016.15.22 Ark. Code R. 002
POLICY VII-H: PROVIDING INFORMATION TO AND GATHERING INFORMATION FROM RESOURCE PARENTS
Resource parents will be considered as team members working with other child welfare professionals for the family. Complete information, such as a child's health and education records, reasons for entering care, siblings, and probable length of placement, will be provided to resource parents at the time of placement. Additional information, including, but not limited to, a complete copy of the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment and complete copy of the case plan for each child placed in the home, will be shared promptly with the resource parents. Resource parents are also allowed to receive a copy of substantiated child maltreatment report for the child in their care.
The child's social security number may be given to the resource parents, only if the resource parent must have the number to obtain services, care, or treatment for the child (e.g., to enroll the child in school or to obtain medical treatment when treatment is needed for a child who is not Medicaid eligible). The resource parent must keep the child's Social Security number confidential and use the Social Security number only for allowable purposes.
In addition, currently or previously licensed resource parents may receive records concerning a child who was previously placed in their resource home that are relevant to the period of time in which the child was placed in that resource home and for which the resource parent has a legitimate need as determined by the Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Examples may include providing the Social Security number of a child previously placed in the resource home for tax filing purposes.
Resource parents to include pre-adoptive parents and relative caregivers have the right to be heard in any proceeding held with respect to a child in their care and will be called as a witness to do so. DCFS staff are encouraged to support resource parents in sharing information with the court given that resource parents have a significant amount of knowledge about the child's daily functioning, strengths, and needs.
Resource parents will not be made a party to any such proceeding while reunification remains the court ordered goal or solely on
PROCEDURE VI-H9: Travel Not Related to the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children
Children in foster care may have the opportunity or need to travel for reasons not related to ICPC. These may include but are not limited to, vacationing with their resource family, an out-of-state visit with a family member, or attending a funeral of a family member. Any travel that promotes a sense of normalcy and connection for children in foster care is encouraged, as appropriate for a particular child and in accordance with the reasonable and prudent parent standard (see Policy VII-G for more information).
An out-of-state visit is thirty (30) days or less and is not subject to ICPC. However, if it is greater than thirty (30) days, it is a placement, which is subject to ICPC.
Because the Department of Human Services (DHS) is the appointed custodian of a child in foster care, DHS has the right to consent to the child's travel on vacation or similar trips as per A.C.A. § 9-27-353(e). As such, resource parents must have prior written authorization to transport children in foster care for an overnight stay outside the State of Arkansas. Such requests will be made to the FSW as soon as travel planning begins, and at a minimum of two (2) weeks prior to scheduled travel dates, if possible.
Resource parents will not have to submit a request for out-of-state travel in order to cross the state border when travel plans do not require an overnight stay outside the State of Arkansas (for example: shopping or visiting with a relative in a nearby town over state lines).
When vacationing as a family, resource parents are encouraged to take any children placed in their home with them. However, DCFS will not pay for vacation expenses. As noted above, travel out of state involving an overnight stay or more requires prior written authorization.
For children placed out-of-state by an Arkansas court and who are not in DHS custody as the result of a dependency-neglect or dependency case, the sending party is responsible for arranging transportation rather than DHS.
For non-ICPC travel of a child in DHS custody, the Family Service Worker will:
016.15.22 Ark. Code R. 002