Department Obligations to Foster/Pre-adoptive Parents

(1) Pre-placement. Before a child is placed in a foster/pre-adoptive home, the Department shall provide the prospective foster/pre-adoptive parent with sufficient information about the child to enable the foster/pre-adoptive parent to determine whether to accept placement of the child. The foster/pre-adoptive parent will receive information about the service plan for the child, behavior management guidelines and techniques, the child's medical needs, the child's educational needs, current health and education information and/or records available, legal status and any other special conditions or requirements. (2) Post-placement. During the period of a specified child's placement in a foster/pre-adoptive home, the Department shall: (a) provide the foster/pre-adoptive parent with sufficient information about the foster child on a continuous basis to enable the foster/pre-adoptive parent to provide adequate foster/adoptive care to that child and to meet the individual needs of that child; (b) assign a social worker who will be responsible for providing direct service to the foster child and support to the foster/pre-adoptive family; (c) provide the foster/pre-adoptive parent with a copy of the Department's service plan for the foster child, and solicit the foster/pre-adoptive parent's involvement in the implementation and review of the service plan; (d) provide the foster/pre-adoptive parent with a Medical Passport for the foster child, and if not contained in the medical passport, a document(s) that contain the following information: the name and address of the child's medical provider(s), the child's immunization record, the child's known medical problems, the child's medications and any other relevant health information needed to care for the child; (e) provide the foster/pre-adoptive parent with either a copy of that portion of the child's educational records that include the child's current educational provider, the child's grade level performance, the child's current school record, and any other relevant education information needed to care for the child, or a document(s) that contain such information; (f) notify the foster/pre-adoptive parent of all court hearings and case reviews involving the foster child, as far in advance of each hearing as possible; (g) notify the foster/pre-adoptive parent if the Department decides to pursue legal guardianship or adoption for a child placed in the foster/pre-adoptive home, and afford the foster/pre-adoptive parent adequate opportunity to apply to become the legal guardian or adoptive parent for that child; (h) provide the foster/pre-adoptive parent and with any subsidy or benefits to which they are entitled under the Department's regulations, standards or policies; and (i) provide the foster/pre-adoptive parent with notice of a review or hearing held pursuant to M.G.L. c. 119, §§ 26 and 29B and M.G.L. c. 210, § 3. The notice shall include notice of the time and place of the hearing and notice of the foster/pre-adoptive parent’s right to be heard at the proceeding.