Continuum of Care Reform Overview OVERVIEW AND BACKGROUND History - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Continuum of Care Reform Overview

OVERVIEW AND BACKGROUND History of CCR

Vision • All children live with a committed, permanent and nurturing family with strong community connections • Services and supports should be individualized and coordinated across systems and children shouldn’t need to change placements to get services • When needed, congregate care is a short-term, high quality, intensive intervention that is just one part of a continuum of care available for children, youth and young adults • Effective accountability and transparency drives continuous quality improvement for state, county and providers 3

Key Strategies • Child and Family Teams (CFTs) drive case planning, placement decisions and care coordination • New licensing requirements for FFAs and STRTP s: – Limit use of residential care – Must have an identified ability to meet the varied needs of children (i.e. “core services”) including mental health services – Must be nationally accredited • New approval requirements and restructured rate system for caregivers provides for a single residential rate and a varied “ level of care ” home-based rate • Local collaboration between Child Welfare, Mental Health, Probation, and Education to provide integrated services 4

RESOURCE FAMILY APPROVAL

Placement prior to RFA Compelling Reason : • Based on unique needs of a child including maintaining family connections • After Home Environment Assessment is completed • Permanency assessment completed within 90 days unless documented good cause exists Emergency Basis : • Must be with relative or nonrelative extended family member • Requires WIC 361.4 assessment: o CLETS, CACI & walk-through o Live Scan within 10 days of CLETS or 5 days of emergency placement • RFA application and Home Environment Assessment must be initiated within 5 business days • Comprehensive assessment completed within 90 days unless documented good cause exists  Emergency placement can happen pre or post dispo ( FYI 17-03 ; WIC 361.3(a)(8)(A) & 361.45 )

RFA Vision • A family-friendly and child-centered caregiver approval process • Streamlines and eliminates duplication of existing processes • Unifies approval standard for all caregivers • Prepares families to meet the needs of children in foster care • Allows seamless transition to permanency

Undergo criminal clearances and Receive a RFA orientation background checks Overview Participate in 12 hours preapproval Undergo home environment training and 8 additional hours within assessment the first year (some counties/ FFAs may of RFA require additional training) Process Participate in a family evaluation Complete a health questionnaire or (previously called Psychological screening for applicants Assessment) Receive a written report of the resource family

Home Environment Assessment An assessment of the home and grounds, outdoor activity space, and storage areas of the applicant’s home Criminal background check (and any necessary exemptions) of each applicant and all adults residing in, or regularly present in, the home. Total number of children cannot be more than family can properly care for – and shall not exceed 6 children. Exception : Exceptional circumstances including but not limited to the need to place siblings together WIC § 16519.5(d)(2 )

Permanency Assessment • Verification that an applicant completed pre-approval training – minimum of 12 hours ( 8 post-approval hours annually) • A Family Evaluation which is a comprehensive inquiry into the applicant(s) will include: • Risk • Motivation Assessment • Understanding • Applicant’s of the needs of past and children in care present and ability to experiences meet those needs NOTE: When the applicant is a relative/NREFM, the family evaluation shall consider nature of relationship between the applicant and the child. WIC § 16519.5(d)(3) NOTE #2: The applicant’s preference to provide a specific level of permanency shall not be a basis to deny an application. WIC § 16519.5 (g)(5)(A)(i)(II)

Additional RFA requirements Health Questionnaire or Screening First Aid and CPR certification- to be completed within 90 days post-approval 1 face to face interview with all other residents in the home including children 2 personal references DMV check on applicant and all adults in the home

Maintaining Resource Family Approval • RFA must be updated annually or more often if “significant changes” Must begin 60 days prior to approval anniversary and be completed no o later than 30 days after • If a resource family moves from one county to another RFA must be updated within 30 days o Completed update begins new annual period o • A resource family remains approved until the family surrenders their approval or their approval is rescinded

Conversion to RFA • All prospective relative, NREFM & foster families after 1/1/2017 must go through the RFA process • Current caregivers with a child in placement at some point during 2017 have until 12/31/2019 to begin the RFA process (WIC § 16519.5(p)(5) Applications for a foster family home license or request for o relative/NREFM approval received on or before December 31, 2016 are approved/denied under the prior licensing/approval process (not RFA) (WIC § 16519.5(p)(2)(C) Current caregivers with an approved adoptive home study competed o before 1/1/18 are automatically deemed RFA approved.

Due Process Applicant for approval or for a criminal record exemption may o file written appeal within 90 days of service of Notice of Action + 30 days additional time for good cause Resource family, excluded individual or individual subject to o criminal record exemption rescission must file written appeal within 25 days of notice of action or exclusion order + 30 days additional time for good cause  The department may issue an exclusion order requiring the immediate removal of an individual if, in the opinion of the department, the action is necessary to protect a child from physical or mental abuse, abandonment, or any other substantial threat to his or her health or safety Hearings are to be confidential and not open to the public, with o a case by case exception The testimony of a child witness may be taken outside the o presence of the respondent

Empowering Families through the Approval Process  Step by step instructions for families navigating RFA  Vetted with relative caregivers  Available online at www.stepupforkin.org  Best Practice : Providing Guides to families at 1 st court hearing  Version 2 to be released soon!

Breaking Down the Problems with RFA RFA approval is taking far longer than intended causing long delays in o approvals and has led to a statewide crisis: o Delays in placements with caregiver relatives o Delays in transitioning children to family settings o Discouraging families from signing up as foster families or remaining families within our system. Families that take in children prior to approval do not receive foster o care benefits until they are approved and the funding is not retroactive to the date of placement. This is causing: o Placement disruptions due to lack of funding o Relatives and extended family members enduring months of financial stress and hardship while simultaneously attempting to navigate a bureaucratic maze and care for traumatized children

RELIEF FOR FAMILIES

Short-Term Fix - Assembly Bill 110 (2018) • Governor Brown signed AB 110 into law on March 13, 2018 • Implements Welfare & Institutions Code § 11461.35 • Provides families completing resource family approval funding for the period of March 30, 2018 through June 30, 2018

Eligibility for AB 110 funding The eligibility criteria are as follows: 1. A caregiver is caring for a child or nonminor placed in the home as an emergency placement or based on a compelling reason, 2. The caregiver has a pending RFA application filed with the appropriate agency, 3. The child or nonminor is not otherwise eligible for a foster care payment (this criterion is met when the caregiver has not yet been approved as a resource family), and 4. The child or nonminor is placed in California

Effective Dates for AB 110 funding • March 30, 2018 for individuals who took placement AND submitted an RFA application prior to March 30, 2018 • The date an RFA application is submitted for those families who submitted an RFA application after March 30, 2018

Required applications for AB 110 funding 1. RFA application (RFA-01A) ( Note: the placing agency is required to have a caregiver submit the RFA application within five days of an emergency placement OR prior to placement on a compelling reason ) 2. Emergency Assistance (EA) application or the Approved Relative Caregiver (ARC) application ( Note: the placing agency should assess a child’s eligibility for EA or ARC and provide the caregiver with appropriate paperwork )

Practice tips to ensure immediate funding • Placing worker should help the caregiver complete (1) the RFA application and (2) the EA or ARC application at the moment of placement • Placing worker should submit the applications immediately on the caregiver’s behalf • Why? Because AB 110 funding is contingent on submitting the above applications