CHILD WELFARE MANUAL

3.1.1 Administrative Hold

Administrative Hold is used in responding to certain licensing situations which will more effectively serve resource parents, the Children’s Division and most importantly, the safety of children. All suspensions entered on the Vendor Licensure Approval and Renewal FACES page, require notification of an adverse action which is open to appeal. The Administrative Hold status reflects a less punitive and negative connotation and is not open to appeal. The Administrative Hold status does not prevent the license or approval from expiring.

Depending on the nature of the allegation and the risk assessment, the provider may be placed on Administrative Hold with a corrective action and support plan implemented with no other children placed in the home until the issue is resolved and the Hold status is removed. If no immediate safety risk factors exist to the children during the investigation assessment (IA), the children currently in the home should not be removed. If, at the time of the investigation assessment, it is determined the child will be removed, either at the request of the resource provider or by the investigator, the child’s case manager should be notified in order to schedule a Family Support Team meeting.

The resource development worker should be having and documenting their regular, ongoing discussions with the resource provider regarding any licensing concerns prior to a change in their licensing status. For an Administrative Hold, the resource development worker should notify the provider via a phone call as soon as possible. A follow-up letter should then be sent explaining why the Hold is in effect and how it can be removed or resolved. If the Hold was requested by the provider, the resource development worker should follow up with a letter verifying their request.

Administrative Hold is required in the following circumstances:

  1. An Out-of-Home Investigation (OHI) is under way involving Legal Status 1 children in the resource provider’s home. The Administrative Hold should remain in effect until the investigation is concluded and all corrective actions and support plans, if any, are successfully completed and documented in the record.
  2. A CAN investigation or assessment is under way involving non-Legal Status 1 children in the resource provider’s household. The Administrative Hold should remain in effect until the IA is concluded and all corrective actions and support plans, if any, are successfully completed and documented in the record.
  3. Licensing concerns have been noted and a staffing is under way. The Administrative Hold should remain in effect until all corrective actions and support plans, if any, are successfully completed and documented in the record. A status of Administrative Hold does not prevent the license from expiring. If licensing concerns are not resolved before the license expires, the home is closed.

All licenses and approvals must be renewed prior to the expiration date.

If a resource home does not complete all the requirements at least ninety (90) days prior to the expiration, the License and Approval Renewal Letter, CD102, is sent to the resource family reporting the requirements necessary for the home to be renewed.

If the home continues to not meet renewal requirements, the CD-102 letter should be sent again sixty (60) days prior to the expiration date.

If the home continues to not meet renewal requirements thirty (30) days prior to the expiration date, the CD-102 should be sent again and the home placed on Administrative Hold.

Administrative Hold status does not prevent the license or approval from expiring. It does, however, allow for data entry in the comment section on the Licensure and Approval and Renewal Screen in FACES regarding the facts of why the home is being placed on Administrative Hold.

Level A, Level B, Medical, Respite, and Level B Respite, are vendor types not licenses. The decisions to deny or revoke are not open for appeal as these are contractual services decisions and not licensure decisions.

If there are placements in the home, plans should be initiated for the children to be moved. Foster youth may not be in an unlicensed foster home without a court order. (The only exception is a relative applicant who is pursuing licensure. Foster youth may remain in the unlicensed relative home for up to ninety (90) days while the applicants are pursuing licensure.)

  1. A resource provider moving to another county, circuit or agency should be placed on Administrative Hold.
  2. The resource provider has experienced a significant change in household composition, health, employment, etc. The Administrative Hold should remain in effect until the provider’s situation has been reassessed and the home assessment has been updated. Every effort should be made to complete these actions within two (2) weeks, per the Council on Accreditation (COA). The worker should document all attempts to meet this timeframe, including the provider’s specific actions of non-compliance within that time.

The Administrative Hold is available, but optional in a variety of circumstances, such as, but not limited to:

  1. The resource provider has had a new birth and needs time to adjust.
  2. The resource provider feels they need “a break”.
  3. The Family Support Team has recommended that the resource provider cease new placements during the period of adjustment for an adopted child.
  4. The resource provider has a biological ot adopted child placed in residential care. Per memo CD05-22, no additional children will be placed in the home without the approval of the Circuit Manager (CM) or designee. The provider may need time to work with the child placed in residential care.

If there are questions whether an Administrative Hold or suspend should be implemented, staff should consult with first or second level supervisors for guidance.

The Administrative Hold is selected as the suspend reason on the Vendor Licensure, Approval and Renewal screen in FACES. The Administrative Hold status does not prevent the license or approval from expiring.