Case Plan

PURPOSE: This rule requires the establishment of a case plan for every child in the custody of Children’s Division or receiving social services from the Children’s Division. It also provides a definition of a case plan as well as describing the required content and time periods for development and review of the case plan. (1) Every child in the care and custody of, or receiving social services from, the division shall have a case plan developed for the purpose of preventing removal of the child from the care of the parents, reunifying a child separated from parent(s), or securing a permanent placement for a child if it is determined the child cannot be reunified with his/her parents. (2) Every case plan must be developed within thirty (30) days from the date if it has been determined a child should receive protective services or from the date that a judicial determina tion has been made that the child should be placed in the care and custody of the division. Thereafter, each case plan shall be reviewed and modified, as necessary, every six (6) months. The purpose of the review is to determine the extent of compliance with the case plan and determine what changes, if any, should be made. (3) The term case plan means a written document which de scribes social and child welfare services and activities to be provided by the division and other local community agencies for the purpose of achieving a permanent familial relationship for the child. (4) This case plan shall include, at a minimum, the following information: (A) Identifying information about the child and his/her im mediate and extended family; (B) A description of the factors and conditions, including the psychological needs of the child, which caused the division to determine that protective or alternative care services were needed or a copy of the judicial determinations made regard ing the child’s placement in the custody of the division; (C) A description of what efforts were made to prevent re moval from the custody of the parent(s), to reunify the family, or to achieve a permanent placement for the child; (D) A statement of the intended plan for permanency for the child which shall consist of one (1) of the following: 1. Maintain the child with the biological parents; 2. Reunify the child with his/her biological family if a judi cial determination has been made for the child to be removed from the custody of the parent(s) and placed in alternate care; 3. Place the child for the purpose of guardianship or adop tion; or 4. Maintain the child in a long-term separation from his/ her biological parents with an agreed upon plan with the care provider. This provision applies only if a child is over sixteen (16) years of age; (E) A description of how the plan is designed to maintain or reunify the child with his/her biological parent(s) or achieve a permanent substitute placement for the child including: 1. A description of the social services to be provided and a description of the services needed to carry out any require ments of a judicial determination proceeding or order with a designation of the responsible parties for the provision of any services: 2. A description of the responsibilities of the parent(s); and 3. A description of parental behaviors which determine that services are no longer necessary or that alternative care is no longer needed; (F) A description of the appropriateness and necessity for placement away from the biological parents if the court has ordered placement, including at a minimum, the following: 1. The least restrictive characteristics of the alternate care placement facility correlated to the condition and best inter ests of the child; 2. The degree of proximity of the alternate care placement facility to the location of the biological parent(s)’ residence(s); 3. A description of how the needs of the child will be met while in placement; and 4. A parental visitation schedule including frequency, location, arrangements, and a method of documentation for actual visits; and (G) An evaluation of case plan achievement by all parties, including a time period for case plan achievement. AUTHORITY: sections 207.020 and 660.017, RSMo 2016.* This rule originally filed as 13 CSR 40-30.010. Original rule filed June 28, 1983, effective Nov. 11, 1983. Moved to 13 CSR 35-35.050 and amended: Filed Aug. 8, 2018, effective March 30, 2019. *Original authority: 207.020, RSMo 1945, amended 1961, 1965, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1993, 2014 and 660.017, RSMo 1993, amended 1995.