N.J. Admin. Code § 3A:51-5.1 - General personal requirements

(a) Level I general personal requirements are as follows:

1. The resource family parent or resource family applicant shall be of good character, as evidenced by the application and home study process as specified in N.J.A.C. 3A:51-2.1, and shall possess skills, attributes, and characteristics conducive to and suitable for being a resource family parent and caring effectively for a child in placement.

2. The resource family parent or resource family parent applicant shall be in sufficient physical, mental, and emotional health to perform his or her duties satisfactorily.

i. The resource family parent or resource family parent applicant shall be free of serious contagious diseases that may put a child in placement at risk.

ii. The resource family parent or resource family parent applicant shall refrain from abuse of drugs or alcohol.

iii. Each resource family parent or resource family parent applicant shall disclose his or her current mental health and substance use issues and shall participate in recommended psychological evaluations and drug screenings when determined to be necessary by the Department.

iv. Each resource family parent or resource family parent applicant shall disclose his or her physical health, mental health, and substance use history.

3. The resource family parent or resource family parent applicant shall demonstrate reasonable and mature attitudes towards professional figures and institutions, as determined by a review of references and an assessment of the resource family parent's interactions during training and home visits by the Department representative.

i. The resource family parent or resource family parent applicant shall cooperate with all activities in the case plan for the child in placement, such as counseling, therapy, court sessions, visits with the child's family or life skills programs to develop the basic skills needed to succeed in daily living, career planning, housing, and money management, when appropriate.

ii. The resource family parent or resource family parent applicant and each household member shall cooperate in all licensing activities as requested by the Department.

4. At least one resource family parent shall be able to communicate with each child in placement in a language that the child understands.

5. At least one resource family parent or applicant shall be able to communicate in English.

6. At least one resource family parent or applicant shall be functionally literate.

7. The resource family parent shall have sufficient income or other means of financial support prior to the placement of a child, so that the resource family parent is economically independent of board subsidy payments from the Department.

i. The resource family parent shall provide the necessities of life for his or her family.

ii. The resource family parent shall use all money received in the name of a child in placement for that child's care.

8. The resource family parent shall be able to provide daily care and supervision for each child in placement, as appropriate to the child's age and needs.

9. The resource family parent shall be able to provide sufficient time and attention to each child in placement without causing other family members' needs to go unmet or overburdening the resource family parent.

Notes

N.J. Admin. Code § 3A:51-5.1

Administrative Change, 49 N.J.R. 98a. Amended by 49 N.J.R. 2792(a), effective 8/21/2017 Amended by 51 N.J.R. 1263(b), effective 8/5/2019