CHILD WELFARE MANUAL

Section 6, Chapter 3 (Resource Family Assessment and Licensing Process), Subsection 8, subsection 1 – (Resource Provider Family Assessment Recording Outline)

3.8.1 Resource Provider Family Assessment Recording Outline

Reason for Study

  1. Type of study
  2. Motivation of applicant

Summary of Contacts: Include dates and places of contact, and with whom contact was made.

Description of Household Members: Include about each household member all applicable information as follows:

  1. Full name, sex and date of birth
  2. Ethnic and racial background as required by 13 CSR 35-60.030.pdf_
  3. Attitude toward children (most important of all) (as required by 13 CSR 35-60.030)
  4. Social history
  5. Marital history
  6. Military history
  7. Education
  8. Health
  9. Employment history (as required by 13 CSR 35-60.030)
  10. Extended family
  11. Household pets

Family Relationships:

  1. Present marriage – roles, responsibilities; stability of relationship if not married
  2. Resource parent life style and practices (as required by 13 CSR 35-60.030) (i.e. may comprise their attitude toward living, work, family, and leisure activities)
  3. Interaction between parents and/or children ( as required by 13 CSR 35-60.030)
  4. Group activities and shared interests
  5. Communication system
  6. Religious practices and preferences of each family member (as required by 13 CSR 35-60.030)
  7. Methods of discipline (as required by 13 CSR 35-60.030)
    1. Understanding that one child shall not be permitted to discipline another child in the foster home
    2. No foster child shall be deprived of mail or family visits as a form of discipline
  8. Educational practices of the resource provider (as required by 13 CSR 35-60.030) (i.e. preference of schooling: public, private, or home schooling; thoughts on the importance of education on a child’s future)

Financial Status: 13 CSR 35-60.090

  1. Source and amount of income
  2. Management/indebtedness

Health Status: 13 CSR 35-60.030

  1. Summarize information from medical forms, coupled with information gained from interviews for all household members.
    1. If there are health problems, how do the family members cope with them? If there is a disability, how do other family members compensate?
    2. Secure from their physician a health statement for each household member on the prescribed form, CW-215.
    3. History of hospitalization for either physical or emotional problems for all household members.
    4. History of treatment for any psychiatric problem for all household members.
    5. History of treatment for any form of substance abuse, including drugs and alcohol, for all household members 
  2. If any household member smokes, discuss the locations and frequency that foster youth will be exposed to secondhand smoke. Refer the family to the required pre-service video. Each resource parent completes the training and receives a one hour in-service training credit using code V113, Secondhand Smoke Exposure. Discuss the resource parent(s)’ plan to talk to foster youth about smoking and modeling healthy choices. Complete the Notification of Hazards, CD-101.
  3. For adoptive resource include information about the age differential between applicant and child(ren). If the differential indicates the child could not be reared to adulthood, include a description of the plans the applicants have made with the immediate or extended family members to assume this responsibility.

The Home and Environment:

  1. Structure of environment to ensure safety and health of child
  2. Description of home and surroundings
    1. Proper lighting and ventilation
    2. Screen doors and windows
    3. Interior doors designed to permit opening of a locked door from the outside in an emergency
    4. Space for indoor play
    5. Access to outdoor play space
    6. Outdoor play space fenced if, in the judgement of the division, potential hazards suggest the necessity for such protection
    7. Mobile homes shall have an exit at each end of the home, lattice or solid skirting and be securely anchored by cable to the ground
    8. There shall be no surveillance cameras in areas of the home that violate the privacy of the foster youth, e.g. bathrooms and dressing areas
    9. If there is a swimming pool, hot tub, or spa, confirm and document:
      1. A barrier on all sides
      2. Access to the pool must have their methods of access through the barrier equipped with a safety device, such as a bolt lock
      3. Swimming pools must be equipped with a life saving device, such as a ring buoy
      4. If the swimming pool cannot be emptied after each use, the pool must have a working pump and filtering system.
      5. Hot tubs and spas must have safety covers that are locked when not in use.
  1. Sleeping Arrangements
    1. Foster children shall not sleep in any building, apartment, or other structure which is separate from the foster family home; nor shall any foster child be permitted to sleep in an unfinished attic, in an unfinished basement, or in a hall or any other room which is normally used for other than sleeping arrangements.
    2. Foster children shall not be permitted to sleep in finished basement bedrooms or in bedrooms above the second floor of a single family dwelling unless suitable provision has been made for heating, ventilation, and humidity control and all exits from these bedrooms have been approved by the division.
    3. At night a responsible adult shall sleep within call of the foster children.
    4. Foster children of the opposite sex, who are six (6) years of age or older, shall not sleep in the same room. The best interest of the child in terms of safety and appropriateness must be considered with the age of any child.
    5. Foster children shall not sleep in the bedroom of an adult age twenty-one (21) years and older.
    6. Each foster child under the age of two (2) has a crib, bassinet, portable crib, or play yard that conforms to the safety standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
    7. Each bed or crib shall be of a size as to insure comfort of the foster child, shall have a firm mattress or an orthopedic supportive surface, in good, clean condition with waterproof covering, if needed, and suitable covers adequate to the season.
    8. Foster children two (2) years of age or older shall not sleep in the bedroom of the foster parents except for special temporary care, such as during a child’s illness. Foster children should never sleep in a bed with foster parents.
    9. Each foster child over two (2) is provided with a safe sleeping space including sleeping supplies such as a mattress and linens, as appropriate for the child’s needs and age and similar to other household members. The abuse and neglect history of each child should be taken into consideration before allowing them to share a bed with another child.
    10. Separate and accessible drawer space for personal belongings and closet space for clothing shall be available for each foster child.
  • Evaluate:
  • Housekeeping standards; free from accumulation of dirt and trash and any evidence of vermin and rodent infestations.
  • Special safety considerations and particularly those that relate to foster family home rules.
  • Confirmation of safe private water supply
  • Working telephone and emergency numbers posted
  • Evacuation plan posted
  • Every room used for sleeping, living or dining have at least 2 means of exit. At least one shall be a door or stairway providing a means of unobstructed travel to the outside
  • No room or space shall be occupied for living or sleeping purposes which is accessible only by a ladder, folding stairs or through a trap door
  • In an apartment building where the family lives above the second floor there must be an exit stairway
  • Operating smoke detector installed where sleeping areas can be alerted.
  • Charged fire extinguisher of at least five pounds near the kitchen area
  • Heating appliances do not block escape routes
  • Fireplaces, wood stoves, heaters, radiators, or floor furnaces protected as required by local ordinances
  • A working carbon monoxide detector in homes with gas appliances
  • Ensure flammable liquids, matches, cleaning supplies, poisonous materials, and other hazardous items are stored so as to be inaccessible to children.
  • Ensure all medication (prescription, non-prescription, and authorized) and all alcohol shall be stored so as to be inaccessible to children/youth taking into consideration the age and mental capacities of the youth. If the medications are accessible to foster youth, staff must document either a plan for making the medications inaccessible or an explanation of why the medications are allowed to be accessible by foster youth (i.e. a child is moving toward independent living and is learning self-sufficiency skills).

Weapons 13 CSR 35-60.040

Staff must personally view any weapons and their storage to assure compliance with the licensing rules. Staff shall not violate statute 571.500 by requiring a list of the weapons that the resource parent owns or keeps in the home.

  1. Any and all firearms and ammunition not being carried on one’s person shall be stored in locked secured areas or cabinets with keys or other locking mechanisms so as to be inaccessible to children.
  2. Firearms and ammunition on one’s person in the presence of a foster child shall be held in a secure holster and not accessible to children subject to the following: No firearms shall be present in any vehicle transporting foster children unless the firearms are: in a locked glovebox, in a locked container, or in a secure holster inaccessible to children, when carried or concealed on a person possessing a concealed carry permit. (An exception will be made for any person transporting a foster child who must carry a weapon as part of their job responsibilities— i.e., law enforcement officers.) No firearms possessed in violation of a state or federal law or a local government ordinance shall be present at any time in the home, on any household member, or in any vehicle in which the children are riding.
  3. Weapons storage shall be made available for external viewing by Children’s Division staff in order to assure weapons are inaccessible to children.

Transportation 13 CSR 35-60.050

Document how the resource parents will be compliant with the following regulations:

  1. The foster parent(s) shall provide proper insurance coverage if foster children are transported in a private vehicle. Safety standards for the vehicle shall be within the minimum requirements of the law and the vehicle shall be operated by a person with a valid operating license.
  2. All children shall be secured in the car by car seats or seat belts as required by law.
  3. The foster parent(s) shall cooperate with the agency in providing transportation as indicated by the individual needs of each foster child including, but not limited to, medical and dental appointments, educational or training programs, and counseling.
  4. Reimbursement of mileage allowed per Children’s Division policy is not a guaranteed payment and is subject to the same restraints as provided in the Department of Social Services Administrative Manual travel policy for state employees.

Attitudes Toward Foster and Adoptive Services: 13 CSR 35-60.030

  1. Type of child desired
  2. Attitude toward birth parents and siblings and frequent visiting; willingness to work with whole family. Ability to and examples of how applicant will co-parent with the foster youth’s parent(s) or guardian(s)
  3. Special considerations, i.e., medically fragile, behaviorally disordered, cultural diversities, sibling groups
  4. Open to agency supervision
  5. Parenting skills (include information from interviews and the Foster Family Profile: expression of positive feelings toward a child both verbally and physically; response to child’s verbal and physical expression of needs and wants; discipline techniques used to refrain from using corporal punishment; ability to guide a child toward independence and recognize the immaturity of a child.)
  6. Demonstration of how they will provide care that is respectful and supportive of the youth’s cultural identity and needs and individuality
  7. Explanation of how they will provide for the moral training of foster children in care and make available for religious education and attendance of services compatible with the child’s religious heritage, provided that this training would not be injurious to the foster child’s physical, mental, or emotional health
  8. Understanding and examples of how the applicant will provide normalcy for foster youth and support the youth’s involvement in his/her case plan
  9. Support by own children and extended family.

Family’s Understanding of and Response to Agency Policy Regarding:

  1. Rules and regulations 13 CSR 35-60
  2. Payment system
  3. Agency organization
  4. No corporal punishment
  5. Role as team member
  6. Reasonable and Prudent Parenting implementation

Additional information to include for Adoptive Resources:

  1. Discussing with the child issues surround the adoption
  2. Pre-placement planning and visits
  3. Adoption subsidy payment system
  4. Maintaining, over the child’s growth years, relationships with siblings when they are separated, and significant others
  5. The sharing of social, emotional, health information at any time after final decree of adoption is granted
  6. Continued availability of agency services after the final decree is granted
  7. Any special items that must be considered in the placement decision and subsequent planning

 

Required Competencies 13 CSR 35-60.030

Detailed descriptions of how the applicant(s) demonstrate:

  1. Protecting and nurturing
  2. Meeting developmental needs and addressing developmental delays
  3. Supporting relationships between children and families
  4. Connecting to lifetime relationships
  5. Working as a member of a professional team
  6. Cooperating with all division inquiries about care of foster children
  7. Responsible and mature behavior
  8. Exercise sound judgement
  9. Display the motivation to foster
  10. Reasonable and Prudent Parenting Standard

Summary of Training:

Include dates and hours of all required pre-service training courses

Summary of References:

  1. Highway Patrol (arrests and convictions; consider relevance to additional child-caring responsibilities)
  2. CA/N Central Registry, Family Support Division (FSD) (consider relevance to additional child-caring responsibilities)
  3. Documentation of CaseNet review
  4. Family Care Safety Registry Report
  5. Personal
  6. Employment
  7. School

Evaluation: (Include compliance with licensing rules.)

Recommendation

Signature of Worker and Date Signed

Approval of Supervisor Including Signature and Date 

Signature of Resource Provider and Date Signed