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C12.22 Parenting Youth In Out-of-Home Care (OOHC)

Legal Authority

KRS 605.120 Payments to home where children are placed reimbursement system for foster parents-Pilor ...

922 KAR 1;520 High risk supplement for resource home. ...

Introduction

To best support parenting youth who are in out-of-home care (OOHC), and their children, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (Cabinet/CHFS) will ensure there are supports and services available that incorporate the research on optimal development and promote a youth’s health and development

Practice Guidance

There are occasions when a parenting youth enters foster care with their own biological child. The parenting youth may be committed to the Cabinet; however, if there are no concerns or safety threats surrounding the parenting youth's ability to care for the child, the child remains in the parenting youth's custody.
The parenting youth supplement provides a payment to the foster parent or caregiver to help meet the everyday needs of the parenting youth's child. In retaining custody of their child, the parenting youth, with the support of their foster parent, will be able to apply for services such as child care assistance through the Division of Family Support (DFS).
The parenting youth may be eligible for services through the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) for a child who remains in their custody without the child being a “candidate for foster care".
Guidance regarding parenting youth in OOHC includes parenting fathers, as well as mothers.

Procedure

The SSW:

Ensures that the parenting youth and their child, covered under the parenting youth supplement, remain together in placement. The SSW will explain to the placement that the parenting youth has retained custody of their own child and will sign all future parental forms and/or applications;
Completes the DPP-116 Parenting Youth Supplement Contract within seventy-two (72) hours of placement, and will distribute copies to the following:

Original to the regional billing clerk;
Copy to private child care (PCC) agency or DCBS foster home (if applicable);
Copy to recruitment and certification (R&C) worker;
Copy to children’s benefit worker (CBW);
Copy for case record; and
Copy to foster parent and/or caregiver.

Assists the parenting youth in selecting an appropriate high-quality early care and education setting as needed, such as Early Head Start or a licensed or certified child care provider that participates in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). If a licensed or certified provider is selected, assists parenting youth in applying for child care assistance and other services for their dependent child through DFS at: Kentucky Benefits | kynect;
Assists the parenting youth in applying for Women, Infants, and Children's Program (WIC) services;
Assists the parenting youth in determining whether they and their child would benefit from other early childhood services, such as Kentucky Early Intervention System (KEIS) services or the Health Access Nurturing Development Services (HANDS) program, and makes referrals to services as needed;
Assists the parenting youth in obtaining a birth certificate and/or Social Security card for their child;
Follows practice guidance and procedures in SOP C3.7 Early Childhood Services for Parenting Youth and Young Parents Who Experienced Out of Home Care to assess the needs of the young parent and their child and ensure early childhood and parenting needs are fully met;
Facilitates the Parenting Together Plan (PTP) within the first thirty (30) days of placement, and invites supports to the parenting youth, such as the transitional living specialist (TLS), case managers, foster parent(s), or therapist;
Ensures the PTP reflects the rights and responsibilities of the parenting youth, including but not limited to:

Creating a schedule for the parenting youth and provider (who is responsible and daily routines/expectations) and expected parenting skills of the child;
Linking the parenting youth with a local parenting program (i.e., HANDS if applicable or other local program);
Creating a plan if there is a disagreement with a parenting decision; and
Implementing interventions (if necessary).

Ensures the PTP is updated every six (6) months thereafter, or if circumstances change;
Makes a report to centralized intake (CI) if there are any concerns about abuse, neglect, or dependency regarding the parenting youth and their child;
Consults with the FSOS to ensure that safety measures for the parenting youth’s child are in place if a parenting youth is removed from a foster home, private child placing (PCP), or PCC, based on behaviors, medical needs, or other identified issues, and discusses the following:

If the child can successfully be placed with the parenting youth, the child will continue to reside with the parenting youth;
If there are concerns for the safety of the parenting youth’s child, the SSW will report to CI to determine if the alleged abuse or neglect meets acceptance criteria. If it does meet acceptance criteria, the SSW will assist the investigator in completing the DPP-1275 Relative Exploration Form or determine if a child can continue to remain in placement with the parenting youth;
If the report does not meet acceptance criteria for investigation of abuse, neglect, or dependency, the SSW will implement additional resources for the parenting youth to parent the child successfully; and
If the parenting youth leaves a placement without their child, does not have an identified plan in place, and/or becomes AWOL, the SSW makes a report to CI.

May refer the parenting youth for Family First prevention services if these in-home services would be beneficial to the parenting youth and their child.