30.19 Child Care Assistance-Introduction

Introduction

​​​​​The Division of Protection and Permanency (DPP) assists families in determining if child care is an appropriate service to meet the needs of the child. The DCC-113 Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) Information for Workers form provides general information concerning child care assistance services, including types of child care, eligibility requirements, family co-payments and the SSW's responsibilities in administration of the child care assistance program.

​​​​​

The SSW assesses the family to determine if they qualify for income based child care assistance, or if child care could be provided as a part of a family support related program. Preventive child care assistance may be approved when the provision of child care assistance prevents further child protective service (CPS) intervention as documented in a family’s assessment, case plan and/or aftercare plan following a child protective services (CPS) investigation. Preventative assistance can also be used to support children placed with relative or fictive kin caregivers as a result of substantiated abuse or neglect.

Protective child care assistance may be approved when abuse, neglect or dependency has been substantiated and the family has a need for child care as indicated in the family’s assessment, case plan and/or aftercare plan.

Both types of child care require identification of an assessed protection or preventive need, not only a financial need, and are time limited. Court ordered child care that does not meet this threshold should be appealed timely with the assistance of the regional attorney.

Referrals for child care assistance on resource linkages are not appropriate and will not be accepted. Protection and Permanency (P&P) field staff may also approve child care assistance for teen parents attending high school or GED classes by completing and routing the DCC-85 Approval for Child Care Assistance. Teen parents are a separate category of eligibility on the DCC-85.

Practice Guidance

Procedure

Revisions