The requirements for Residential/Group Home which pertain to
the care of children prescribed under other sections of this document shall be
followed. In addition, there shall be compliance with the following specific
requirements for emergency shelter care facilities.
A.
Admission and
Planning:
1. The shelter
care agency shall develop, with the Department, a plan for the temporary care
of the children including the anticipated length of stay.
2. Children under ten (10) years of age shall
not be placed in a congregate care setting (including group residential homes
and shelters), unless the child has exceptional needs that cannot be met in
another placement or the child is a member of a sibling group and express
written approval is granted by the Department's Regional Director or designee.
Sibling groups with one or more siblings under ten (10) years of age shall not
remain in congregate care settings for more than forty-five (45)
days.
3. For children who stay more
than three (3) days, the shelter care facility shall cooperate with the
Department in assessing the needs of the child. A plan based on the child's
needs shall include the specific services to be provided by the shelter care
facility and other resources required to meet the needs of the child.
4. For children who remain in care for
twenty-one (21) days, an assessment shall be made to facilitate the permanent
plan. The plan shall include reasons for continued care or other care and plans
to eliminate barriers. Copies of the plan shall be maintained at the shelter
facility as well as given to the Department.
5. The shelter care facility shall be open
twenty-four (24) hours, seven (7) days per week, including holidays, for
admission, except when operating at licensed capacity.
6. The shelter care facility shall write a
summary report of the care received by the child including any recommendations
regarding the child and parent(s). This report shall be sent to the Department
when the child leaves the shelter.
7. No child shall remain in an emergency or
temporary facility for more than forty-five (45) calendar days unless there are
exceptional circumstances and the DFCS Division Director has granted express
written approval and documented the need for the extension. The shelter
director shall notify the county of responsibility of discharge (14) fourteen
calendar days prior to the forty-five (45) days.
8. No child shall be placed in more than one
emergency or temporary facility within one episode of foster care, unless an
immediate placement is necessary to protect the safety of the child or others
as certified in writing by the Regional Director.
9. Placement decisions shall not be made
based race, color, or national origin.
B.
Staffing
Requirements:
1. The
shelter care facility shall have at least two (2) staff members on duty at all
times.
2. One (1) direct care staff
to six (6) children when children are present and awake and one (1) direct care
staff to ten (10) children when children are asleep. At least one (1) staff
shall remain awake at all times.
3.
The agency shall have at least one (1) social worker or comparable professional
for every twelve (12) children that are in care (i.e. one (1) social worker for
one (1) to twelve (12) children; two (2) social workers for thirteen (13) to
twenty-four (24) children). This staff must work full time (full time is forty
(40) hours per week).
C.
Health Services:
1. Any child who needs immediate medical
treatment shall be referred to a licensed physician for examination and
appropriate treatment shall be provided immediately.
2. The Department must be notified
immediately when a child is referred for emergency medical treatment or any
other serious incident.
D.
Licensed
Capacity:
The license capacity may be temporarily exceeded in shelter
care facilities in order to serve children in emergency situations, provided
the proper staff/child ratio is maintained and the total does not exceed the
number of beds available.
E.
Separation of Living Groups:
When shelter care is offered as one part of the program of a
child care facility, a separate cottage or wing of a dormitory shall be used
exclusively for shelter care. Ongoing contact with the children in regular
group care is prohibited.
