55 Pa. Code § 287.21 - Policy
(a)
General. AFDC-F policy in general will be as follows:
(1) Article IV and sections 701 and 902 of
the Welfare Code (62 P. S. §§
401-448,
701 and
902); sections 401(d) and 405
of the County Institution District Law (62 P. S. §§
2301(d) and
2305); and sections 2164 and
2168 of the County Code (16 P. S. §§
2164 and
2168) provide the legal base
for furnishing child care in a foster home or children's institution (category
symbol, C-F).
(2) The AFDC-F
program is intended to underscore the basic objectives of the AFDC program to
maintain dependent children in their own homes and to assist parents to provide
care for their children essential to their healthy growth and development. The
provisions of the program safeguard the rights of the child and his parents and
relatives during periods of temporary or prolonged stress when separation of
the child is less damaging to the child then their remaining
together.
(3) The objective during
the separation is to improve conditions so that the child might return to his
home or to develop other plans for the child such as placement with other
relatives or adoption.
(b)
Department responsibilities in AFDC-F. The responsibilities of
the Department in AFDC-F will be as follows:
(1)
Responsibilities through County
Assistance Offices. The Department, through its County Assistance
Offices, will be responsible for:
(i)
Providing protective services to AFDC families.
(ii) Referring to the County Child Welfare
Office those children whose home conditions indicate that removal from their
home is necessary.
(iii)
Determining initial and continuing eligibility for AFDC-F.
(iv) Providing services to the family of a
foster child when the family continues to receive AFDC.
(v) Providing medical assistance to AFDC-F
children.
(vi) Authorizing payment
for AFDC-F children.
(2)
Responsibilities through regional offices. The Department,
through its regional offices, will be responsible for:
(i) Licensing or approving and supervising
foster homes, including institutions.
(ii) Supervising the child welfare services
administered by the county authorities.
(iii) Reviewing the service program of the
county child welfare agencies for approval for grants under the Department's
grant payment program.
(c)
County child welfare
responsibilities in AFDC-F. The county child welfare agency will be
responsible for:
(1) Placing children in
licensed or approved foster homes and institutions.
(2) Applying for AFDC-F for children who
appear eligible.
(3) Arranging for
and purchasing the foster or institutional care for the child.
(4) Providing services during placement,
including planning for medical and special needs of the child.
(5) Providing services to the relatives of
the C-F child, except when an active AFDC case continues in the home.
(6) Billing the Department for the unmet cost
of care it provides to children who are eligible for AFDC-F.
Notes
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