Effective Date: 10-1-2021
A Family Based Residential placement is in which maintenance payments may be made for an eligible child in the legal care and custody of Children’s Division to be placed with their parent in a licensed residential family-based treatment facility for substance abuse for up to 12 months.
To qualify for maintenance payments, the recommendation for placement must be agreed up by the Family Support Team and documented in the child’s case plan before the placement. Placement with a parent in a Family Based Residential placement can only be considered for the following eligible youth:
- Eligible child have been physically removed from a home pursuant to a court order. A “legal” or “constructive” removal is acceptable.
- There must be a judicial determination signed by a judge stating that remaining in the home would be contrary to the child’s welfare or that out of home placement would be in the child’s best interest. This determination must be made in the very first court order that authorizes the removal of the child from the home, regardless of whether there is an emergency or a non-emergency.
- A judicial determination of reasonable efforts to prevent a child’s removal from the home or a statement that reasonable efforts are not required must be specified in a court order and must be made no later than 60 days from the date the child is removed from the home.
To qualify for maintenance payments, the treatment facility must provide parenting skills training, parent education, and individual and family counseling. The substance abuse treatment, parenting skills training, parent education, and individual and family counseling must be provided under an organizational structure and treatment framework that involves understanding, recognizing, and responding to the effects of all types of trauma and in accordance with recognized principles of a trauma-informed approach and trauma-specific interventions to address the consequences of trauma and facilitate healing
These settings are not licensed by the Children’s Division. The Children’s Division is collaborating with the Missouri Department of Mental Health, through the Division of Behavioral Health (DBH), who provides substance use treatment services through a network of community-based providers. These contracted services include Comprehensive Substance Treatment and Rehabilitation (CSTAR), which encompasses an array of services designed to promote independent, maximize functioning in the community, and promote the ability to achieve and maintain recovery. Each treatment facility is licensed and contracted with DBH to comply with the federal requirements for Women’s and Children’s CSTAR programs.
The Children’s Division anticipates that additional CSTAR facilities will meet the requirements necessary for maintenance payments in the coming years.
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