INTERDIVISIONAL STAFFINGS
When a youth is receiving DHS services and has serious and complex needs that make placements difficult, a caseworker can refer the youth for an interdivisional staffing. The purpose of an interdivisional staffing is threefold:
A.To improve treatment/case planning to more appropriately address the youth's needs;B.To provide assistance and support to DCFS field staff, direct services staff, and other stakeholders involved with the youth and family; and,C. To attempt to resolve the youth's issues before referring him or her to the Child Case Review Committee (CCRC). An interdivisional staffing must take place before a CCRC is held. Youth referred for interdivisional staffings include, but are not limited to, youth who:
A. Are in DHS custody and have significant trouble being placed due to multiple, more serious and/or complex needs or who are at risk of coming into DHS custody due to multiple, more serious, and/or complex needs;B. Have cases needing clarification as to which DHS Division has primary responsibility for the case; and/or,C. Have cases needing intensive coordination between DHS Divisions, service providers, and/or other community partners in order to connect the youth with appropriate services and supports in an effort to help youth reach permanency. An interdivisional staffing is comprised of the following individuals:
A. A representative from the following DHS Divisions- Children and Family Services, Youth Services, Medical Services, Developmental Disabilities Services, Behavioral Health Services, and Office of Policy and Legal ServicesB. A representative of the Department of Education, Special Education (as needed)C. Specialized Placement Unit (SPU) Manager, whose responsibilities include:1) Coordinating the interdivisional staffings;2) Managing contract;, and,3) Providing technical assistance. Additional Interdivisional Staffing participants may include:
A. Division representatives who act as referral coordinators within their agencies;B. The designated caseworker for the youth and family;C. Appropriate service providers; and/or,D. Other stakeholders needed to develop a suitable plan of service to meet the youth's needs (e.g., parents/relatives, attorney ad litem, CASA, etc.). CHILD CASE REVIEW COMMITTEE
If an interdivisional staffing does not result in finding appropriate services and supports for the youth within Arkansas, then a Child Case Review Committee (CCRC) shall be called. The CCRC serves as the gatekeeper for out-of-state placements for youth receiving DHS services. The CCRC is ONLY for out-of-state placements. Before a case can be reviewed by the CCRC, the case MUST first be reviewed in an interdivisional staffing. The SPU Manager serves as the CCRC Coordinator.
Youth referred to CCRC include, but are not limited to, youth who:
A. Are in DHS custody and have significant trouble being placed due to multiple, more serious and/or complex needs.B. Have cases that, despite coordination between DHS Divisions, cannot be assigned as the primary responsibility of one particular division.C. Have accessed appropriate in-state resources, but have not had measurable success with those resources.D. Have identified needs that cannot be met by the available resources in Arkansas.E. Are recommended to receive treatment out-of-state.The CCRC is comprised of the following members:
A. Director of the Department of Human Services (Chairman) or designee;B. The Directors or designees of the following DHS Divisions - Children and Family Services, Youth Services, Medical Services, Developmental Disabilities Services, Behavioral Health Services, and Office of Policy and Legal Services;C. A representative of the Department of Education, Special Education (as needed);D. CCRC Coordinator (Specialized Placement Unit Manager), whose responsibilities include:1) Coordinating the CCRC meetings;2) Managing contracts; and,3) Providing technical assistance.Additional committee members may include:
A. Division representatives who act as referral coordinators within their agencies;B. The designated caseworker for the youth and family;C. Appropriate service providers; and/orD. Others needed to develop a suitable plan of service to meet the youth's needs.The SPU Manager will notify Divisions when they have a case on the agenda. Each committee member is expected to attend the meeting or send a designee with the authority to make decisions for their Division. Decisions will be made by majority vote with the Chairman breaking any tie votes. Dates will be established for the CCRC to be updated on the status of the plan implementation.
PROCEDURE Vl-Ml: Interdivisional Staffing Referral
01/2014
When any local Divisional staff member becomes aware of a youth who meets the criteria for referral to an interdivisional staffing he or she will:
A.Contact the County Supervisor, the Area Director, and, where available, the designated Placement Specialist for the area to discuss the youth's needs and verify whether an interdivisional staffing referral is appropriate,B.If the referral is deemed appropriate at the local level, the Divisional staff member will contact the Specialized Placement Unit Manager in Central Office for approval,C.If the referral is approved by the SPU Manager, completed CFS-302: Interdivisional Staffing Summary Form which will be presented during the Interdivisional Staffing, Additionally, if the referral is determined to be appropriate for an interdivisional staffing, the Specialized Placement Unit Manager will:
A. Place the case on the agenda for the next interdivisional staffing which shall occur at least monthly,B. Advise the Division's contact person which people need to attend or be available by conference call for the staffing. If the referral is determined to be inappropriate, the Specialized Placement Unit Manager will:
A. Provide guidance to the county office regarding other potential next steps. PROCEDURE VI-M2: Child Case Review Committee (CCRC) Referral
01/2014
If the case has already been reviewed by an interdivisional staffing that did not resolve the youth's presenting issues within the state and the referral is determined to be appropriate for the CCRC, the Specialized Placement Unit Manager will:
A.Request the referring county to prepare the CCRC referral packet (see below for more information),B. Place the case on the agenda for the next CCRC meeting (CCRC meetings are scheduled on an as needed basis but shall be scheduled within two weeks of receipt of referral),C. Advise the Division's contact person which people need to attend or be available by conference call for the CCRC meeting. The FSW will:
A.Prepare and submit the referral packet which will include: 1) Cover memo stating: a) Family Service Worker's name and title, phone and fax numbers, and supervisor's name;b) Youth's name, age, legal status, and current location;c) Concise paragraph detailing the reasons for referring the youth for out-of-state placement and when the placement is needed;d) Youth's last/current placement and an explanation for the removal;2)Completed CFS-302: Interdivisional Staffing/Child Case Review Committee (CCRC) Form (a new one does not need to be completed; the CFS-302 submitted for prior interdivisional staffing may be resubmitted unless there is new information to be included);3)Completed CFS-303: Out of State Placement Request;B.Attend (or ensure other key staff who are knowledgeable about all aspects of the case attends) the CCRC meeting to present details of the case and answer questions,C. Remain responsible for regular follow-up regarding the out-of-state placement if the CCRC approves the out-of-state placement in order to best meet a youth's needs.D. Submit monthly updates regarding the youth's out-of-state placement and progress to the SPU Manager. PROCEDURE VI-M3: Medicaid and Financial Issues
01/2014
Before a youth is placed in an out-of-state treatment facility due to an emotional disturbance, the Office of Policy and Legal Services will make and document the following determinations as required by ACA § 20-46-106via CFS-303: Out of State Placement Request, which will then be reviewed with the SPU Manager.
If a youth in DHS custody is placed in an out-of-state placement without proper documentation, or CCRC authorization as outlined above, Medicaid will not approve a Certificate of Need (CON) and authorization to pay the provider/facility for services will be refused.
The information collected by the above determinations shall be included in the youth's case file. The information shall be reviewed and considered by the juvenile judge.
016.15.13 Ark. Code R. 014