Ky.gov
  • Standards of Practice Manual
  • 10
  • 10.3 Non-Priority Request to Place a Kentucky Child in Another State with a Parent, Relative, or Fictive Kin Caregiver
Effective: 10/19/2022

10.3 Non-Priority Request to Place a Kentucky Child in Another State with a Parent, Relative, or Fictive Kin Caregiver

Legal Authority

Introduction

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Practice Guidance

  • The interstate home study is completed within thirty (30) calendar days and may not exceed sixty (60) calendar days upon receipt by the receiving state’s local office. 
  • KRS 615.030 and the compact allows the receiving state of a requested interstate home study to request of the sending state additional information as it may deem necessary under the circumstances to carry out the purpose and policy of this compact. 
  • Incomplete referral packets will be pended back in the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC) module in TWIST. 
  • The interstate compact may not apply when the court orders a child to be placed with a non-custodial parent who lives out-of-state. In this situation, the two states must work together to come to an agreement regarding details of the child’s placement (refer to Regulation 3). 
  • The Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) does not require that prospective out-of-state relative placements be licensed or approved for foster care prior to placement. However, if the receiving state requires this certification, Kentucky will ensure all qualifications are met and will forward documentation to the appropriate ICPC office. The worker will need to explore options with a relative or fictive kin caregiver provider based on the licensure or certification requirements in their state to ensure there are no long-term barriers to permanency. 
  • Requests for parent or relative home studies outside of the United States are not governed by the ICPC. The SSW or FSOS may work directly with the child welfare agency in the specific country or the international social service, and can be contacted at the following address: 
  • International Social Service—United States of America Branch, Inc. (ISS-USA)
    200 E. Lexington Street, Suite 1700
    Baltimore, MD 21202
    Telephone: 443-451-1200
    Fax: 443-451-1220
    Email: iss-usa@iss-usa.org 
  • Website: www.iss-usa.org​

Procedure

The SSW:
  1. Requests a parent or relative/fictive kin caregiver interstate home study or safety check and review of the home electronically through TWIST.
  2. Utilizes the ICPC Checklist and ensures the referral packet contains the information below in the following order: 
    1. The ICPC Cover Letter Statement of Family Case Manager; 1 
    2. A completed ICPC-100A-Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children Request form for each child (please refer to Instructions for Completing Form ICPC-100A); 
    3. Current court commitment/custody orders, dated within the last twelve (12) months; 2 
    4. Assessment (ADT) or the Structured Decision Making (SDM®) safety and risk assessment; 
    5. DPP-1281 Family Case Plan​; 
    6. DPP-178 Acknowledgement Statement Options and Available Services for Relative and Fictive Kin Caregivers ​​​​

    7. Social history/needs assessment (if available); 
    8. Medical records/history (to include immunization records and the DPP-106 series forms); 
    9. School records (grades, attendance, IEP, behavior reports, etc., if applicable); 
    10. Completed ICPC Financial/Medical Plan form regarding how the resource/Cabinet for Health and Family Services (Cabinet) will meet the financial and medical needs of the child; 
    11. DCBS 1262A Title IV-E Eligibility Financial Budget​;  
    12. Copy of the child(ren)’s birth certificate and Social Security card; and 3 
    13. Verification of paternity if the biological father is not listed on the birth certificate (this may include paternity testing, a marriage license, or child support documentation/court order); 
  3. Follows additional procedures in SOP 10.4 Request to Place a Kentucky Child in Another State with a Parent or Relative/Fictive Kin Caregiver Court Jurisdiction Only Cases if the court has granted temporary custody of the abused, neglected, or dependent child to someone other than the Cabinet and the Cabinet is court ordered and/or requesting a home study on a parent or relative from another state; 
  4. Treats any home study received from another state, tribe, or private agency under contract with a state/tribe as meeting any Cabinet requirement for the completion of the home study; unless, within fourteen (14) calendar days of receipt of the report, the state determines, based on grounds specific to the content of the report, that making a decision in reliance on the report would be contrary to the welfare of the child; and 
  5. Documents decisions about interstate placements thoroughly in the child’s case record and on the case plan.
The ICPC office electronically submits through TWIST or if unavailable mails or e-mails:
  1. The ICPC-100A–Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children Request and packets to the receiving state's ICPC office for processing within three (3) working days of receipt of the referral packet; and 
  2. A copy of the approved or denied home study from the other state to the case specific Cabinet staff.  i.e., SSW, FSOS, CFM, etc.  
The SSW notifies the Kentucky ICPC office, via e-mail:
  1. Once it is determined that the parent or relative home is approved for placement, or that it will not be utilized; and
  2. Regarding the child’s placement date (as requested on the cover letter), if the parent or relative home is utilized for placement. 4

Contingencies and Clarifications

  1. If a child is removed from a caretaker in Christian, Trigg, or Todd counties in Kentucky, and an appropriate relative is located in Montgomery County Tennessee, the SSW may follow provisions of the Tennessee/Kentucky Border Agreement for expedited placement. Any questions regarding the border agreement should be directed to the Deputy Compact Administrator, who can be reached at CHFS.Interstate@ky.gov​. 
  2. If a child is removed from a caretaker in Boone, Campbell, or Kenton counties in Kentucky, and an appropriate relative is located in Hamilton County Ohio, the SSW may follow provisions of the Ohio/Kentucky Border Agreement for expedited placement. Any questions regarding the border agreement should be directed to the Deputy Compact Administrator, who can be reached at CHFS.Interstate@ky.gov. 
  3. For fictive kin caregiver requests follow procedures in SOP 5.1 Relative and Fictive Kin Evaluation and Placement Consideration.

Related Information

The central intake telephone number for Tennessee is:

  • 1-877-237-0004

This is the telephone number that should be utilized when initiating a placement utilizing the Kentucky/Tennessee Border Agreement.

The central intake telephone number for Ohio is:

  • 1-513-241-KIDS (5437)

This is the telephone number that should be utilized when initiating a placement utilizing the Ohio/Kentucky Border Agreement.

Footnotes

  1. Click on cover letter link to complete the template provided. This will create a consistent, uniform format to be mailed to the receiving state along with prompting the user to complete the necessary information required on the cover letter. 
  2. The adjudication, disposition, or annual permanency review court order is preferred/recommended. 
  3. Federal law requires proof of title IV-E eligibility and citizenship/identity for any child whose receipt of Medicaid is part of their ICPC financial/medical plan. 
  4. Placement approval is valid for six (6) months from the date on the ICPC-100A Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children Request.

Documents

Revisions

​​10/17/22 addition: 

  • Incomplete referral packets will be pended back in the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC) module in TWIST. 

​​​Delete Deputy Compact Administrator phone number and replace with email address: CHFS.Interstate@ky.gov​. 

Delete: The Kentucky Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC) office copies the SSW or FSOS on all correspondence to/from the requesting state. 

Delete