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.		  
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  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."		  
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  PARENTS

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

Established actions or ways of proceeding in the regular performance of organizational duties. Policies and procedures often guide practice.		  
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  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.		  
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  POLICY

A written statement of principles, values, or intent that provides a basis for consistent decision making and guides the actions of staff, management, and board of trustees. A policy is intentionally broad in its language and application. The following is an example of an anti-discrimination policy:

"[Organization Name] shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers, selection of vendors, and provision of services."

In contrast, a procedure is a detailed, step-by-step description of a process. It tells the reader how to do something. Generally, policies are implemented through procedures. For example, the above anti-discrimination policy would require a detailed grievance procedure in order to operationalize it within an organization.

The governing body has the fiduciary responsibility for setting organizational policy. Therefore, policies must be approved and periodically reviewed by the organization's governing body. However, the governing body typically delegates (via policy) the responsibility for policy development to management. In owner-operated for-profit companies, the owner can act as the company's governing body, depending on the company's corporate structure.

In a public agency the responsibility for setting and reviewing policies may belong to the agency's management team, elected officials, another governmental agency, or as is often the case, a combination of the above.

  
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  PERSONNEL

The body of employees and/or volunteers that carries out the organization's tasks under the organization's administration and/or supervision. This definition does not include foster parents who are specifically referenced in relevant standards		  
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  INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR

An independently employed individual who contracts with an organization to do a piece of work according to his/her own methods and is subject to an employer's control only as to end product or final result of the work, not as to the means whereby it is to be accomplished.		  
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  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.		  
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  CONFIDENTIALITY

An ethical and practice principle that requires the protection of information shared within a professional-client relationship. An organization that upholds confidentiality prohibits personnel from disclosing information about persons served without their written consent.		  
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  INFORMED CONSENT

The explicit granting of permission by a consumer or his/her legal guardian to the service provider and organization to use a specific intervention or participate in research. The consent is predicated on full disclosure of the facts to enable the consumer to make a decision based on knowledge of the risks and alternatives.		  
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Adoption Services
  
Private Org Public Agency  

PA-AS 12: Administrative Practice

 
Administrative practices are ethical and professional, and respect the rights of all parties involved in the adoption.

PA-AS 12.01

 
Fees are fair, reasonable, and based on costs associated with service delivery, and parents are only charged for services provided.
Interpretation: Practices are developed to protect the interests of prospective adoptive parents if the agency closes the adoption program. One example of such a practice is to place funds collected prior to the delivery of a service in a separate account, and provide an accounting of disbursements to parents.
NA The agency does not charge fees for adoption services.

PA-AS 12.02

 

When reviewing and approving the agency's adoption fee policy, consideration is given to ethical issues associated with charging adoption fees, including:

  1. the influence fees can have on decision-making about child relinquishment and matching; and
  2. the psychological impact fees can have on birth parents, adoptive parents, and adopted individuals.
NA The agency does not charge fees for adoption services, or charges fees only for homestudies.

PA-AS 12.03

 
The agency, its personnel, and independent contractors do not accept or provide financial or other consideration beyond reimbursement for services.
Interpretation: The agency must demonstrate thoughtfully developed, fully implemented policies that ensure that professional decision-making is separate from financial considerations, and that all actions have a sound ethical and professional basis. Prospective adoptive parents interested in making donations can be advised to do so after the adoption has been finalized.

PA-AS 12.04

 

When the agency collaborates with other organizations or individuals to deliver services:

  1. providers are licensed or appropriately credentialed, according to applicable regulations;
  2. service agreements or contracts are written;
  3. prospective adoptive parents are made aware of the relationship between providers; and
  4. the quality of services is monitored.
NA The agency does not collaborate with other providers.

PA-AS 12.05

 
Records are retained for the period required by applicable law, or in the absence of such law for at least 99 years, and the agency has a plan for transfer of records if the adoption program is closed.

PA-AS 12.06

 
All releases of identifying information about adopted persons, birth parents, and adoptive families are in accordance with individual preferences and applicable regulation.
Interpretation: In cases where an individual waives confidentiality, informed consent is obtained in the form of a notarized affidavit before any contact or exchange of identifying information occurs.
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PURPOSE: Adoption Services establish a permanent family for children and youth awaiting adoption, and increase the well-being and functioning of birth parents, adoptive families, and adopted individuals.
 
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