The Home Study – If the applicant meets the minimum qualifications to be licensed,

The Home Study – If the applicant meets the minimum qualifications to be licensed, MDCPS will begin the process of assessing the home for licensure to evaluate and educate the resource family about how to care for custody children. MDCPS will utilize the Structured Analysis Family Evaluation (SAFE) as its home study assessment to thoroughly evaluate prospective foster families. 1. Home Environment Checklist. MDCPS must complete the Initial Home Environment Checklist at the beginning of the home study, as well as complete the Final Home Environment Checklist before approval to show that any safety/non safety issues have been resolved. The Home Environment Checklist must be updated: annually from the date the license is issued; within two (2) weeks of a reported change in a Foster Family’s residence; or when MDCPS determines that it is necessary. 2. Foster Family Home, Health, and Safety. The Foster Home will provide adequate and safe space: a. Living Space – Caregivers must reside in a house, mobile home, housing unit or apartment. i. The home must have an adequate supply of safe drinking water. ii. The home must have a properly operating kitchen with a sink, refrigerator, stove, and oven. iii. The home must have at least one toilet, sink and tub or shower in operating condition. iv. The home must have heating and/or cooling as required by the geographical area. It must be consistent with accepted community standards and in safe operating condition. v. Caregivers must have a working phone or access to a working phone in close walking proximity. NOTE: Residences must meet state and local code requirements. b. Condition of Home – The caregiver’s home, grounds, and all structures on the grounds of the property must be properly maintained in a clean, safe, and sanitary condition and in a reasonable state of repair within community standards. i. The interior and exterior of the home must be free from dangerous objects/conditions, and from hazardous materials. ii. The home must have adequate lighting, ventilation and proper trash and recycling disposal, if recycling is available; iii. The home must be free from rodents and insect infestation. iv. The home must have a proper water heater temperature. NOTE: The Department of Energy recommends 120 degrees Fahrenheit. v. Weapons and ammunition must be stored separately, locked, unloaded, and inaccessible to children; vi. Pets must be vaccinated in accordance with state, tribal and/or local law. See Mississippi Code § 41-53-1. Proof of vaccination must be provided via a rabies vaccination certificate signed by an attending, licensed veterinarian. Mississippi law requires all dogs and cats to be vaccinated for rabies. Valid Rabies Vaccination Records for all domesticated animals on the premises (inside or on the property outside of the home). c. Child Access – The home must have conditions that prevent a child’s access (as appropriate for his or her age and development) to all medications, poisonous materials, cleaning supplies, other hazardous materials, and alcoholic beverages. i. The home shall be safeguarded, inside and out, against hazardous chemicals, cleaning materials, toxic substances, hazardous objects/equipment, and medications. ii. Poisonous/hazardous substances and medications shall be stored properly and inaccessible to children. iii. The foster child’s medication management and distribution is the responsibility of the adult caregiver. d. Water safety – There must be protective measures in place for a swimming pool or access to any bodies of water. This can include but is not limited to the following measures that prevent access to the pool or body of water: doors with high locks, door alarms, fence with locked gate, etc. i. The home shall have lifesaving equipment/devices readily accessible. Such devices include, but are not limited to, ring buoy, pool safety hooks and poles, pool covers, rescue tubes, and/or throwable floatation devices. ii. A responsible adult shall supervise a child when swimming or playing near an open body of water. e. Foster Home Sleeping Arrangements – Caregivers must provide a safe sleeping space including sleeping supplies, such as a mattress and linens, for each individual child, as appropriate for the child’s needs and age. i. All children in the home must be treated equitably, meaning each child has sleeping arrangements similar to other household members. ii. Caregivers must not co-sleep or bed-share with children in foster care. iii. Caregivers with infants must adhere to the infant safe sleeping practices outlined in the Infant Safe to Sleep Guidelines and Protocol. f. Emergency Preparedness, Fire Safety, and Evacuation Plans – Caregivers must have emergency preparedness plans, and items in place as appropriate for the home’s geographic location. i. Caregivers must post a written evacuation plan in a prominent place in the home (e.g., on a refrigerator or family bulletin board), and review it with the children. ii. Caregivers must maintain a comprehensive list of emergency telephone numbers, including poison control, and post those numbers in a prominent place in the home. iii. Caregivers must maintain first aid supplies. iv. The caregiver’s home must meet the following fire safety and emergency planning requirements: A. Have at least one smoke detector, one carbon monoxide detector, and one operable fire extinguisher (at least ABC 2.5 pounds) on each level of occupancy of the home; B. Be free of obvious fire hazards, such as defective heating equipment or improperly stored flammable materials; C. Gas heaters in the home must be vented to avoid fire and health hazards. However, unvented, fuel-fired heaters equipped with oxygen depletion safety shut-off systems may be operated in homes. 3. Transporting Foster Children. Relative / Fictive Kin foster parents, who transport children in their own vehicles, shall provide proof of the following: a. A current driver’s license; b. Current auto registration; c. Current automobile liability insurance. In addition, Relative / Fictive Kin foster parents must adhere to the following while transporting children: d. Smoking or vaping in a vehicle is prohibited. e. Firearms must be unloaded, inaccessible to children, and legally possessed if transporting children in a vehicle where firearms are present. A caregiver may transport a child while a firearm is in the vehicle only under these circumstances. The caregiver must always have possession and control of any firearms. f. Children in MDCPS custody who are transported in a vehicle must always be in an age-appropriate passenger restraint system in order to comply with Miss. Code Ann § 63-7-301. The foster parent shall also provide constant supervision by watching and supervising the children during the journey to ensure they are safe and comfortable. 4. Safe Sleep Requirements. The Relative / Fictive Kin Foster Home must provide safe sleeping arrangements which accommodate the privacy needs of the child(ren) they are caring for. a. The bedrooms must have a finished ceiling, floor-to-ceiling permanent affixed walls, a door, a window, finished flooring, and ventilation; b. The foster child must have access to a bathroom without going through another bedroom. Exceptions will be made for a Relative Foster Homes; c. All bedrooms in the home must have doors that open and close and lock from the inside; d. No more than four children of the same sex shall share a bedroom. The age ranges for children sharing the same bedroom will be based upon the identified developmental status of each child. Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will be approved by a Licensure Manager. e. The foster family must provide each foster child with a standard bed appropriate to the child’s age and needs. A standard bed does not mean a cot, couch, convertible couch, portable bed, sleeping bag, or mat. f. Each child shall be provided with: i. A sanitary mattress with a waterproof protective mattress cover; ii. A clean pillow; iii. Bed linens; iv. Blankets or covers as appropriate to the weather; v. Separate and accessible drawers for personal belongings. g. Foster children younger than seven (7) are not permitted to sleep in the top bunk bed. Foster children age seven (7) and above may only sleep in a top bunk with access to a ladder and protective railing on all open sides; h. Each child must have their own bed and place for their belongings; i. Two siblings of the same sex may share a full-sized bed or larger if the Licensure Specialist or Safety/Wellbeing Specialist have documented that such sleeping arrangements are appropriate. j. Two siblings of the opposite sex can share a room together (not a bed) until the oldest children reach the age of ten (10), at which age they will need to be placed in separate rooms. If there are any sexual acting out behaviors or history, they will not be placed in the same room at any time. A proper assessment must be made before this determination can be made. k. Children under eighteen (18) months of age must sleep in a crib. l. Children who are eighteen (18) months of age or older but who have special needs that make a bed impractical should also sleep in a crib or other approved bedding. m. Children over eighteen (18) months of age are not permitted to sleep in the same room as an adult who has reached their twenty-first (21st) birthday. Exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis when the child may require close attention and monitoring by the foster parent. n. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, a foster child who is a parent may share a room with their own child, but separate and appropriate bedding must be in that room. 5. Medication Administration. Medication must be administered to children in foster care only as directed by the prescribing physician. Medication must be administered by authorized adults. In addition, medication must be stored and transported in the original containers. 6. Interviews and Home Visits. An MDCPS worker is required to observe or interview all household members, including age-appropriate children. However, at the discretion of an MDCPS supervisor, exceptions may be made based upon the age and developmental status of the household members. The interviews may be completed during any one of the home visits required in the approved home study process. 7. References. MDCPS will follow SAFE home study guidelines for references. MDCPS will inform the references that any information they provide may be discussed with the applicant without disclosing the reference’s name. MDCPS is not permitted to share the specific comments given by the references and must redact any reference statements from the home study prior to sharing it with the court, ICPC, or any other authorized agency. 8. Disclosure of Home Study. MDCPS will not share copies of the Home Study unless approved by Office of Legal Counsel or it is requested as part of an ICPC Placement.