Section 148-14-1 - DefinitionsAs used in these rules the following definitions shall apply:
A."Basic Care" is the type of care offered in Family Foster Homes for Children.B."Caseworker" is the child welfare staff within OCFS that is assigned to serve as guardian for the foster child being assessed.C."Child Assessment" is the process used to assess a child's level of care through the use of assessment tools approved by the Department, including but not limited to, the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS), the Preschool and Early Childhood Functional Assessment Scale (PECFAS), the Children's Habilitation Assessment Tool (CHAT), the Vineland Behavior Scales, and the Temperamental and Atypical Behavior Scale (TABS) Assessment Tool. Assessment tools include, but are not limited to, clinically developed assessments that have been tested to determine that they measure as expected when they are used by different assessors with children with varying demographic characteristics. Assessment tools may be administered only by those with appropriate training and/or certification. The Child Assessment may involve the use of information from the following sources: Interviews with Foster Parents and others. Evaluations and reports of child functioning from Child Placing Agencies, mental health providers, schools and/or facilities. Interviews with Caseworkers. Review of case information from Departmental records. Any other information that is deemed pertinent to the Child Assessment process by the Department. D."Child Placing Agency" shall mean a licensed facility which advertises itself or holds itself out as finding homes for or otherwise placing children under the age of 18, in homes where care is provided on the basis of 24 hours a day. A Child Placing Agency may also provide contracted services to children and the foster families affiliated with them. Child Placing Agencies may be designed to serve either Family or Specialized Foster Homes.E."Contracted Entity" is the entity contracted by the Department to review and authorize Levels of Care for children in Treatment Foster Care.F. "Department" shall mean the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).G."Family Foster Home for Children" means a children's home that is a private dwelling, where substitute parental care is provided within a family on a regular, 24-hour a day, residential basis to children under l8 years of age and unrelated to the foster family by blood, marriage or adoption. Family Foster Home for Children is further defined in Chapter 16 "Rules Providing for the Licensing of Family Foster Homes for Children."H."Foster Child" shall mean a child under l8 years of age, unrelated to the foster family by blood, marriage or adoption, who requires out of home care on a regular 24-hour a day, residential basis.I. For Foster Parents with a Family Foster Home for Children, "Foster Parent" shall mean a person maintaining a Family Foster Home.J. For Foster Parents with a Specialized Children's Foster Home, "Foster Parent" shall mean a person maintaining a Specialized Foster Home.K."Level of Care (LOC)" is the level of need and reimbursement rate for the Foster Child determined through the Child Assessment.L."Levels of Care - Child Functioning Levels" is the guide to the five levels of care which specifies child behavior and needs by level and sets a reimbursement rate for each level.M."LOC Reviewers" are the child welfare staff within OCFS and the Contracted Entity charged with the responsibility to review and authorize LOC for all foster children in Family Foster Homes and Specialized Children's Foster Homes.N."OCFS" shall mean the Office of Child and Family Services within the Department of Health and Human Services.O."Reimbursement rate" is the daily foster care maintenance payment paid to Foster Parents to cover the cost of food, shelter, daily supervision, school supplies, a child's personal incidentals, and reasonable travel for a child's visitation with family.P."Special Review" is a non-scheduled review that may be conducted in response to a claim that a child's needs have substantially changed or that pertinent information was not available at the time of the previous review. Such reviews may be requested by the: Caseworker or LOC Reviewer w/ Supervisory approval Foster Parent Child Placing Agency Staff Q."Specialized Children's Foster Home" shall mean a children's licensed home that is a private dwelling where substitute parental care is provided within a family on a regular, 24hour a day residential basis to children under 18 years of age and unrelated to the foster family by blood, marriage or adoption. Specialized care is further defined in Chapter 15 "Rules Providing for the Licensing of Specialized Children's Foster Homes."R."Treatment Foster Care" is the type of care offered in Specialized Children's Foster Homes. Treatment Foster Care is also referred to as "Treatment Care."S. Foster children who become adults may continue under the V9 or extended care program at age 18 or older if they are no longer in state custody but are receiving ongoing services through a voluntary agreement with OCFS. These services are designed to assist the child in completing an educational program, either high school or post-secondary education.10-148 C.M.R. ch. 14, § 1