Alabama Administrative Code
Title 660 - ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES
Chapter 660-5-37 - LICENSING: MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR RESIDENTIAL CHILD-CARE FACILITIES
Section 660-5-37-.03 - Social Services
Current through Register Vol. 43, No. 02, November 27, 2024
(1) Social Information. Complete social information shall be obtained prior to admission except in cases of emergency placement. Social information shall include, but is not limited to, the following:
(2) Case File. The complete case file shall be kept current and include the following:
(3) DHR-EEO-808. Intake procedures shall be in conformity with policies established by the Division of Equal Employment Opportunity and Compliance in the State Department of Human Resources and shall apply only to facilities accepting referrals or placements from the Department of Human Resources. Form DHR-EEO-808, Record of Intake Processing, shall be used for this purpose. Another form may be used which gives the same information.
(4) Placement Authorization. At the time of admission, the child care facility shall have one of the following authorizations:
(5) Care/Treatment Plan. Case planning shall begin at the time of placement. The licensed Licensed social worker service staff at the child care facility has the responsibility to involve the child and the child's family in developing a written individualized care/treatment plan for each child within 30 days of admission. The child care facility will maintain the plan to use in providing social services. The plan shall include all of the following:
(6) Confidentiality. Confidential information concerning children shall not be used or disclosed for any purpose except to those directly involved in the care/treatment plan or unless the sharing of information is required to meet an individual's need for safety. Confidentiality of all information about children and their families shall be maintained as follows:
(7) General Social Service Provisions A child care facility shall provide social services. A child care facility shall employ a social worker or contract for social services on the basis of an average of one hour of social services per week for every child in the licensed capacity minus the number of staff's own children living in the facility. When social services are provided through contract, there must be a written agreement that the required hours are provided. Social services shall be a continuing process for children and their families. A child care facility which offers multi-disciplinary approaches serving children with exceptional needs and which meets the minimum standards for social services may employ other personnel to provide treatment, team leadership and clinical and social services for residents. These personnel must have at least a master's degree in a human services field and must be licensed and certified consistent with state law. The child shall have access to the facility social worker service staff and be able to schedule private appointments upon his/her initiative alone.
(8) Development and Review of Care/Treatment Plan. Proper case planning shall begin within 24 hours after an emergency placement, within 48 hours on weekends and holidays. In developing or modifying the plan, the child care facility's professional staff member shall obtain consent of the agency or individual who holds custody of the child for contacts with relatives, visits with relatives and unrelated persons, plans for discharge, vocational training, and college attendance and extracurricular activities such as organized athletics and individual recreational activities. Evaluation for such planning shall be a joint responsibility of the child care facility's professional staff and the agency/individual having legal custody. The Care/Treatment Plan will be reviewed at least every six (6) months. Preparation for review shall include written summary of contacts with child's family. This shall be provided by the agency having primary planning responsibility. If the child care facility is the planning agency, instead of a separate report this information may be included under a separate heading of the summary of the child's adjustment and progress. A copy of the report shall be provided to the social service agency having primary planning responsibility for the child. In cases of private referrals a copy of this report shall be provided to the legal custodian. The review will consist of:
(9) Social Services Work with Child's Family. If the agency having primary planning responsibility and the child care facility agree that the child care facility's social worker service staff is in a better position to work with the child's family, the two agencies can agree for the child care facility's social worker service staff to work directly with the child's family. In such cases: the working relationship shall be stated in the care/treatment plan; the child care facility's social worker service staff shall then provide the services as indicated in the Care/Treatment Plan, and provide the agency having primary planning responsibility a written summary of each evaluation of the care/treatment plan. The agency having primary planning responsibility retains its full authority for planning.
(10) Other Social Services. The child care facility shall appoint a designated staff member to make provisions for medical and dental services as required by these standards, and for psychological testing, psychiatric examination and treatment, vocational counseling and training, or other specialized services according to the child's needs. The child care facility shall notify the primary planning agency of the need for the services for a child which are not a part of the stated services offered by the program. All specialists used by the child care facility shall be qualified and/or licensed in their respective fields.
(11) Admission.
(12) Discharge.
Author: Linda S. Stephens
Statutory Authority: Code of Ala. 1975, §§ 38-7-1 through -17, §§ 41-22-1 through -27.