Ala. Admin. Code r. 660-5-24-.05

Current through Register Vol. 43, No. 1, October 31, 2024

Section 660-5-24-.05 - Guidelines And Procedures

Criteria for Accepting Referrals by Local Facilitation Teams

(1) Referral Source - A referral of a child to a local facilitation team may be initiated by the court or a member agency. The state and local facilitation teams are not intended to replace the normal collaboration that occurs between and among agencies on behalf of children and families. The facilitation team serves as a resource to the court in developing plans to serve children and families whose needs cannot be met by a single agency. Additionally, the teams have a preventive role in providing a forum to which member agencies may refer children and families whose needs require the services of multiple agencies but which may not require court intervention.

(2) Criteria for Establishing Multiple Needs Child Status

(a) To be considered a multiple needs child, the child must require the services of two or more of the member agencies to meet the child's needs and address the imminent risk of placement and meet one of the two following criteria:

1. The child must be at imminent risk of placement in out-of-home care (see Section II. B.);

2. The child must be at imminent risk of placement in a setting more restrictive than the child's current out-of-home placement (see Section II. C.);

AND

(b) The imminent risk of placement must be the result of the conditions of emotional disturbance, behavior disorder, mental retardation, mental illness, dependency, chemical dependency, educational deficit, lack of supervision, delinquency, or physical illness or disability, or any combination of these conditions.

(3) Referral Process - When a county DHR office makes a referral to the local facilitation team, it is the department's responsibility to obtain and provide the information needed by the local team to consider the referral. In the case of a referral of an R. C. class member, DHR shall provide the class member's ISP to the local team. (For class member clarification, contact the Legal Office.) DHR is encouraged, but not required, to provide the following information to the team for R. C. class members and for non-class members:

(a) A case summary, including a social and family history;

(b) Information specific to the child's and family's strengths and needs, including a history of efforts to meet those needs;

(c) A recent psychological assessment of the child, if appropriate;

(d) Applicable medical and school records;

(e) Recent progress reports for children in out-of-home placement;

(f) Applicable information describing the needs of the child's parents or other caretaker(s) that place the child at risk of placement or at risk of

(g) a more restrictive placement;

(h) Documentation of prior collaboration efforts; and

(i) Documentation of barriers the referring agency has in meeting the child and family's needs.

(4) When referrals are received without the necessary information, the local team member designated to receive referrals may request the additional information needed before the team convenes to consider the request. The information may be requested from the referring agency or the agency with primary responsibility for custody or planning for the child.

Author: Jerome Webb

Ala. Admin. Code r. 660-5-24-.05

New Rule: Filed April 4, 2001; effective May 9, 2001.

Statutory Authority:Code of Ala. 1975, §§ 12-15-1(19); 12-15-65(b); 12-15-71(h)(1); 12-15-172 and R. C. v. Fuller, No. 88-H-1170-N, Consent Decree (M.D. Ala. Approved December 18, 1991).