CODES/REFERENCES

O.C.G.A. § 15-11-212

O.C.G.A. § 15-11-215

O.C.G.A. § 19-7-5 Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect

Title IV-E of the Social Security Act Sections 471(a) (9)(c) and 475 (9) 45 CFR 1356.21 (e)

REQUIREMENTS

The Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) shall:

1. Ensure the safety and well-being of a child when considering a trial home visit by:
   
    
   1. Determining if there is sufficient progress toward the case plan goals to resolve or mitigate safety concerns.
   2. Assessing the parent, guardian or legal custodian parenting practices and protective capacities.
   3. Conducting a purposeful contact in the home where the trial home visit will occur, with the caregiver and all household members to assess the home and all household members.
   4. Conducting safety screenings and criminal records checks (CRC) of all caregivers and other household members where the trial home visits will occur. EXCEPTION: CRC are not required on the parent, guardian or legal custodian from whom the child was removed to initiate a trial home visit.
2. Conduct a family meeting or Family Team Meeting (FTM) to develop the plan for the trial home visit.
3. Obtain court approval for the trial home visit prior to return of a child in foster care to the physical care of a parent, guardian or legal custodian.
4. Arrange a transitional visitation schedule with the placement resource and the parent, guardian or legal custodian to minimize trauma to the child.
5. Develop a Safety Plan for all children returning to the care of their parent, guardian, or custodian on a trial home visit.
6. Ensure education stability for the child when on a trial home visit in accordance with policy 10.13 Foster Care: Educational Needs.
7. Ensure the children’s medical, dental and mental health needs will be met and that the caregiver is provided all information necessary to ensure ongoing service provision during the trial home visit.
8. Notify the following of the trial home visit to ensure continuity of services:
   
    
   1. The child’s school or daycare;
   2. Revenue Maximization (Rev Max) Unit;
   3. Children 1st/Babies Can’t Wait (BCW), if applicable (see policy 19.28 Case Management: Children 1st and Babies Can’t Wait);
   4. Service providers who are involved with the family or child (see policy 19.17 Case Management: Service Provision).
9. Conduct a purposeful contact in the home with the child and parent within 24 hours of the trial home visit.
10. Establish purposeful and collateral contact standards for the trial home visit period.
11. Maintain sibling visitation when there are siblings that remain in a foster care placement in accordance with policy 10.20 Foster Care: Preserving Sibling Connections.Monitor the trial home visit through conducting purposeful and collateral contacts, supporting the achievement of case plan outcomes and ensuring that the needs of the child are being met.
12. Ensure the trial home visit does not exceed six months in duration, unless the court orders a longer trial home visit. If a trial home visit extends beyond six months and has not been authorized by the court, or exceeds the time period the court has deemed appropriate, and the child is subsequently returned to foster care, that placement must then be considered a new placement and title IV-E eligibility must be newly established. Under these circumstances the judicial determinations regarding contrary to the welfare and reasonable efforts to prevent removal are required.
13. Refer to policy 9.10 Eligibility: Special Situations when utilizing a trial home to ensure compliance with Title IV-E.
14. Immediately terminate the trial home visit and notify the SAAG within 24 hours, if at any time during a trial home visit a child is assessed to be unsafe. NOTE: DFCS will make every effort to return the child to the same placement the child resided with prior to the trial home visit, whenever possible.
15. Immediately report any new known or suspected instances of child abuse/neglect to the CPS Intake Communications Center (CICC) as outlined in policy 3.24 Intake: Mandated Reporters.

PROCEDURES

The Social Services Case Manager (SSCM) will:

1. Prior to recommending a trial home visit:
   
    
   1. Ensure any safety concerns have been sufficiently resolved or mitigated and the child’s safety can be assured in the home.
   2. Provide the parent, guardian or legal custodian the opportunity to demonstrate effective parenting (i.e. court approved unsupervised, extended day visitation and overnight visits) and evaluate:
      
       
      1. The quality of the interaction with the child;
      2. The frequency and duration of their visitation with the child;
      3. Their response to increased responsibility as visitation has progressed; and
      4. Participation in services and supports (educational, medical, dental, mental health, etc.) with the child, as appropriate.
   3. Participate in a supervisory staffing, prior to proceeding with any court action regarding the trial home visit, to discuss the consideration of the child home visit and secure approval.
   4. Conducting a purposeful contact in the home where the trial home visit will occur, with the caregiver and all household members to assess the home and all household members (see policy 10.18 Foster Care: Purposeful Contacts in FosterCare).
      1. The physical condition of the home;
      2. The current household members;
      3. The sleeping arrangements for the child and other household members; and
      4. The family can manage specific everyday situations they were previously unable to safely manage resulting in the need for the child’s removal.
   5. Conducting safety screenings and criminal checks of all caregivers and other household members where the trial home visits will occur (see policy 19.9 Case Management: Safety Screenings and 19.8 Case Management: Criminal Records Checks). EXCEPTION: CRC are not required on the parent, guardian or legal custodian from whom the child was removed to initiate a trial home visit.
   6. Conduct a family meeting or Family Team Meeting (FTM) with the parent, guardian or legal custodian, child and family supports to discuss the proposed trial home visit. The discussion should include:
      1. An explanation of what it means for the child to be on a trial home visit, including DFCS remaining legally responsible for the child;
      2. The feelings and concerns the parent, guardian or legal custodian and child may have about the child returning home;
      3. The strengths they bring to this phase of the reunification work and what challenges they may face;
      4. The child’s their hopes and fears about the trial home visit, as appropriate based on the child’s age and development. Provide support for the child in the discussion; NOTE: Based on the individual needs of the child this discussion may be conducted by the child’s therapist, if applicable.
      5. The safety plan to prevent the circumstances that led to the child’s removal from reoccurring (i.e. relapse prevention plan) (see policy 19.12 Case Management: Safety Plan & Management);
      6. The family’s development of specific skills, including the ability to:
         1. Identify high-risk situations;
         2. Identify early warning signals;
         3. Prevent high-risk situations;
         4. Interrupt high-risk situations not avoided; and
         5. Escape situations not interrupted.
      7. The plan for sibling visitation during the trial home visit, if any sibling of the child remains in foster care.
      8. Any needs (i.e. financial, supportive, etc.) the parent, guardian or legal custodian may have before the child is returned to the home and the services that will be utilized to help address those needs;
      9. Determine if the placement resource can maintain contact with the child and family to support the trial home visit;
      10. Services they may be eligible for from the Office of Family Independence (OFI)
      11. Any childcare needs and available services;
      12. The plan for supervision, including who, besides the parent, guardian or legal custodian, may act as a caregiver for the child;
      13. Appropriate discipline practices and DFCS’ discipline policy;
      14. The plan to address educational, medical or mental health needs;
      15. Contact information and the importance of notifying DFCS in case of an emergency (e.g. illness, injury, accident, runaway, etc.);
      16. Continued involvement by the SSCM including required purposeful contacts;
      17. Any case plan updates needed to ensure the child can be safely maintained in the home; and
      18. The need for court approval prior to initiating the trial home visit.
2. Contact the service providers to arrange continuation of services, prior to the trial home visits, to ensure adequate support is provided to family during the trial home visit period (see policy 19.17 Case Management: Service Provision).
3. Develop a clear educational plan for the child with the parent, guardian or legal custodian and the school. Engage the Education Support Monitor for support (see policy 10.13 Foster Care: Educational Needs).
4. Obtain approval from the court for the trial home visit:
   
    
   1. Submit a Legal Action Request to the SAAG to obtain court approval for the trial home visit, upon receiving approval from the SSS.
   2. Update the case plan in Georgia SHINES to include specific outcomes and tasks to maintain the child safely in the home during the trial home visit and submit to the court. NOTE: Court approval of trial home visits is secured through approval of a case plan that includes a recommendation for trial home visit and the issuance of a court order approving the trial home visit.
   3. Attend any scheduled hearing regarding the request for the trial home visit (see policy 17.1 Legal: Juvenile Court Process).
5. Conduct transitional visitation with the placement resource and the parent, guardian or legal custodian to minimize trauma to the child.
6. Proceed with the trial home visit by arranging for the placement resource and/or the SSCM to accompany the child to the home of the parent, guardian or legal custodian.
7. Complete the following in Georgia SHINES:
   
    
   1. Document all contacts in the narrative of the Contact Detail page in Georgia SHINES within 72 hours of occurrence;
   2. Update the Placement List page;
   3. The NOC to Rev Max.
8. Submit the Amerigroup GA Families 360º DFCS Referral Form to Rev Max and Amerigroup to provide notification of the trial home visit.
9. Conduct a purposeful contact in the home of the parent, guardian or legal custodian within 24 hours of the initiating the trial home visits (see policy 10.18 Foster Care: Purposeful Contacts in Foster Care).
10. Establish contact standards to accordance with policy 19.15 Case Management: Developing Contact Standards for Purposeful Contacts and Collaterals Contacts.
11. Monitor and support the family during the trial home visit period, including:
    
     
    1. Conducting purposeful contacts with child/caregiver/family and in accordance with the established contact as outlined in policy 10.18 Foster Care: Purposeful Contacts in Foster Care)
    2. Conducting collateral contacts in accordance with the established contact standards as outlined in policy 19.16 Case Management: Collateral Contacts.
    3. Initiating family meetings or FTM when appropriate to discuss progress toward case plan outcomes and address identified concerns.
    4. Assuring any newly identified needs are addressed by linking the family to any formal and informal supports (see policy 19.17 Case Management: Service Provision).
    5. Ensuring sibling visitation is maintained when there are siblings that remain in a foster care placement.
    6. Conducting ongoing case consultations to discuss the family’s progress and any identified concerns (see policy 19.5 Case Management: Case Consultation).
    7. Immediately terminating the trial home visit and notify the SAAG within 24 hours, if at any time during a trial home visit a child is assessed to be unsafe.Monitor the trial home visit timeframe to ensure it does not exceed six months to ensure ongoing IV-E eligibility (see policy 9.10 Eligibility: Special Situations).
       
        
       1. Consult with the SAAG to request a court approved extension if the trial home visit needs to go beyond six months and is in the child's best interest.
       2. The court ordered extension must occur prior to the trial home visit reaching six months.
    8. Recommend case closure to the court when the parent, guardian or legal custodian has completed the case plan requirements and demonstrated effective protective capacity to safely resume parenting (see policy 10.26 Foster Care: Case Closure).
    9. Document trial home visit activities in Georgia SHINES within 72 hours of occurrence.

The SSS will:

1. Conduct a supervisory staffing with the SSCM to:
   
    
   1. Determine if the safety concerns prompting removal have been mitigated or if new safety threats warranting continued out of home care exist.
   2. Assess whether sufficient progress towards case plan goals has been made by the parent, guardian or legal custodian to warrant a trial home visit;
   3. Discuss whether the child is part of a sibling group including:
      
       
      1. Whether the parent, guardian or legal custodian for a separated sibling is capable of caring for all siblings;
      2. Whether all siblings in care will be included in the trial home visit;
      3. How each child will transition to the trial home visit.
   4. Determine what services are needed to support the trial home visit;
   5. Discuss any foreseeable concerns with the trial home visit;
   6. Make an approval decision regarding the request for a trial home visit;
2. Monitor ongoing efforts to jointly place siblings, if they are separated.
3. Ensure Rev Max and Amerigroup receive notification of the trial home visit.
4. Participate in a staffing with the SAAG prior to any scheduled court hearing regarding a child home visit.
5. Review the case record in Georgia SHINES to ensure:
   
    
   1. Contacts during the trial home visit with the child/caregiver/family are purposeful;
   2. The following pages in Georgia SHINES are completed or updated:
      
       
      1. Custody Detail
      2. Legal Status
      3. Legal Action and Outcomes Detail
      4. Placement List
      5. NOC
      6. Person Detail
      7. Diligent Search
      8. Contact Standards
      9. Case Documentation (Narratives)

PRACTICE GUIDANCE

Trial Home Visits

Reunification, the process of reconnecting children in out-of-home care with their families, is the preferred permanency arrangement. The trial home visit was introduced in federal law to improve stability in the reunification process and is a key strategy in assuring successful reunification. A trial home visit should only be recommended when it is expected to be successful and requires careful planning and preparation prior to and following the transition. Each family will have a different reaction to child returning home on a trial home visit; therefore, the preparation and planning should be individualized based on the needs of each family. When planning a trial home visit, consideration must be given to the following:

1. Safety threats resulting in the child’s removal have been successfully mitigated.
2. The age of the child.
3. Number of siblings that will be returning with the child.
4. The length of time the child was in foster care.
5. The quality and consistency of visitation between the parent, guardian or legal custodian and child.
6. The child’s special needs, characteristics, vulnerability to harm and capacity to self- protect.
7. Any new household members (i.e. boyfriend, girlfriend, other family) since the child entered care.
8. The quality of the relationship between the parent, guardian or legal custodian and child.
9. The quality of extended family support.
10. The parent’s, guardian’s or legal custodian’s protective capacities and progress on their case plan outcomes.
11. Support services that may be needed.

Preparing the Child

The amount and type of preparation needed for the trial home visit, will vary for each child. The child's vulnerability impacts they type of preparation needed for the child home visit. Child vulnerabilities include the child’s age, the length of time in out-of-home care, and the quality of the child’s relationships with his/her parent, guardian, or legal custodian. The child’s feelings also play a key role in his/her adjustment to returning home. Many children worry that they will subjected again to abuse and/or neglect. Some may experience feelings of disloyalty to their placement resource family for wanting to return home; and some may feel disloyal to their parents for missing the placement resource family. The child should be encouraged to share his/her feelings about the return home with a trusted adult, such as the placement resource, SSCM, behavior aide, therapist, etc. The child feelings should be acknowledged and addressed, including any fears. Additionally, the SSCM should discuss with the child the expectations, responsibilities, and safeguards that will be in place to protect the child. The SSCM should discuss safety with the child and what the child should do if the child feels unsafe.

Preparing the Parent, Guardian, or Legal Custodian

The parent, guardian, or legal custodian may feel uncertain about his or her ability to adequately meet the child's needs or more feel overly confident. The SSCM should help the parent, guardian or legal custodian prepare for the trial home visit by:

1. Identifying the positive behavioral change that enhanced protective capacities and alleviated safety concerns. Celebrate successes.
2. Providing the parent, guardian or legal custodian the opportunity to implement parenting practices learned.
3. Informing of the agency’s continued involvement with family to support a successful reunification.
4. Identifying any anticipated issues and discuss the family’s prevention plan to address any identified concerns.

Preparing the Placement Resource

The bonds that often develop between some placement resource and children placed in their home are important and can evoke feelings of loss for both parties. In addition, the placement resource’s feelings can influence the child's view of returning to their family, therefore it is important to include them in the planning for the trial home visit. This include their involvement in transitional visits with the parent, guardian, legal custodian, participation in the family meetings, and maintaining an ongoing relationship to support the child’s transition to their home.

Supporting the Family During the Trial Home Visit

Once a family reorganizes and settles into a “new normal” when their child is out of the home in foster care, reintegrating the child back into the home may be challenging. Often parents revert to more familiar manners of functioning that resulted in the child’s removal. A trial home visit allows for the parent, guardian or legal custodian demonstrate effective parenting. During this period, it is essential that services provided to the family are consistent, targeted, and behaviorally driven. Children and families should receive services in the least restrictive environment which is most often their home. This allows the SSCM to have a better picture of family functioning and adaptability to the daily stresses of parenthood and life.

Supporting the family through the trial home visit by being a resource and monitoring their progress are additional benefits for the reunification process. More frequent purposeful contacts may be required initially during the initial phase of trial home visit to continue to assess the child’s safety and wellbeing as well as parenting abilities and behaviors. As the parent becomes more confident in their parenting skills, identifying stressors, and utilizing their action plans, the frequency and nature of contacts will need to be reassessed to reflect the progress that the family has made. During the trial home visit period, it is important to recognize that families will have challenges, setbacks, and successes. Encourage the family to utilize the skills and relationships that they have developed through action planning to address any challenges or setbacks. Being able to identify the challenges and setbacks but also celebrate and recognize their successes assist in ensuring a positive trial home visit and reunification. It also important and recognize and celebrate successes.