Ky.gov
Effective: 10/4/2023

12.9 Foster Adoptive Home Case Management

Legal Authority

Introduction

​​​​​​Recruitment and certification (R&C) staff play a unique role in service provision in the child welfare system. A knowledge of the complex needs of children in out-of-home care (OOHC) and supporting their caregivers is a necessary skill of these staff. Foster and adoptive homes have specialized case management needs, including supportive services, training, ongoing approval, and strengths and risk assessment. This is achieved through home visits, supervision, and re-evaluations. ​​


Practice Guidance

Procedure

Prior to foster home approval, the R&C worker:​
  1. ​​Conducts face-to-face home visits in the applicant’s home as required by the SAFE home study. These visits will be documented in service recordings, or FSOS will document all supervision/consultations held during the SAFE home study process in service recordings, including any recommendation or action planning; and 
  2. ​Documents a minimum of one (1) contact monthly updating the progress of the home study, including pending paperwork or other barriers.
After foster home approval, the R&C worker:
  1. Conducts, at a minimum, quarterly face-to-face home visits to the foster adoptive home. 1 The R&C worker shall assess and review the following, including but not limited to: 
    1. The well-being of the children currently placed in the home, (i.e., objectives of the child/youth action plan); 
    2. Involvement with service providers and the need for increased services; 
    3. The foster adoptive family’s current strengths; 
    4. The foster adoptive family’s current needs; including additional supports through respite, mentorship, or training; 
    5. The foster adoptive family’s current training requirements/needs; 
    6. Review of clothing receipts; 
    7. Review of the success or barriers of the current partnership plan; 
    8. Any changes in the household composition or significant changes within the family dynamic or structure; 
    9. Family’s ability to accept additional placement or increase their capacity to take children with higher needs; and 
    10. Review of any prior action plans developed during the re-evaluation, foster/adoptive home review, or child-specific waiver panel; 
  2. Conducts monthly face-to-face home visits to medically complex and care plus foster homes that have current placement of children with that specific determination; 
  3. Increases face-to-face home visits to support a foster/adoptive home that is expressing increased stressors and placement instability, to provide support and identify additional services; 
  4. Contacts (via phone, email, or face-to-face outside of the home) the foster/adoptive parent(s) during months that a quarterly home visit does not occur, to assess any needs and documents contact in service recordings. 
  5. Conducts a face-to-face home visit within or prior to the anniversary month of the third (3rd) year of the foster/adoptive home’s initial approval to complete the re-evaluation. During this home visit, all household members, including any children currently placed in the home, must be present. The FSOS will participate in monthly supervision to assess the current status of the home and document in service recordings. The consultation will include: 
    1. Current status of home; 
    2. Children currently placed in the home; 
    3. Current exceptions; 
    4. Review of any prior action plans developed during the re-evaluation, foster/adoptive home review, or the child specific waiver panels; and 
    5. Discussion of a child specific foster homes need for ongoing training or waivers.​
  6. Assess ​foster/adoptive parents'​ knowledge and understanding of safe sleep practices when the family or household includes any infant(s) up to one (1) year of age. 
    1. ​​​When speaking with the foster/adoptive family, specifically ask where the child sleeps and request to observe the sleep space.
    2. Provide the Safe Sleep Guidance for Foster Parents to the foster/adoptive placement.
​​

Footnotes​

  1. This visit may occur with one or both of the foster/adoptive parents present.

Documents

Revisions

​10/4/2023 Addition: 

6.  Assess ​foster/adoptive parents'​ knowledge and understanding of safe sleep practices when the family or household includes any infant(s) up to one (1) year of age. 

    1. ​​​When speaking with the foster/adoptive family, specifically ask where the child sleeps and request to observe the sleep space.
    2. Provide the Safe Sleep Guidance for Foster Parents to the foster/adoptive placement.