Georgia SHINES: Approval Statuses and Caregiver Documentation

Georgia SHINES: Approval Statuses and Caregiver Documentation

Presenter: Erika Alexander

Date: December 10, 2013

Georgia Department of Human Services

Vision, Mission and Core ValuesVision

Stronger Families for a Stronger Georgia.

MissionStrengthen Georgia by providing Individuals and Families access to services that promote self-sufficiency, independence, and protect Georgia's vulnerable children and adults.

Core Values• Provide access to resources that offer support and empower Georgians and

their families. • Deliver services professionally and treat all clients with dignity and respect.

Manage business operations effectively and efficiently by aligning resources across the agency.

• Promote accountability, transparency and quality in all services we deliver and programs we administer.

• Develop our employees at all levels of the agency.

Agenda

Caregiver Documentation in Georgia SHINES

Approval Statuses in Georgia SHINES

Question and Answers

Approval Statuses Policy 14.15

The Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) and Child Placing Agencies (CPAs) must ensure each caregiver’s household approval status is appropriately assigned and reflects the current assessment of whether the caregiver meets the Safety and Quality Standards.

• There are two statuses for perspective caregivers:• Inquiry: Assigned to perspective caregivers at the point of inquiry.• Applicant (Pre-Service Training): The prospective caregiver begins pre-service

training.

Approval Statuses Policy 14.15 cont…

• Full Approval: The household meets all the Safety and Quality Standards and has been approved by the applicable final approving authority (DFCS County Director or CPA Director/Designee)

• Full Approval-Special: The household meets all the Safety and Quality Standards, operates a home based daycare, and has been approved by the applicable final approving authority.

• Pending Full Approval: The home meets the Full Approval requirements and is awaiting final approval by the applicable final approving authority.

• Pending Full Approval-Special: The home meets the Full Approval-Special requirements and is awaiting final approval by the applicable final approving authority.


• Full Approval 30-Day Grace: During the Full Approval status term, the household no longer meets the Safety and Quality Standards. This status provides 30 calendar days for the household to address circumstances needed to meet the Safety and Quality Standards.

• Full Approval-Special 30-Day Grace: During the Full Approval-Special status term, the household no longer meets the Safety and Quality Standards. This status provides 30 calendar days for the household to address circumstances needed to meet the Safety and Quality Standards.

• Pending Full Approval 30-Day Grace: The home once again meets the Full Approval requirements (following the Full Approval 30 Day Grace status) and is awaiting final approval by the applicable approving authority.


• Pending Full Approval-Special 30-Day Grace: The home once again meets the Full Approval-Special requirements (following the Special Approval 30-Day Grace status) and is awaiting final approval by the county or CPA director as applicable.

• Pending Unapproved: The home was previously assigned a 30-Day Grace status (Full Approval or Full Approval-Special) and failed to meet the Safety and Quality Standards by the 31st day; however the regional director has approved an additional thirty (30) day extension to allow the home to come into compliance with Safety and Quality Standards. This status indicates the home now has an extension of 30 calendar days beyond the 30-Day Grace status (Full Approval or Full Approval-Special).

Approval Statuses Policy 14.15 cont…• Unapproved: The home was previously assigned a 30-Day Grace status (Full

Approval or Full Approval-Special), failed to come into compliance with the Safety and Quality Standards by the 31st day, or within an additional thirty (30) calendar days granted by the Regional Director/Designee, and was moved to Pending Unapproved status. If the Region Director approves a second thirty (30) day extension, the home moves from Pending Unapproved to Unapproved status. If by the end of thirty (30) calendar days in this status, the home still fails to meet the Safety and Quality Standards, the home must move to Closed status.

• Pending Closure: The home was previously assigned a 30-Day Grace status (Full Approval or Full Approval-Special) and failed to come into compliance with the Safety and Quality Standards by the 31st day and no extension was requested or granted. This status is also used for homes that will be closed but have children currently placed. The home may remain in this status for no more than 30 days to allow for transition of any children placed before moving to Closed status.

Approval Statuses Policy 14.15 cont…• Pending Closure: The home was previously assigned a 30-Day Grace status (Full

Approval or Full Approval-Special) and failed to come into compliance with the Safety and Quality Standards by the 31st day and no extension was requested or granted. This status is also used for homes that will be closed but have children currently placed. The home may remain in this status for no more than 30 days to allow for transition of any children placed before moving to Closed status.

• Closed: The home no longer meets the Safety and Quality Standards, the caregiver requests closure, or other circumstances dictate that the home be closed. A home cannot be closed with an active placement. If a child in DFCS custody remains in a home that will be closed, the home should first be placed in Pending Closure to allow no more than 30 calendar days to transition the child to another placement. To close the home, the RD Case Manager or Resource maintainer must complete the Change of Status Reason section on the Home Information Page in the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (Georgia SHINES).


• Closed: The home no longer meets the Safety and Quality Standards, the caregiver requests closure, or other circumstances dictate that the home be closed. A home cannot be closed with an active placement. If a child in DFCS custody remains in a home that will be closed, the home should first be placed in Pending Closure to allow no more than 30 calendar days to transition the child to another placement. To close the home, the RD Case Manager or Resource maintainer must complete the Change of Status Reason section on the Home Information Page in the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (Georgia SHINES).

Caregiver Documentation in Georgia SHINES• Maintains monthly contact, either face–to-face, telephone, e-mail, or other means

with both DFCS foster parents to conduct an ongoing assessment around functioning, safety, and well-being in the foster home including:– Any changes to the household composition since the last contact;– The current placements in the home including child(ren)’s strengths, needs,

permanency plans, and any impact on the foster family;– Services being provided to the child(ren) placed in the home or the family as a

whole;– Frequency and quality of contacts by the child(ren)’s Social Services Case

Manager (SSCM);– Any needs of the foster parents including needed

training, verifications, etc.

Caregiver Documentation in Georgia SHINES• Conducts quarterly home visits to include:• Separate quality time with each foster parent;• Separate quality time with each child placed in

the foster home;• Quality engagement with all other adult

household members and children living in the home (either individually or in a group) to discuss family functioning, roles and responsibilities of household members and the children’s SSCM, how fostering has impacted them as a family, their likes/dislikes, and any needs they may have;

• Observation of family interactions;• Documents the observation and/or

engagement of each family member during home visits in the FAD stage under the Contacts/Summaries tab in the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (Georgia SHINES).

Q&A

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