Section He-C 6355.12 - Compliance Requirements for Therapeutic Foster Care(a) Foster care programs certified to provide therapeutic foster care shall demonstrate compliance with this section and: (1) He-C 6446, Foster Family Care Licensing Requirements;(2) He-C 6448, Standards for Child Placing Agencies;(3) He-C 6420, Medicaid Covered Services;(b) Foster care programs certified to provide therapeutic foster care shall be a licensed child placing agency in New Hampshire or any other state.(c) Foster care programs certified to provide therapeutic foster care shall be provided in an experienced foster family home that is licensed in accordance with He-C 6446.(d) Foster care programs certified to provide therapeutic foster care shall provide services to children who have chronic mental, emotional, physical, or behavioral problems that require individual supervision and consistent programmatic structure, in a treatment intensive family environment.(e) The foster care programs certified to provide therapeutic foster care shall provide, at a minimum, the following services: (1) Placements in a licensed foster family home in the region where the child has resided unless otherwise requested by DCYF;(2) Case management services for parents and children;(3) Counseling and therapeutic interventions;(4) Coordination of treatment teams, case conferences, and services;(5) A system for 24-hour, 7-days-per-week crisis response that includes at a minimum, on-call services;(6) Transportation for the children in the therapeutic foster family home;(7) Child health support assistance;(8) Parent education and training;(9) Behavior and clinical consultation for foster parents, staff and parents;(10) Assistance with social development of the child, including but not limited to, child care, developmental pre-school, camp, community and recreational activities for children; and(11) A treatment planning process in accordance with this section.(f) Therapeutic foster family homes shall be supervised by a child placing agency that has a family-centered focus in which foster parents and clinical support staff provide intensive services to children and their families and implement a structured treatment plan.(g) The foster care program shall be established and designed so that the service delivery system is responsive to the needs of the foster children, families and therapeutic foster families.(h) The foster care programs certified to provide therapeutic foster care shall employ at a minimum:(1) A program coordinator;(2) A recruitment and licensing specialist;(3) Clinicians who provide assistance and clinical support to therapeutic foster families; and(4) A prescribing practitioner.(i) Unless otherwise determined in the case plan, supportive and clinical services needed to implement the treatment plan shall be provided to the child, family, and the foster parents by the therapeutic foster care program.(j) The program shall maintain daily documentation of supportive services to the child and foster family to assess and monitor the child's progress. This shall include daily notes completed by the therapeutic foster care parent.(k) At all treatment team meetings, the program shall outline in the treatment plan the level of support provided to the therapeutic foster care parents to meet the needs of the child and foster family.(l) The clinician from the foster care program certified to provide therapeutic foster care shall: (1) Meet the qualifications to be clinical staff in accordance He-C 6355.01(i) ;(2) Be supervised by a prescribing practitioner or licensed clinician for a minimum of one hour every 2 weeks;(3) Deliver the level of support foster parents need to implement the child's treatment plan in the foster family home and the community;(4) Coordinate and facilitate the meetings of the treatment team and the services to the child, family, and foster family; and(5) Provide supportive individual and family counseling and clinical services as determined in the treatment plan for the child, family and foster family, unless otherwise determined in the case plan.(m) Therapeutic foster families shall: (1) Participate in weekly face-to-face supervisory visits in the foster family home provided by the program;(2) Provide daily written notes each week to the therapeutic foster care program that reflect progress towards the goals and objectives established in the child's treatment plan;(3) Care for not more than one foster child, unless assisting DCYF in coordinating care for a sibling group or an approved respite situation; and(4) Provide no other certified or licensed child care services in the home.(n) The primary therapeutic foster parent shall: (1) Be a licensed foster parent who is at least 25 years of age and who has not experienced any major life changes within the past year, including but not limited to: a divorce, death of a spouse or child, or loss of employment;(2) Have at least 4 years experience providing foster care, and an interest and demonstrated skill in working with children with significant clinical needs;(3) Demonstrate 24 hour per day availability to meet the child's needs and provide case management responsibilities;(4) Complete 24 hours of foster parent training per year, including ongoing and situation-specific topics including but not limited to: a. Trauma-informed care which incorporates in the treatment an awareness of the impact of traumatic stress on the abused or neglected children and their families;b. Parenting a child with attachment difficulties;c. Siblings and family relationships;e. Crisis management and positive behavioral interventions;f. Understanding and facilitating transitions to permanency; andg. Self-care of the foster parent; and(5) Access foster parent support, which shall include, at a minimum, respite care, support groups, social events and activities.(o) If the primary therapeutic foster parent is unable to meet the requirements in He-C 6355.12(n) (3) above, the treatment team or program shall implement a pre-approved plan to support the therapeutic foster parent in meeting the needs of the child.N.H. Admin. Code § He-C 6355.12
Amended byVolume XXXIV Number 33, Filed August 14, 2014, Proposed by #10640, Effective 7/29/2014, Expires7/26/2015.Amended byVolume XXXV Number 10, Filed March 12, 2015, Proposed by #10783, Effective 2/13/2015, Expires2/13/2025.