	Kinship Care Services

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

KC 14: Case Closing

Case closing is a planned, orderly process.

KC 14.01

Planning for case closing:

is a clearly defined process that includes assignment of staff responsibility;
begins at intake; and
involves the worker, the family, and others, as appropriate.

KC 14.02

The organization provides youth transitioning to independence with information about:

health and financial assistance or other available benefits;
community resources and support services;
housing options;
financial planning;
compiling necessary legal and personal documents; and
information to maintain an ongoing relationship with their tribe and tribal community members, as appropriate.

Interpretation: “Legal and personal documents” can include:

an identification card;
a resume;
a driver’s license;
an original copy of the youth’s birth certificate;
religious documents and information;
documentation of tribal eligibility and membership;
documentation of immigration, citizenship, or naturalization, if applicable; and
educational records.

Interpretation: Housing options may include a full range from supported living to a fully independent living environment. When the case involves an Indian child, the organization should work with the tribe and the youth in transition to explore the risks and benefits of housing options within Indian country and prepare youth for this potential transition.

Research Note: Organizations should explore the definition of independence with youth to ensure that youth are transitioning into a living arrangement that meets their needs and honors their belief system and cultural values. Establishing strong interdependent relationships with a committed caregiver, extended family, and supportive community members can smooth the transition into adulthood and independence.

NA The organization does not serve youth transitioning to independence.

KC 14.03

Upon case closing, the organization notifies any collaborating service providers, including the courts and tribal governments, as appropriate.

KC 14.04

If a family is asked to leave the program, the organization makes every effort to link them with appropriate services.

KC 14.05

The organization that has a contract with a public authority that does not include aftercare planning or follow-up:

conducts a formal case closing evaluation and assessment of unmet needs; and
informs the public body of the findings, in writing, as appropriate to the contract and with the permission of the family member.

NA The organization does not have a relevant contract.

QUICK JUMP TO


	PURPOSE: Kinship Care Services maintain the family system as the primary source of care and preserve the continuity of care, culture, relationships, and environment essential for child safety and well-being.

RELATED FILES


	SERVICE One or more organization-operated programs or activities that have a common general objective and deploy the organization's material and human resources in a planned and systematic manner. An organization that publicly promotes or identifies itself in writing as offering a service, is licensed to deliver a service, assigns personnel and/or space to a service, or allocates financial resources to a service is considered to offer that service.


	FAMILY Two or more people who consider themselves family and who assume obligations, functions, and responsibilities generally essential to healthy family life. Child care and child socialization, income support, long-term care, and other caregiving are among the functions of family life. The definition of "family" will rest with an individual's indication of who plays a family member role, including current or former foster family, adoptive family, extended family members, fictive kin, or significant others. Organizations that believe family is the central constellation in a child's life, and that family attachments are of primary importance for human development, will strive to work with professional staff to develop a common understanding of "family."


	CULTURE The customs, habits, values, skills, technology, beliefs, and religious, social, and political behaviors of a group of people in a specific period of time.


	CASE CLOSING A voluntary or involuntary process which occurs when an organization no longer assumes responsibility for providing services to a particular individual, group, or family. Also known as "termination" or "discharge."


	PLANNING The process of specifying objectives, evaluating the means for their achievement, and exercising deliberate decision making about appropriate courses of action.


	INTAKE The client's entry point for services at which eligibility is assessed against established criteria and a preliminary evaluation of the presenting problem occurs.


	COMMUNITY A specific group of people living in the same locality and who may share a common culture, values, and norms. Communities can also be defined by race, religion, ethnicity, age, occupation, political status, tribal affiliation, interest in particular problems or outcomes, or other common bonds. The term "community" encompasses worksites, schools, tribes, residential neighborhoods, business districts, recreational areas, and health and human service sites.


	ELIGIBILITY The degree to which an individual, family, group, or community meets the specific criteria and qualifications required to receive goods, benefits, or services.


	CASE A general term used to designate clients (including individuals, families, and groups) served by an organization for purposes of monitoring the provision of services. A foster care case is generally based on the placement of an individual child, although casework for the child may include services to the child's family. A child protective services case is based on an entire family household if a family assessment model is used; otherwise a case is defined as a child.


	INDIAN CHILD As defined in the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), "Any unmarried person who is under age eighteen and is either (a) a member of an Indian tribe or (b) eligible for membership in an Indian tribe and is the biological child of a member of an Indian tribe." For purposes of compliance with ICWA, the definition provided in the Act shall apply. For purposes of access to services and resources, other more inclusive definitions may apply (e.g. Indian Education Act, tribal definitions, etc.).


	CAREGIVER The provider of physical, emotional, and social needs to another person, often dependent and unable to provide for his or her own needs. Caregiver is the generic term used for the direct service providers in Community Care and Support Services (CCS).


	PROGRAM A system of services offered by an organization. For example, an organization providing a mental health service may offer several mental health programs to different populations, e.g., a mental health program for adolescent teens. The word "program" can be used interchangeably with the word "service" or to describe specific programs.


	CONTRACT A formal written agreement between two or more parties that specifies the services, space, or products to be provided in exchange for some form of compensation. Also known as "purchase of service arrangement."


	ASSESSMENT An evaluation, which utilizes professional expertise and skills in the collection and analysis of data to understand and describe the nature of service needs of an individual, family, or group. Assessment, as in needs assessment, is also used to determine priorities of program planning and service development for the organization as a whole. See also DIAGNOSIS.


	AFTERCARE Additional services provided beyond the period of primary care that offer continuity and supportive follow-up.


	EVALUATION The review and assessment of organizational operations, programs and services.