OKDHS - OAC 340:75-7-12. Initial screening and requirements

340:75-7-12. Initial screening and requirements

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• 1 through • 5

Revised 3-26-10

(a) Inquiries. Any person who is at least 21 years of age may apply to become a Bridge resource parent by contacting the local Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) office. • 1

(b) Requirements. Requirements described in OAC 340:110-5 serve as framework for families and OKDHS in the mutual assessment process that assists in selecting the best home for children placed in foster family care. All applicants must:

(1) be at least 21 years of age; • 2
(2) reside lawfully in the United States;
(3) have healthy relationships whether married, single, separated, or divorced;
(4) have the ability to manage personal and household financial needs without relying on the foster care maintenance payment;
(5) receive approval of the Child Welfare (CW) supervisor responsible for foster care before accepting a relative or non-relative child from any source into the home when children in OKDHS custody have been placed in the home;
(6) provide appropriate sleeping arrangements for each child placed;
(7) provide verification that all household members are in sufficiently good physical and mental health to provide for the individual needs of each child placed;
(8) submit to a search of all OKDHS records, including Child Welfare records;
(9) ensure that each household member, 18 years of age or older, submits fingerprints for a state and national criminal history records search;
(10) submit to a search of Juvenile Justice Information System (JOLTS) records for any child older than 13 years of age in the household;
(11) ensure that no household member has a prior conviction of any sexual offense;
(12) participate in the family assessment process which includes a home study;
(13) not smoke in the home when a child is placed in the home;
(14) not smoke in the automobile when transporting a child placed;
(15) provide references;
(16) complete 27 hours of pre-service training;
(17) complete 12 hours of in-service training each calendar year;
(18) demonstrate the basic competencies that are to:
- (A) protect and nurture children who have been abused, emotionally maltreated, or neglected;
- (B) meet the medical and developmental needs of these children;
- (C) support relationships between children and their parents, siblings, and kin, as specified by OKDHS;
- (D) connect children to safe, nurturing relationships; and
- (E) collaborate with OKDHS as a team member;
(19) provide a home that is clean and safe;
(20) have a house assessment completed;
(21) have extended family or friends to provide support and child care other than, or in addition to, licensed child care paid by OKDHS;
(22) submit verification of employment when requesting OKDHS paid child care services for a child in foster care;
(23) acknowledge and agree to abide by applicable Oklahoma statutes and OKDHS rules regarding the child in their care that include, but are not limited to:
- (A) OKDHS, as the legal custodian of the child, has the right to move any child from any foster home at any time when in the child's best interests and in accordance with statutes governing movement of children;
- (B) the necessity of maintaining and respecting the confidential nature of all information regarding a child placed in the Bridge resource home. A breach of confidentiality may be grounds for closure of the Bridge resource home and termination of the foster care contract; and
- (C) the requirement that OKDHS investigate or assess allegations of abuse, neglect, or maltreatment of any child in OKDHS custody placed in an approved Bridge resource home in the same manner as any other abuse or neglect investigation or assessment conducted by OKDHS;
(24) notify OKDHS whenever any member of the Bridge resource family is seriously ill or hospitalized;
(25) provide a physician's statement, once approved as a Bridge resource parent:
- (A) for any hospital stay;
- (B) for ongoing outpatient medical or mental health care, including psychological counseling; or
- (C) upon OKDHS request;
(26) agree to provide foster care as a planned, temporary placement for the child whose permanency plan is family reunification or other permanency plan;
(27) work as a member of a professional multidisciplinary team with OKDHS staff to develop a permanency plan for each child placed;
(28) participate in an initial meeting with the parent(s);
(29) share parenting of the child in care with the parent(s), who may have different values and lifestyles;
(30) be willing to actively mentor the parent in helping them improve their ability to safely care for their child;
(31) treat all information regarding the child and family as confidential, only sharing such information necessary to obtain services for the child or with persons who are directly involved with the case;
(32) be willing to accept placement of siblings;
(33) participate in the development of an effective parent and child visitation plan that may include contact with the parents and siblings, if siblings are separated;
(34) comply with OKDHS rules on discipline;
(35) meet and maintain requirements necessary for continued approval as a foster home;
(36) participate in the re-assessment of the Bridge resource home and the evaluation of the OKDHS Foster Care program and services;
(37) utilize the foster care maintenance payment for the care and maintenance of the child's basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, incidentals, non-prescription medications, including special activity fees, allowances, and recreational opportunities;
(38) utilize the clothing allowance included in the foster care maintenance payment to provide adequate clothing for the child placed; and
(39) comply with all Oklahoma statutes relating to the care and support of minors including those that prohibit the use of tobacco, alcohol, or non-prescribed medications.

(c) Specific inquiries. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients and OKDHS employees may apply to be OKDHS Bridge resource families. • 2

(d) Requests from other states. When former foster parents apply in another state to be a foster resource and that state requests information about the foster parents from OKDHS, Children and Family Services Division Foster Care Section responds to the request. • 3

(e) Disposition of application. The application will be accepted or denied. If denied, the reasons for denial are discussed with the applicant. • 3

INSTRUCTIONS TO STAFF 340:75-7-12

Revised 12-15-11

1. Response to Bridge resource inquiry. When the Bridge resource inquiry is received by the Bridge Resource Support Center, paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection are completed by the support center and the Child Welfare (CW) specialist proceeds to paragraph (3) of this Instruction. When the Bridge resource inquiry is received by the local Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) office, CW specialist:

(1) responds within three business days of the inquiry by mailing a Bridge information packet to the prospective applicant;

(2) documents each inquiry in the KIDS Pre-Resource screen by noting the referral source;

(3) makes face-to-face or telephone contact within five business days after mailing the Bridge information packet and at two week intervals until the applicant's interest is determined;

(4) discusses with each potential applicant the:

(A) basic responsibilities and requirements expected of a foster parent;

(B) children requiring out-of-home placement; and

(C) elements of the application and training process;

(5) discusses with the applicant his or her ability to meet the day-to-day needs of a child, such as providing a stimulating environment and ensuring a child the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities.

(A) When the applicant does not have the ability or willingness to meet the responsibilities and requirements, the CW specialist explains the application may be denied.

(B) When the applicant still wishes to make a formal application, the application is accepted and processed;

(6) carefully considers the responses of each potential applicant to the explanation of the focus and goals of OKDHS programs;

(7) obtains information regarding the person's particular circumstances, motivation, and ability to foster a child in OKDHS custody; and

(8) makes referrals to other Children and Family Services Division (CFSD) units, such as Adoption Services, or other divisions within OKDHS, such as Oklahoma Child Care Services or Office of Volunteerism, when the applicant's needs or expectations may be better met through other sources.

2.   Lawful residents. When the applicant is not a United States citizen, lawful residence documentation is required, scanned, and saved in the pre-resource KIDS file cabinet. When questions arise regarding whether the documentation provided is appropriate:

(1) the resource specialist emails the documents to OKDHS Children and Family Services Division (CFSD) Foster Care Section for review and consultation; and

(2) CFSD makes a determination and provides a written response within three business days of receipt of the documents.

3.   Foster parent eligibility.

(1) TANF recipients. The assessment process explores the ability of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipient to provide for the child's needs pending receipt of the foster care maintenance payment.

(2) OKDHS employees. An OKDHS employee interested in becoming a Bridge resource parent submits a written inquiry to the employee's supervisor. When the employee is assigned to CW, the written inquiry is also sent to the Child Welfare field liaison (CWFL).

(A) Assessment of the request. Each applicant's request requires assessment on a case-by-case basis. The supervisor and county director or division director, as applicable, discuss the:

(i) potential for a conflict of interest between the role as an employee and that of an OKDHS Bridge resource parent;

(ii) type of leave the employee is required to request when taking the foster child to appointments such as family visits or court; and

(iii) employee's understanding that employment with OKDHS is not used as a means to obtain information about the child's case or gain services.

(B) Written request. The county director or division director, as applicable, submits the application request in writing to the CFSD Foster Care Section. The request documents the discussion of conflict of interest and the separation of job duties as an OKDHS employee and Bridge resource parent.

(C) Written approval. The Bridge resource family assessment process for an OKDHS employee is initiated only after receiving written approval from the Foster Care Section.

(D) Placement considerations. When an OKDHS employee is an approved Bridge resource or tribal foster parent:

(i) a child assigned to the employee's caseload is not placed with the employee for OKDHS or tribal foster care;

(ii) a child, assigned to a CW specialist in same county as the employee's work assignment, is not placed with the employee except when a kinship relationship between the employee and child exists;

(iii) the employee's resource case is assigned to a resource specialist in a county outside the employee's assigned county; and

(iv) the employee's resource and the child's KK case are restricted in KIDS.

(3) Foreign exchange students. A Bridge resource parent or applicant cannot accept foreign exchange students while providing care for a child in OKDHS custody.

4.   Inquiries from other states. Requests from other states, agencies, or persons for information from an active or closed resource are routed to CFSD Foster Care Section for response.

(1) The CFSD Foster Care Section requests information from the county, when necessary.

(2) The county office removes all reference information and child abuse and neglect information from the requested resource record before sending the information to the CFSD Foster Care Section.

5.   Denying the Bridge resource application. When the application is denied:

(1) specific information obtained is provided to the applicant in writing and is documented in the KIDS Pre-Resource screen;

(2) Form 04MP056E, Notice to the Court of Relative Denied Placement, is provided to the court per OAC 340:75-7-18; and

(3) the pre-resource is closed:

(i) within one week after a decision has been made to deny the application; or

(ii) when the applicant has not expressed interest within 45 days.

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