Responsibility at Child or Youth’s Entry Into Care

When a child or youth comes into care, the caseworker must assess the child or youth’s service needs and take one of the following actions within one day of the removal:

• Request in IMPACT that the regional eligibility staff enter a Basic service level.
• Request in IMPACT a service level and submit the request and a complete clinical record to Youth for Tomorrow.

The caseworker consults with the child or youth’s caregivers, parents, teachers, or other appropriate sources to make the determination.

Ongoing Responsibility for Service Level Determinations

The caseworker must do all of the following:

• Ensure that the child or youth receives a timely initial authorized service level (ASL) when the child comes into care.
• Request an ASL whenever the needs of the child or youth change.
• Request subsequent ASLs as part of the scheduled review process before the ASL expires.
• Provide a copy of the ASL to the placement when placing a child or youth;
• Coordinate and submit all required documentation to the third-party contractor to ensure accurate evaluation of the ASL.
• Coordinate with the facility to ensure that the ASL is reviewed in a timely manner.
• Assess the child or youth’s service needs by gathering information from the child or youth’s caregivers, parents, teachers, and other people who know the child or youth.

Additionally, the caseworker must work with the placement to ensure that the service level does not expire. The Moderate service level is valid for 12 months, and the Specialized, Intense, and Intense Plus service levels are valid for only 3 months.

For a chart on time frames for ASLs, see Appendix 4320: DFPS Guidelines for Service Authorizations.

The third party contractor authorizes Moderate, Specialized, Intense, and Intense Plus service levels for children in DFPS conservatorship.

CPS staff may not guarantee a caregiver a service level above Basic or contrary to the ASL in IMPACT when placing a child or youth.