	Child Protective Services

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

CPS 11: Child Placement

Children in need of out-of-home care are referred to a foster care, kinship care, or residential program that can meet their needs for safety, permanency, stability, and well-being in a culturally-competent manner.

Note: An organization that provides emergency placements must document efforts made to meet the standards given the emergency nature of the placement.

NA The organization does not place or refer children for out-of-home care.

CPS 11.01

All information available from intake, screening, assessment, and placement history are considered to identify the most family-like, least restrictive type of out-of-home care suitable to provide for the child’s safety, permanency, stability and well being.

Research Note: Research has identified many factors that can impact placement decisions including: age, race, reason for placement, placement history, and presence of behavior problems or disabilities. Research suggests that despite the availability of information on a child’s psychosocial functioning, workers base placement decisions on labels and the reason for entering care. Researchers recommend use of clinical judgment, assessment information, and standardized tools to identify and consider the factors that indicate a child is at greater risk of disruption to determine the most suitable out-of-home placement. Some literature suggests the organization monitor decision making for inappropriate biases.

CPS 11.02

The child is placed with siblings whenever possible, and is referred to an out-of-home care program that can provide the most appropriate placement that is in close proximity to the child’s parents and allows the child to maintain his or her cultural connections.

Research Note: Literature suggests that children placed in close proximity to relatives are less likely to disrupt and more likely to have regular visitation with parents.

CPS 11.03

Indian children are placed according to the placement preferences specified in the Indian Child Welfare Act as applicable.

Interpretation: An organization that has responsibility for placing an Indian child should work closely with the child’s tribe to identify placement options within the tribal community. Families from all tribes to which the child has ties should be considered as placement options.

Research Note: The Indian Child Welfare Act requires that preference be given to foster placements in the following order: (1) a member of the child’s extended family; (2) other members of the child’s tribe; (3) foster homes licensed, approved, or selected by the child’s tribe; and (4) an institution approved by an Indian tribe or operated by an Indian organization. As evidence of compliance with these placement preferences, a record of each placement must be maintained by the state in which the placement was made. These records are made available upon request of the United States Secretary of Interior or the Indian child’s tribe.

CPS 11.04

Placement moves are prevented through:

avoidance of cyclical placements or other planned or administrative disruptions;
provision of child-specific information to the out-of-home care provider, including reasons for placement and permanency goals;
support for the child through the placement process; and
proactive responses to challenges and conflicts associated with placement and assessing the need for additional services.

Interpretation: Information about the child can include behavior, likes, dislikes, talents, and strengths.

CPS 11.05

The appropriateness of the level of care is assessed regularly, and placement changes are made when necessary.

CPS 11.06

Children that experience multiple placements receive additional supports and services to improve stability and well being including:

the provision of sufficient advanced notice prior to a placement move to plan for and support the child through the transition; and
assessment and referral to additional therapeutic or other needed services.

Interpretation: When the case involves an Indian child, the tribe should receive timely notification prior to a placement move.

Research Note: Literature suggests that children with repeated placement disruptions may need intensive services, and the transition to and from residential and hospital settings may be complex and stressful.

Research Note: Research suggests that child behavior problems can be both a cause and a consequence of multiple placements. Researchers recommend careful initial screening to identify children with behavior problems, and placement management and early intervention for children that develop behavior problems while in care.

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	PURPOSE: Child Protective Services protect children from abuse and neglect and increase child well-being and family stability.

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."


	OUT-OF-HOME CARE Services for persons living in environments outside of their usual households. Foster Care Services are considered to serve persons in out-of-home care.


	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.


	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.


	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.


	RESEARCH For purposes of COA accreditation, all forms of internal or external research involving persons served except internal program evaluation and outcomes research, or educational projects performed by students and interns that are part of their professional training.


	CLINICAL The study, assessment, and diagnosis of the client situation followed by direct treatment to help the client achieve prescribed goals.


	PARENTS Parents can include: birth, foster, kinship, and adoptive parents. Please see service standards for more specific information about use of this term.


	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.).


	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.


	APPROPRIATENESS The degree to which a particular service, placement, treatment, intervention, or activity is: best suited to an individual's needs; not excessive, unduly intrusive, or restrictive; anticipated to be effective in achieving the desired and specified outcomes; and adequate or sufficient in quantity to address the problem.


	MANAGEMENT See ADMINISTRATION


	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.