9 CAR § 40-816. Division of Children and Family Services contact with children experiencing foster care

(a)(1) Regular, quality contact between the Division of Children and Family Services and a child experiencing foster care can be one (1) source of vital constancy for the child. (2) Consistent contact not only provides some stability in the child’s life but also allows the division to ensure the child’s safety and well-being. (3) As such, the division will have regular face-to-face and other forms of contact with children in out-of-home placements. (b)(1) The child’s Social Service Specialist will have face-to-face contact with the child in their approved out-of-home placement at least weekly during the first month of placement and at least weekly in any new placement thereafter. (2) Division contacts after the first month in care or in a new placement will occur at least monthly in the approved out-of-home placement. (3) During contacts in the out-of-home placement, the Social Service Specialist will engage the age-appropriate child in a private conversation to better assess the quality of care being provided. (c)(1) In the event the Social Service Specialist is unable to conduct these regular contacts in the out-of-home placement, another division staff member may make the contacts to ensure the safety and well-being of the child and meet the regular contact requirement. (2) However, these exceptions will be limited. (3) While the division support staff (such as Social Service Assistants) may also contact the child in the out-of-home placement to ensure various needs are met, the regular out-of-home placement contact requirement will not be considered met until a Social Service Specialist or Social Service Specialist Supervisor has conducted the regular out-of-home placement contact. (d)(1) In addition to the contacts in the child’s out-of-home placement, the Social Service Specialist will maintain weekly contact with the child through forums such as school, parent-child family time, during transportation to various appointments, family team meetings, court hearings, and via telephone or programs such as FaceTime. (2) Additional contact each week with other division staff such as Social Service Assistants or division interns or volunteers via telephone and transports is appropriate but will not replace the requirement for the child’s Social Service Specialist to maintain weekly contact with the child. (e) The purpose of routine contacts and other contact will be to: (1) Provide the child with accurate information about their case at an age and developmentally appropriate level; (2) Answer questions the child may have; (3) Engage the child and resource parents, as appropriate, in activities geared to accomplish family case plan goals and to ensure the child’s needs are being met; (4) Assess the quality of the care being provided; (5) Determine and monitor, through conversation and observation, the child’s safety and the extent to which the child’s developmental, medical, intellectual, and emotional needs are being met; and (6) Assess the child’s adjustment to the out-of-home placement, resource parents, other persons in the home, and school.