(a) Definitions.  The following words or terms used in this Part shall have the following meaning, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

• (1) Therapeutic foster care (TFC) agencies.  A foster care agency is an agency that provides foster care as defined in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) as "24-hour substitute care for children outside their own homes."  Therapeutic foster care settings are foster family homes.
• (2) Therapeutic foster care homes.   Agency-supervised private family homes in which foster parents have been trained to provide individualized, structured services in a safe, nurturing family living environment for children and adolescents with significant emotional or behavioral problems who require a higher level of care than is found in a conventional foster home but do not require placement in a more restrictive setting. Therapeutic foster care homes are considered the least restrictive out-of-home placement for children with severe emotional disorders.

(b) TFC Agency Requirements.  Eligible TFC agencies must have:

• (1) current certification from the Oklahoma Department of Human services (OKDHS)  as a child placing agency;
• (2) a contract with the Division of Children and Family Services of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, or OJA;
• (3) a contract with the Oklahoma Health Care Authority; and      
• (4) a current accreditation status appropriate to provide outpatient behavioral health services in a foster care setting from:
  • (A) The Joint Commission formerly the Joint Commission on Accreditation (JCAHO), or
  • (B) the Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission (CARF), or
  • (C) the Council on Accreditation (COA), or
  • (D) the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).