Ariz. Admin. Code § R21-5-201 - Definitions
The following definitions apply to this Article:
1. "Active participation" means the foster
youth is demonstrating efforts toward completion of case plan goals such as
regular attendance at school or employment that results in school credits or
earned wages.
2. "Aftercare
services" means assistance and support available to eligible, former foster
youth living in Arizona after the Department, tribal foster care, or other
state foster care case is dismissed, and includes services available through
the Transitional Independent Living Program.
3. "Age of majority" means that a person is
at least 18 years old.
4. "Approved
living arrangement" means a residence that has been reviewed by the assigned
Child Safety Worker or other responsible agency staff and approved within the
individual case plan.
5. "Arizona
Young Adult Program" means a group of programs and services designed to assist
eligible youth to make a successful transition to adulthood. The programs and
services include Independent Living Services, the Independent Living Subsidy
Program, Voluntary Out-of-home Care for Foster Youth 18 through 20 Years of
Age, and the Transitional Independent Living Program.
6. "Child placing agency" means the same as
in A.R.S. §
8-501(A)(1)(a)(iii),
and includes a Child Welfare Agency that OLR licenses as a Placing Agency to
place a child in a licensed foster home, or facility.
7. "Child Welfare Agency" means the same as
in A.R.S. §
8-501.
8. "Child Safety Worker" means the same as in
A.R.S. §
8-801.
9. "Custody of the Department" means that the
foster youth:
a. Is in out-of-home care under
the supervision of the Department while the subject of a dependency petition,
as an adjudicated dependent, or placed voluntarily under A.R.S. §
8-806;
or
b. Is 18, 19, or 20 years of
age, a resident of Arizona, and has signed an individual case plan agreement
for voluntary out-of-home care. This includes foster youth who were dually
adjudicated (dependent and delinquent) and released from a secure setting prior
to, or on the foster youth's 19th birthday.
10. "Department" or "DCS" means the Arizona
Department of Child Safety.
11.
"Eligible youth" means a person who meets the qualifications in A.R.S. §
8-521
for the Independent Living Program, the qualifications in A.R.S. §
8-521.01
for the Transitional Independent Living Program, or is a person who was
formerly in another state's child welfare program who would otherwise be
eligible.
12. "Employment" means:
a. Paid employment;
b. Participation in employment-readiness
activities, which include career assessment and exploration, and part time
enrollment in an employment or career readiness education program;
c. Volunteer positions;
d. Job-shadowing;
e. Internship; or
f. Other paid or unpaid employment-related
activities.
13.
"Extraordinary purchase" means an expenditure by an eligible youth that impedes
an eligible youth's ability to meet the financial obligations outlined in the
eligible youth's budget.
14.
"Foster youth" means a person in the custody of the Department.
15. "Full-time student" means an eligible
youth enrolled in an education program identified by the program as being
full-time due to the number of credits, credit hours, or other measure of
enrollment.
16. "Independent Living
Program" means the program authorized by A.R.S §
8-521
to provide an Independent Living Subsidy and educational case management to a
foster youth.
17. "Independent
Living Services" or "IL Services" means an array of assistance and support
services, including those provided under the Independent Living Program, that
the Departments provides, contracts, refers, or otherwise arranges that are
designed to help a foster youth transition to adulthood by building skills and
resources necessary to ensure personal safety, well-being, and permanency into
adulthood.
18. "Independent Living
Subsidy" or "IL Subsidy" means a monthly stipend provided under the Independent
Living Program to a foster youth, to assist in meeting monthly living expenses.
This stipend replaces any foster care maintenance payment from the Department
for support of the foster youth's daily living expenses.
19. "Individual case plan" means an agreement
between an eligible foster youth and the Department, directed by the foster
youth that documents specific services and assistance that support the foster
youth's goals in relation to:
a. Natural
supports including permanent connections to and relationships with family and
community, including peer and community mentors;
b. A safe, stable, desired living
arrangement, which may include a permanent arrangement such as guardianship or
adoption;
c. Daily living
skills;
d. Secondary and
postsecondary education and training;
e. Employment and career planning;
f. Physical health, including reproductive
health;
g. Life care planning;
h. Emotional health;
i. Mental health;
j. Spiritual or faith needs;
k. Interpersonal relationships; and
l. Age-appropriate extra-curricular,
enrichment, and social activities.
20. "Individual service plan" means an
agreement that is directed by an eligible youth in the TIL Program that
documents specific services and assistance to support the eligible youth's
goals including, as applicable:
a.
Financial,
b. Housing,
c. Counseling,
d. Employment,
e. Education, and
f. Other appropriate support and
services.
21. "Life
skills assessment" means a measure of an eligible youth's ability to function
in a variety of areas such as daily living skills, knowledge of community
resources, and budgeting, as determined by a validated assessment
tool.
22. "Medical professional"
means a doctor of medicine or osteopathy, physician's assistant, or registered
nurse practitioner licensed in A.R.S. Title 32, or a doctor of medicine
licensed and authorized to practice in another state or foreign country. A
medical professional from another state or foreign country must provide
verification of valid and current licensure in that state or country.
23. "Misuse of funds" means that an eligible
youth has expended money provided by the Department for specific purposes (such
as education or living expenses) on an item that is not permitted by law (such
as illegal drugs and alcohol), or on an extraordinary purchase that is not
included in an approved budget or individual case or service plan, to the
degree that the funds are not available for necessary items and purchases
approved within the case plan, service plan, or budget.
24. "Natural supports" means relationships
and connections that occur in everyday life, independent of formal services,
with people or groups who provide personal or other support during a person's
lifetime.
25. "Out-of-home care"
means a placement approved by the Department such as a licensed foster home,
residential group care facility operated by a Child Welfare Agency, therapeutic
residential facility, independent living setting, approved unlicensed
independent living setting, or in a relative or non-relative placement.
Out-of-home care excludes a detention facility, forestry camp, training school,
or any other facility operated primarily for the detention of a child who is
determined delinquent.
26.
"Personal Crisis" means an unexpected event or series of events in an eligible
youth's life that prevents or impedes participation in scheduled services or
activities.
27. "Residential group
care facility" means a Child Welfare Agency that is licensed to receive more
than five children for 24-hour social, emotional, or educational supervised
care and maintenance at the request of a child, child placing agency, law
enforcement agency, parent, guardian, or court. A residential group care
facility provides care in a residential setting for children for an extended
period of time.
28. "Responsible
agency staff" means the assigned Child Safety Worker, another identified
Department employee, or contracted staff.
29. "Service team members" means the eligible
youth, the youth's attorney(s), the Guardian ad Litem (GAL), the Court
Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), tribal child welfare staff, other parties to
the dependency case, contract, or other service providers, responsible agency
staff, and other adults involved with the youth or supporting the youth's
activities or employment.
30.
"Substantial non-compliance" means an eligible youth's:
a. Termination from an educational,
vocational, or employment program due to lack of attendance or failure to make
satisfactory progress as defined by the program for reasons unrelated to
physical health including pregnancy, emotional, or mental health;
b. Persistent lack of communication during a
60-day period with the assigned Child Safety Worker or other responsible agency
staff known to the youth that results in a loss of contact with the eligible
youth, or interferes with the Department's ability to provide services and
supervision or to document individual case plan or service plan
progress;
c. Persistent misuse of
funds provided to support individual case plan or service plan goals;
or
d. For an eligible foster youth,
failure to communicate unexpected changes in the living arrangement as agreed
to in the individual case plan or the Independent Living Subsidy
agreement.
31.
"Transitional Independent Living Program" or "TIL Program" means a program of
services for residents of Arizona who are eligible youth under A.R.S. §
8-521.01,
that provides assistance and support in counseling, education, vocation,
employment, and the attainment or maintenance of housing.
32. "Transitional Independent Living
Services" or "TIL Services" means those services the Department provides
through the Transitional Independent Living Program under A.R.S. §
8-521.01,
and may include assistance and support with health care, money management,
housing, counseling, education, vocational training, and employment. The
Department or its contractors provide services through a written agreement with
the eligible youth.
33. "Validated
assessment tool" means a written or verbal survey tool that can demonstrate
empirical evidence for reliability and validity.
34. "Work day" means Monday through Friday,
excluding Arizona state holidays.
35. "Young Adult Transitional Insurance"
means a category of health care coverage under the state Medicaid program
(Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System or AHCCCS) for Medicaid eligible
youth who have reached the age of majority in foster care.
Notes
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