Revised 12-15-11
1. Purpose of contacts. The purposes of a Child Welfare (CW) specialist's contacts with the child, parent, service providers, or others include, but are not limited to:
(1) maintaining the child's connections to his or her family;
(2) allowing the CW specialist to evaluate the interactions, conditions, and services the child is receiving, particularly those in the home or in placement; and
(3) establishing and maintaining a teamwork relationship. Family team meetings afford the CW specialist additional opportunities for contact with the family and the family's social supports to expedite the permanency plan.
2. Documenting contacts using contact guide and addendums. Contacts with the child are entered in KIDS a minimum of monthly from the point of intake through case closure as quickly as possible after the contact occurs, but no later than the fourth day of the following month. The contact guide and addendums are used when making contact with a child in out-of-home placement, parent, and placement provider. The Guide and age-specific addendums, that provide a format to assist the Child Welfare (CW) specialist in gathering and documenting information obtained during a contact, are:
(1) Form 04MP007E, Face-to-Face Contact Guide;
(2) Form 04MP004E, Contact Guide Addendum for Face-to-Face Visit with Newborn(s) and Infant(s) – Age 0 to 12 Months;
(3) Form 04MP006E, Contact Guide Addendum for Face-to-Face Visit with Toddler(s) – Age 13 through 36 Months; and
(4) Form 04MP008E, Contact Guide Addendum for Face-to-Face Visit with Youth – Age 16 to 18.
3. Use of contacts. The purpose of CW specialist contacts with the child, placement provider, and parent includes, but is not limited to:
(1) ensuring the parent understands the individualized service plan and the consequences of failure to change the behaviors and correct the conditions of intervention;
(2) informing the parent of the next court hearing;
(3) assessing the parent's protective capacities and ability to provide a safe home environment for the child;
(4) evaluating the home situation and progress on the individualized service plan;
(5) providing the parent with information about the child and services the child is receiving, including medical care and education;
(6) informing the parent and child of the other's situation, progress, and other related issues;
(7) ensuring the parent understands the importance of visitation in developing and maintaining a healthy parent-child relationship;
(8) advising the parent of his or her rights, roles, and responsibilities, and the status of the case;
(9) ensuring the child's needs are met and his or her safety is intact in the placement;
(10) encouraging and guiding the parent in the completion of his or her individualized service plan;
(11) assisting the parent in obtaining the identified services needed to change the behaviors and conditions that led to the child's removal;
(12) continuing to gather information regarding important people in the child's life; and
(13) providing timely and relevant information to the placement provider that is pertinent to the needs of the child and permanency planning process, in accordance with Section 1-7-104 of Title 10A of the Oklahoma Statutes.
4. (a) Interviews with a child in foster care placement. The CW specialist documents in KIDS Contacts screen the interview with or observation of each child in foster care placement no less than monthly and no later than the fourth day of the following month.
(1) Private interviews or observations are conducted no less than quarterly.
(2) The private interview may occur in an appropriate location outside the foster home.
(3) During the interview, the CW specialist has substantive discussions with the child per the contact guide.
(b) Contact at child's school. The CW specialist does not go to the child's school for the purpose of completing a face-to-face contact with the child, except in cases of transporting the child to and from school for appropriate purposes such as family visitation, scheduled appointments, and extracurricular activities.
(c) Contact alternatives. Contact with the child is made primarily by the CW specialist responsible for the child; however, another CW specialist may make the required monthly contact in the foster home to assess the child's safety, permanency, and well-being needs when there is an unavoidable conflict in the work schedule or other job-related demands of the CW specialist responsible for the child. When an alternate contact is required, the CW specialist responsible for the child makes the next required monthly face-to-face contact with the child. Prior to another CW specialist making the required contact, the CW supervisor:
(1) reviews the unavoidable conflict or job-related demands, assesses the frequency of another CW specialist completing the required contacts, and either grants or denied the exception;
(2) informs the CW specialist responsible for the child of the decision;
(3) when the exception is granted, assigns the monthly contact to another CW specialist; and
(4) documents the exception in the KIDS Contacts screen.
(d) Unannounced contacts. Each visit with a child in placement is not previously arranged.
(1) The CW specialist develops a schedule for each child in placement that includes, at a minimum, that every third contact attempted is unannounced.
(2) The CW specialist conducts a minimum of three successful unannounced contacts per year.
5. (a) Child contact requirements. CW specialist contact requirements with the child in Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) custody and the placement provider are provided in (1) through (9).
(1) Foster family care, contract foster care, and therapeutic foster care.
(A) The CW specialist in the county of placement has face-to-face contact with the child:
(i) within the first two weeks of each placement and a minimum of once every calendar month thereafter, with no more than 31 days between contacts;
(ii) to interview, or if an infant observe, the child alone without the foster parent present at least one time per quarter per Section 1-7-113 of Title 10A of the Oklahoma Statutes; and
(iii) no less than two times per quarter in the foster home. The CW specialist's initial contact occurs in the foster home. After the initial contact, the CW specialist may complete one face-to-face contact per quarter in a location other than the foster home. Once the CW specialist makes contact in an alternative location, the next two monthly contacts, at a minimum, take place in the foster home. This applies to a child placed in:
(I) paid or non-paid kinship placement;
(II) regular foster care;
(lII) contract foster care; and
(IV) therapeutic foster care.
(B) When the child is placed in a county other than the county of jurisdiction, the county of jurisdiction specialist contacts monthly, either by phone, electronic mail, or in person, the CW specialist in the county of placement to discuss and determine responsibility for any pertinent actions that require follow-up or initiation to achieve the permanency plan for the child.
(C) Contacts increase in times of change and stress.
(D) When there is a need to interview a child privately during a contact in the foster home, the foster parent provides a place in the home where the child can be interviewed outside the foster parent's presence.
(2) OKDHS-operated shelters, Youth Services shelters, or Youth Services shelter host home. A CW specialist has face-to-face contact with the child at the OKDHS-operated shelter, Youth Services shelter, or Youth Services host home within 24 hours of the child's entry into the shelter or host home and a minimum of once weekly while the child remains in the shelter or host home. During the shelter or host home stay, when the child's CW specialist's assigned work location is:
(A) within 60 miles of the shelter, the CW specialist visits and provides any identified services to the child; or
(B) more than 60 miles from the shelter, the assigned shelter liaison visits and provides any identified services to the child. The child's CW specialist contacts weekly, either by phone or in person, the shelter child welfare specialist while the child remains in shelter care, per OAC 340:75-10-8.3. Additional shelter or host home liaison responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
(i) communicating with the CW specialist, shelter personnel, or Youth Services host home personnel to facilitate appropriate placement planning;
(ii) assisting with reducing premature discharge from the shelter or Youth Services host home prior to the location of an appropriate placement; and
(iii) entering into KIDS, shelter or Youth Services host home entry and exit dates.
(3) Emergency foster care. When the child is placed in emergency foster care, the CW specialist:
(A) has face-to-face contact with the child in the emergency foster home once every calendar month, with no more than 31 days between contacts; and
(B) attends weekly staffings with the emergency foster care contract agency.
(4) Community-based residential care – non-OKDHS operated. When the child is placed in a group home, specialized community home, or Developmental Disabilities Services Division (DDSD) group home, the CW specialist from the county of jurisdiction has face‑to-face, private contact with the child and placement provider in the placement once every:
(A) calendar month, with no more than 31 days between contacts, when the child's placement is 30 miles or less from the county of jurisdiction; and
(B) 90 days when the child's placement is over 30 miles from the county of jurisdiction and has phone contact with the child every calendar month that the specialist and child do not have face-to-face contact.
(i) The facility liaison has face-to-face contact with the child and placement provider monthly.
(ii) The CW specialist contacts the facility liaison to communicate any pertinent actions that require initiation or follow-up to achieve the child's permanency plan.
(5) Community-based residential care – OKDHS operated. When the child is placed in an OKDHS operated group home, the CW specialist has phone or personal contact with the child and group home specialist once every calendar month, with no more than 31 days between contacts. The group home specialist visits with the child and coordinates or completes any applicable permanency planning duties pertaining to the child.
(6) Inpatient treatment - acute. When a child is in acute inpatient treatment, face‑to-face contact with the child at the placement location is provided by the facility liaison every calendar month, with no more than 31 days between contacts.
(A) Daily phone contact is maintained between the mental health facility and the child's CW specialist during the first five business days of treatment.
(B) When the child remains in acute inpatient treatment in excess of five business days, the CW specialist contacts the child's therapist or other mental health professional and facility liaison by phone a minimum of once a week and inquires about the child's progress to facilitate the discharge plan, per OAC 340:75-16.
(7) Inpatient treatment - residential. When the child is in inpatient residential treatment, face-to-face contact with the child at the placement location is provided by the facility liaison every calendar month, with no more than 31 days between contacts. Close contact is maintained between the liaison and the child's specialist. In addition, the CW specialist:
(A) has on-site interaction with the child every:
(i) calendar month, with no more than 31 days between contacts when the child's placement is 30 miles or less from the county of jurisdiction; and
(ii) 90 days when the child's placement is over 30 miles from the county of jurisdiction and has phone contact every calendar month that face-to-face contact between the specialist and child does not occur; and
(B) contacts the child's therapist or other mental health professional by phone every two weeks and inquires about the child's progress toward the discharge plan, per OAC 340:75-16.
(8) Own home.
(A) The CW specialist has face-to-face private contact with the child a minimum of once every calendar month, with no more than 31 days between contacts.
(B) When the child initially returns to the parent(s) the CW specialist has face-to-face contact with the child and the parent(s) in the home within two business days of placement.
(C) After the initial visit within two business days of placement, or when the child is in the custody of the parent(s) in a supervision only case, the first three contacts are in the child's home. Contact location may then alternate between the home and any other location.
(D) Contacts are increased during times of change and stress.
(9) Custody with relative or another person with OKDHS supervision. The CW specialist has face-to-face contact with the child placed in the custody of a relative or another person with OKDHS supervision a minimum of once every calendar month, with no more than 31 days between contacts. The location of the specialist's contact may alternate between contact in the home and any other location.
(10) Youth in Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) custody. When a child or youth in OKDHS custody is also adjudicated delinquent or In Need of Supervision (INS) and placed in the custody of OJA.
(A) OJA is responsible for placement and services to the child or youth.
(B) CW retains responsibility for permanency planning and related services.
(C) The CW specialist contacts, personally or by telephone, the child or youth, and the OJA case specialist on a monthly basis. The CW specialist:
(i) obtains from the OJA specialist the date and substance of the OJA specialist's monthly contact with the youth; and
(ii) enters into KIDS contact screen the name of the OJA case specialist, selects the purpose of "Worker Visit – No Contact Guide," and enters information in "Purpose/Comments." Refer to OAC 340:75-6-46.
(b) Child contact requirements - special case circumstances. There are special case circumstances when minimum required contacts with the child and placement provider are allowed. The decision to allow the use of the minimum required contact rule requires CW supervisory approval. Reduced contact with the child and family is not considered when concerns are identified that require more intensive contact. The circumstances and the minimum amount of required contact are detailed in (1) through (6).
(1) Contact with child in inpatient facility. When a child requires admission to an inpatient facility procedures detailed in OAC 340:75-16-30 Instructions to Staff (ITS) # 4 are followed. No later than 24 hours after a child's placement into an acute inpatient treatment facility, the CW specialist contacts the facility liaison and the facility liaison supervisor by phone and email to provide notification of the child's placement.
(2) Contact with child in Developmental Disabilities Services Division (DDSD) placement. When a child in the custody of OKDHS is in a DDSD placement other than a group home, DDSD case management staff provides services to the child, per OAC 317:40-5-57. The CW specialist:
(A) in the county of placement has face-to-face, private contact with the child in the home a minimum of once every 90 days;
(B) in the county of placement contacts, either by phone or in person, the DDSD case manager monthly, and inquires about case circumstances, identified needs; and date and substance of the DDSD case manager's monthly contact with the child; and
(C) in the county of jurisdiction, when the child is placed outside the county of jurisdiction, contacts monthly, either by phone, electronic mail, or in person, the CW county of placement specialist in order for both specialists to:
(i) remain actively involved in placement and service planning for the child through coordination and information sharing with the placement provider and DDSD case management staff; and
(ii) communicate pertinent actions that require initiation or follow-up to achieve the permanency plan for the child; and
(D) in the county of placement documents the DDSD case manager's monthly contact with the child in the KIDS contacts screen:
(i) entering the name of the DDSD case manager that made contact with the child;
(ii) selecting the purpose of "Worker Visit – No Contact Guide"; and
(iii) entering information in the "Purpose/Comments."
(3) Contact with youth, 18 years of age or older, in voluntary placement. The CW specialist's contact with the youth, 18 years of age or older, in voluntary placement, is determined jointly by the CW supervisor, CW specialist, youth, and placement provider.
(A) A minimum of one face-to-face contact with the youth is required in the placement location every six months until case closure.
(B) During the months when the CW specialist's contact with the youth is not in the provider's home, the specialist contacts the youth and the provider by phone.
(4) Contact with child in Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) placement in Oklahoma residential treatment center. The CW specialist has face-to-face contact with the child a minimum of every 90 days in the facility when a child from another state is placed in an Oklahoma residential treatment facility.
(5) Placement of child in OKDHS custody placed in out-of-state residential treatment center. The CW specialist has face-to-face contact with the child every six months when the child is placed out-of-state through ICPC, per OAC 340:75-1-86.
(6) Contact with child in ICPC placement with parent, relative, or foster home. The OKDHS CW specialist assures that an agency caseworker of the receiving state:
(A) makes a face-to-face contact with the child in the parent, relative, or foster home no less frequently than every month; and
(B) submits a quarterly report on the content of the monthly contacts.
(7) Contact with child in Sunbeam Family Programs placement. When the child in out‑of‑home placement is placed with Sunbeam Family Programs, the assigned Sunbeam Family Programs worker has face-to-face, private contact with the child in the home per contract specifications. This worker's contact meets the minimum monthly requirement for contact with the child. The CW specialist maintains responsibility for coordination and completion of Form 04KI009E, Court Report, or 04KI014E, Individualized Service Plan (ISP) Progress Report, and attendance at any court hearing involving the child.
6. (a) Parent contact requirements. The CW specialist has face-to-face contact with the child's parent within the first two weeks of the child's removal and a minimum of once every calendar month thereafter, with no more than 31 days between contacts. The CW supervisor and specialist decide the location of the contact based upon case circumstances. The CW specialist makes a home visit when assessing the home for reunification purposes. Exceptions to contacts with the parent(s) are granted when:
(1) the child has been returned to or has never been removed from the parent's custody and OKDHS has been ordered to provide supervision. The first three contacts by the CW specialist are in the parent's home. Contact location may then alternate between the home and any other location;
(2) the parent's whereabouts are unknown;
(3) parental rights have been terminated; or
(4) other justified reasons exist that are documented in the case record.
(b) Parent contact requirements – special circumstances. Phone contact with the parent of the child is allowed in place of face-to-face contact when the parent is incarcerated or living out-of-state. The CW county of jurisdiction specialist is responsible for contact unless an exception applies. Appropriate exceptions include, but are not limited to, the:
(1) parent has had no contact with the child and the child does not wish to have contact;
(2) parent is incarcerated for an offense that resulted in the death penalty; or
(3) length of the parent's incarceration is expected to surpass the date of the child obtaining the age of majority.
7. Service provider contact requirements. The CW specialist has phone contact at least quarterly and no later than ten business days prior to each court hearing with any service provider for the child, parent, or family to obtain current information regarding the client's treatment status and obtain the service provider's recommendation regarding whether services are continued or terminated or additional services are necessary.
8. Oklahoma Children's Services (OCS) provider contact requirements. The CW specialist contacts the OCS provider and:
(1) schedules, attends, and presents safety issues and needed changes at the Comprehensive Home-Based Services (CHBS) case transfer meeting no later than 15 business days from the date the authorized referral is assigned;
(2) participates in monthly staffings, in person or by phone, with the assigned contract case manager (CCM) or parent aide;
(3) reviews a minimum of monthly the CCM or parent aide KIDS contacts and reports; and
(4) responds to critical incident reports, faxed or provided by phone to the CW specialist by the CCM or parent aide, that are risk alerts, per OAC 340:75-1-152.9.
9. Need for increased contacts with child. The CW specialist staffs the decision regarding the type and location of contacts with the CW supervisor and documents the staffing in KIDS Contacts screen. Situations that indicate the need for increased contact with the child in the home or placement location include, but are not limited to:
(1) any type of safety concern;
(2) history of environmental neglect;
(3) concerns regarding access by the perpetrator;
(4) the age of the child; or
(5) an order of the court.
10. Documentation of contacts completed by non-OKDHS or non-CW staff. When a child in OKDHS custody is in a DDSD placement, Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) custody, or placed out-of-state through ICPC, the CW specialist continues to ensure the child's well-being through ongoing contact and coordination with DDSD, OJA, or the receiving state. The CW specialist gathers information about monthly face-to-face contacts completed with the child by a DDSD, OJA, or out-of-state ICPC caseworker, and documents the information monthly in the KIDS contacts screen, specifying the type of contact and the name of the non-OKDHS or non-CW staff that made contact with the child.
11. Contacts for youth receiving extended services. The CW specialist documents in the youth's Individualized Service Plan (ISP), the frequency of contacts determined appropriate or effective for each six-month period between service plan reviews.
12. Comprehensive Home-Based Services (CHBS).
(1) CHBS service initiation. Contractors initiate services after the case transfer meeting unless emergency services are authorized by the Oklahoma Children's Services (OCS) contract liaison.
(2) CHBS referral cancellation. Referrals held by the contractor awaiting notice of the case transfer meeting are canceled after the 15th business day.
(3) CHBS case transfer meeting. The CHBS contract case manager (CCM), CCM supervisor, and CW specialist and supervisor meet with the child and family in the family's home or other location that offers convenience and privacy to review the identified safety threats, diminished protective capacities, the safety plan, and CHBS service protocol. The referring CW specialist's role in the case transfer meeting is of vital importance to the effectiveness of CHBS for the family.
(A) When the referring CW specialist is unable to attend the case transfer meeting, another CW specialist or CW supervisor, who has reviewed the case or has been briefed, attends.
(B) The CW specialist outlines for the family and contractor:
(i) each safety threat identified through the Child Protective Services assessment of child safety; and
(ii) remaining issues with the court-ordered ISP, the provisions of the safety plan, and the specific behaviors and dynamics that must change for the child to remain in his or her home.
(C) The CW specialist ensures the family and provider understand the purpose of the referral and the roles and responsibilities of all parties, including those of the family.
(4) Direction provided by CW specialist. The CHBS case management function relies on direction from the CW specialist. Form 04MP032E, Referral for Contracted Service, Form 04KI030E, Assessment of Child Safety, case contacts, and staffings provide valuable input to the CCM regarding safety threats and expectations for change that guide the CCM's case management practice. When the family:
(A) is in crisis or risk to the child is relatively high, the CW specialist may request the CCM to intensify contacts or initiate services more rapidly; or
(B) has health, financial, or educational issues that need to be addressed, the CCM initiates and coordinates family involvement with these systems. The CW specialist contacts CHBS staff more frequently when the family is unstable or the child is at higher risk.
(5) External KIDS (eKIDS). eKIDS allows the CW specialist to review KIDS CHBS contacts, assessment, and critical incident and other reports within a week of visits and other events. This information may be helpful to the CW specialist in recommending to the CCM needed adjustments in certain aspects of CHBS case management, but does not substitute for formal case staffings with the contractor.