(Revision. 10/1/16)
AS 47.10 Children in Need of Aid
42 U.S.C. 622(b)(17) State Plans for Child Welfare Services (Title IV-B)
42 U.S.C. 623(e) Payment to States
42 U.S.C. 675(5)(A)(ii) Definitions (Titles IV-B and IV-E)
To establish standards to ensure the quality of caseworker visits with children, families, and out-of-home caregivers.
Children in out-of-home care must be visited by a Protective Services (PS) Specialist on a monthly basis and the caseworker visits must be well-planned and focused on issues pertinent to case planning and service delivery to ensure child safety, permanency, well-being, and cultural continuity.
Children Placed Out-of-State:
A child who has been placed in out-of-home care in a different state than has custody of the child must be visited by a caseworker not less frequently than every six months. The visit may be made by a caseworker who is on the staff of:
the State agency of the State that has custody of the child; or
the State in which the child has been placed; or
a private agency under contract with either such State.
The visit must take place in the home or institution where the child is placed, and the caseworker in the Receiving State who makes a visit must submit a written report on the visit to the State agency of the State that has custody of the child. Caseworker visits must be well-planned and focused on issues pertinent to case planning and service delivery to ensure child safety, permanency, well-being, and cultural continuity.
Caseworker Visits with Children
Any child with an open case will be visited and seen by the assigned primary or secondary OCS Protective Services Specialist (PSS) at least one time a month. These visits will occur regardless whether the case is in the initial assessment phase, regardless of the legal custody status, and whether the child is living in their own home or in out-of-home placement.
Caseworker visits will occur at least once a month, or more if the family needs indicate, with the majority of the visits being in the home in which the child resides.
Visits between the OCS PSS and the child will include observation and a discussion with the child regarding their current placement, their safety, well being, cultural continuity, and permanency. The Caseworker Visit Guide in Statewide forms may be utilized to assist in the observations and conversations with the individuals.
During each visit, the PSS will reassess the child’s initial needs and assess their ongoing needs. These activities should be appropriate to the child’s age and reflect the child’s developmental level. The initial assessment of needs includes making an inquiry to the child if the services and activities on the case plan are still meaningful and helpful to the child. Conducting ongoing assessment of needs means determining through discussion with the child if there are other areas that need to be worked on or addressed through services and included on the case plan. These areas of inquiry should encompass the child’s functioning including mental health needs, physical health needs, educational needs, social needs, recreational needs, family relationships, and adjustment to the out of home placement setting.
All visits should be in person, face to face. For children who are placed outside of their own region or in a community in the same region that is served by another office, but within the state, the Primary PSS will request a secondary PSS as outlined in section 6.6.2 Out-of-Town Requests (OTR). The receiving office will assign a secondary PSS who will visit the child in person at least once a month.
Children who live out of state will have at least once a month telephonic contact with the assigned PSS. For children placed in foster care or with unlicensed relatives, the Deputy ICPC Administrator will request monthly visits with written reports.
For a child placed in an out-of-state residential facility, face-to-face visits with the child are required every six months. The PSS will have unsupervised phone contact with the child once a month to discuss the child’s placement, activities on the case plan, and any safety or well being issues. The PSS or psychiatric nurse will have weekly contact with facility and child to exchange treatment information and help facilitate discharge planning. (for further details see section 5.24 ICPC Placement Supervision.
Visits that occur in a setting that does not provide for the privacy and the time necessary for a meaningful observation and conversation will not meet the requirement for a monthly contact.
Caseworker Visits with Parent/s (or Indian Custodian):
Any parents and/or Indian custodian with an open case will be visited and seen by the assigned primary or secondary OCS PSS at least one time a month. More frequent visitation should occur as family needs indicate. These visits will occur regardless whether the case is in the initial assessment phase, regardless of the legal custody status, and whether the child is living in their own home or in out-of-home placement.
Caseworker visits with parents will occur at least once a month, or more if the family needs indicate, with the majority of the visits being in the home in which the parent resides.
For a parent that resides out of state the contact will be telephonic.
During each visit, the PSS will reassess the parent’s initial needs and assess their ongoing needs. These activities should be appropriate to the case situation and reflect the behavioral needs of the parents. The initial assessment of needs includes making an inquiry to the parent if the services and activities on the case plan are still meaningful and helpful to the parent. Conducting ongoing assessment of needs means determining through discussion with the parent if there are other areas that need to be worked on or addressed through services and included on the case plan. These areas of inquiry should encompass the issues which compromise the safety of the child and which address the enhancement of the protective capacity of the parents.
Visits on a monthly basis are required until the court determines that reasonable efforts towards Reunification are no longer required (AS 47.10 086(c)). In ICWA cases, Active Efforts must continue, unless the court rules no further active efforts are needed.
PSS safety must be considered for face-to-face visits. If a PSS has concerns about personal safety regarding contact with a parent, they will consult with their PSS IV.
Caseworker Visits with Out-of-Home Caregivers:
Foster care providers and unlicensed relative care providers will be contacted by the PSS during the course of their routine monthly contact with the child. In two-parent homes, it is strongly recommended that efforts are made to visit both providers whenever possible. The majority of the visits will be in the care provider’s home and face-to-face. This contact will be directed at meeting the needs of the substitute caregiver as pertains to the children placed in their home as well as the individual needs of the child(ren).
During each visit, the PSS will reassess the caregivers’ initial needs and assess their ongoing needs. Any services should be appropriate to the family situation and reflect the needs of the caregiver to provide care for the child. The initial assessment of needs includes making an inquiry to the caregiver if the services and activities being provided are still meaningful and helpful to the caregiver and/or child. Conducting ongoing assessment of needs means determining through discussion with the caregiver if there are other areas that need to be worked on or addressed through support.
Some case visits should be scheduled with the parents/caregiver/child and some visits should be unannounced.
All visits will be documented within 7 days in ORCA as a Caseworker Visit Activity note.