18.3.6 Youth with Elevated Needs-Level B Resource Provider Employment
The Level B resource provider(s) are the primary change agents for a child in Level B Foster Care. Responsibilities include immediate response to any problem experienced by the child at home, school, or in the community. The resource provider(s) are further required to arrange and transport the youth to all medical, dental, therapy appointments, visitations, to provide the child with opportunities for the recreation and social activities, to attend staffing and treatment planning meetings for the youth, to work with biological parent/kin and to maintain detailed and accurate reports of significant events involving the child.
The scope of these responsibilities combined with the multi-level needs of the Youth with Elevated Needs-Level B youth adds up to a full-time job for the primary resource provider caregiver. Accordingly, full-time employment outside the home by the primary Level B resource provider is not recommended by Division policy. There may however, be individual situations where part-time employment for the primary Level B resource provider would be reasonable for that home and family. It is also possible on rare occasions that the unique circumstances in a given family would warrant a formal exception to full time employment. (Example could include a Level B home with a trained relative living close by, a teacher’s aide working in the same school as the child(ren) or a family recruited for one specific child.)
Submission of Plan for Employment
For consistency and assurance of good practice, all primary Level B resource parents caregivers interested in working should submit to their local case manager a thorough, complete plan for meeting the needs of the child while at work. The plan is reviewed at the local level and then forwarded to the Regional Director or designee for a decision. This process would apply to potential Level B resource parents where the primary Level B resource parent is already working and to approved families where the primary Level B resource parent desires to work. The request and plan should include the following information:
- Description of the job and work schedule;
- How the Level B resource parent(s) will be available 24-hours a day for immediate crisis response to the school, home and/or community;
- Where the child would be during the hours worked and who will be providing care for the child;
- Who will be transporting the child and providing support for the child during visits with parents and kin, counseling and medical appointment, recreation, social activities and other activities when the career parent is unavailable;
- How the Level B Resource Parent(s) will participate in all staffing and treatment planning meetings;
- How the Level B Resource Parent(s) will provide treatment and support to the biological parents; and
- If Level B youth are now in the home, the potential impact on those youth.
Factors for Regional Director Decisions
Decision by Regional Director or designee would take into account the following information:
- If Level B youth are in the home, consult with local county staff, case managers and Family Support Team (FST) as to best interests of the youth
- If not currently a Level B home, or home has no youth in placement, consult with local county staff and licensing staff,
- Review number of foster youth currently in the Level B home and/or the number of children desired in future (for example, a potential Level B home recruited specifically for a child who will be the only foster youth in the home); and
- Assess all aspects of the plan, including the identified supports in place, consistency of care for the youth, and overall feasibility.
After review and assessment of plan, the Regional Director or designee would make decision and notify the local Division office and the Level B Resource Parent.
Updates of the Level B Resource Plan
All Level B Resource Parents approved for work have the responsibility to notify Children’s Division (CD) of any changes in their employment. Significant changes in hours worked, support systems available, and impact on availability would require submission of a new request to the Regional Director or designee.
Level B Resource Parents approved for work shall update their plan for work to their Circuit Manager on an annual basis.
Chapter Memoranda History: (prior to 01-31-07)
Memoranda History: