503.10, Writing the Jurisdiction/Disposition Report

0300-503.97, Notice of Replacement Report

0300-506.05, Communication with Attorneys, County Counsel, and Non-DCFS Staff

0600-500.20, Health and Medical Information

0900-522.10, Specialized Care Increment (SCI) – D-Rate

Statutes

All County Letter (ACL) 13-86 – Assessing Youth Residing in Group Home Care Longer than One Year

Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) Section 319.2 – States that when a child under the age of six (6) is not released from the custody of the court, he/she may be placed in a community care facility that is licensed as a group home for children or in a temporary shelter care facility only when the court finds that placement is necessary to secure a complete and adequate evaluation. This includes placement planning and transition time. The placement period shall not exceed sixty (60) days unless a Case Plan has been developed, the need for additional time is documented in the Case Plan, and it has been approved by the supervisor of the caseworker's supervisor.

WIC Section 361.2(e)(8) – States that a child under the age of six (6) may be placed in a community care facility that is licensed as a group home for children or in a temporary shelter care facility only under specific circumstances.

WIC Section 16516.5 – States that all foster children placed in group homes by county welfare departments or county probation departments shall be visited at least monthly by a county social worker or probation officer. Each visit shall include a private discussion between the foster child and the county social worker or probation officer. The discussion shall not be held in the presence or in the immediate vicinity of the group home staff. The contents of the private discussion shall not be disclosed to the group home staff. The social worker or probation officer may, however, disclose information under specific circumstances.

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