Current through Reg. 50, No. 187; September 24, 2024
(1) The community-based-care (CBC) or
subcontractor staff shall ensure that an assessment of adoptive parent resource
needs is completed at the beginning of each calendar year, and that recruitment
activities are planned for the year based on the results of the
assessment.
(2) The recruitment
activities must be designed to meet the needs of all children in foster care
who need adoptive families and must include opportunities for an exchange of
information and communication with potential adoptive applicants at least every
90 days.
(3) The recruitment
activities shall reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of children needing
adoptive placement pursuant to the Indian Child Welfare Act,
25 U.S.C.
1901, et seq., and Multi-Ethnic Placement
Act, 42 U.S.C.A. §
1996.
(4)
Within 10 business days after a child has been permanently committed to the
Department, the adoption information screens in the child welfare information
system must be completed by the adoption case manager, adoption recruiter, or
designee.
(a) When a child or sibling group
has no identified adoptive family and is or are legally free for adoption, the
child or sibling group must appear on the Florida Adoption Exchange. The child
must be documented with an available status, a child web memo and a current
child web ready photo in the child welfare information system. If the child is
a member of a sibling group that is seeking to be adopted together by a single
family, each child must be documented with the same sibling identification
number, sibling web memo and sibling web ready photo in the child welfare
information system.
(b) The child
and sibling web memos must be reviewed and web authorized by a supervisor or
designated second level reviewer.
(c) For children under age five (5), the
child or sibling photo and child or sibling web memo must be updated every six
(6) months. For children age five (5) or older, the child or sibling web photo
and child or sibling web memo must be updated annually.
(d) When a child has an identified adoptive
family, the required data for the federal and state reports must be documented
in the child welfare information system before the adoption case is
closed.
(e) Children without an
identified adoptive family must also be registered on the national adoption
website, AdoptUSKids, and local recruitment resources, such as a Heart Gallery,
after the child is documented on the Florida Adoption
Exchange.
(5) The
prospective adoptive parents' initial inquiry to the Department or to the CBC
or subcontractor staff, whether written or verbal, shall be documented in the
statewide child welfare information system. Prospective adoptive parents who
indicate an interest in adopting children must be referred to a
Department-approved adoptive parent training program. The Department shall
approve adoptive parent training programs that meet the requirements set forth
in subsection (6) of this rule.
(6)
Adoptive parent training must be a minimum of 21 hours and must include, but is
not limited to:
(a) Orientation regarding
agency purpose, objectives, resources, policies, and services;
(b) Effects of abuse and neglect in
adoption;
(c) Impact of trauma
(grief, loss trauma, attachment, and behavioral managements);
(d) Management of difficult child behavior
that can be intensified by placement, by prior abuse or neglect, and by prior
placement disruptions;
(e) Care of
children at various developmental levels, including appropriate
discipline;
(f) Transition of a
child into and out of foster care, including issues of separation, loss, and
attachment;
(g) Prevention of
placement disruptions;
(h)
Psychotropic medication. The training must include the administration of
psychotropic medication, including the use of psychotropic medications to treat
children, the proper dosage of medications, and the importance of monitoring
for possible side effects and adverse reactions. Training on psychotropic
medications shall also include an overview of Section
39.407, F.S., and rule Chapter
65C-35, F.A.C., which govern the administration of psychotropic medication;
and
(i) Adoptive parent's role in
supporting and promoting the educational progress of the
child.
(7) If space is
limited in scheduled classes, slots in the classes will be assigned in the
following priority order:
(a) Persons with an
existing relationship with a specifically identified difficult-to-place child
who is waiting for adoption placement, or that child's sibling.
(b) Persons who have expressed an interest in
adopting a specifically identified difficult-to-place child waiting for
adoption, or that child's sibling.
(c) Persons who have explicitly stated their
willingness to adopt difficult-to-place children available for placement
through the Department or its designee.
(8) Once the prospective adoptive parents
complete the approved adoptive parent training program, the Department will
complete home studies in the following priority order:
(a) Persons with an existing relationship
with a specifically identified difficult-to-place child who is waiting for
adoption placement, or that child's sibling.
(b) Persons who have expressed an interest in
adopting a specifically identified difficult-to-place child waiting for
adoption, or that child's sibling.
(c) Persons who have explicitly stated their
willingness to adopt difficult-to-place children available for placement
through the Department or its designee.
(9) Any prospective adoptive parent, who has
completed the approved adoptive parent training program, and does not fall into
the categories under paragraphs (8)(a)-(c), may be referred to the Adoption
Information Center. Pursuant to Section
63.092(3),
F.S., the Department is required to perform the preliminary home study only if
there is no licensed child-placing agency, child-caring agency registered under
Section 409.176, F.S., licensed
professional, or agency described in Section
61.20(2), F.S.,
in the county where the prospective adoptive parent resides.
(10) The adoption case manager shall ensure
the initiation and completion dates of the adoption home study are documented
on the demographic tab of the unified study in the child welfare information
system.
(a) The date the adoption home study
was initiated shall be documented once all of the following have occurred:
1. The prospective adoptive parent(s) is
applying for a specific child who has been permanently committed to the
Department.
2. The prospective
adoptive parent(s) has completed the approved adoptive parent training as
prescribed in subsection
65C-16.005(6),
F.A.C.
3. The prospective adoptive
parent(s) and all household members have completed all required background
screenings outlined in Rule
65C-16.007, F.A.C., with a
favorable outcome.
4. An
application to adopt a specific child has been made on the "Adoptive Home
Application" form, CF-FSP 5071, July 2021, which is incorporated by reference
and available at
http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-13385.
(b) The adoption home study completion date
shall be the date the adoption case manager submits the adoption home study to
his or her supervisor for review.
Rulemaking Authority
39.012,
39.0121,
39.0137,
63.233,
409.175(5)(a),
409.988(2)(e)
FS. Law Implemented 39.0137,
39.811(8)-(9),
39.812(1),
(4)-(5),
63.092,
409.175(5)(a),
409.167,
409.986(2),
409.988(2)
FS.
New 7-18-95, Formerly 10M-8.0042, Amended 8-19-03,
11-30-08, 7-7-16, 8-15-21, 7-20-23.
