Notifications

The caseworker must ensure that the child’s caregiver has been informed of the child’s history of running away.

DFPS defines a runaway incident as a type of unauthorized absence that meets the following criteria:

• The child left the placement on the child’s own accord and without permission from the caregiver.
• The child does not appear to intend to return and is unable to be located.

The caseworker must include runaway history in Form 2087 Application for Placement or Form 2087ex Alternative Application for Placement of Children in Residential Care [sic, broken link]  and Form 2279 Placement Summary.

Information provided to the caregiver must include:

• Past runaway information.
• Any known information about triggers that could lead to a runaway episode.
• Any known information about strategies to prevent runaway episodes that were effective in the past.
• Whether the child has a history of leaving the child’s placement without permission for short periods of time and then returning.
• Last date the child ran away.
• Any other important information related to the child’s history of running away.

If a child is placed with a relative or kinship caregiver, the caseworker must do the following:

• Inform the kinship development worker of the child’s history of running away.
• Provide the child’s caregiver a Runaway Prevention Tip Sheet.

The kinship development worker ensures that the caregiver has a copy of the Runway Prevention Tip Sheet and reviews the strategies to support the child with the caregiver.

See the Runaway Prevention Resource Guide.

Runaway Prevention Plan for Children in Substitute Care

A runaway prevention plan must be implemented when one or more of the following apply:

• The child has a history of running away, with the most recent episode being within the past six months.
• The child is a victim of human trafficking.
• The child recently verbalized a desire to run away.

The following people help develop the plan:

• The child.
• The child’s caregiver.
• The child’s caseworker.
• Other supportive people in the child’s life, such as relatives, teachers, mentors, CASA, Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth (CSEY) Advocate, and others as applicable

The plan should meet the following criteria:

• Be focused on the child.
• Be based on the child’s strengths.
• Be proactive in planning for action steps to take  if the child does run away.
• Include alternatives for the child to use as an outlet instead of running away.
• Include a plan for the child’s safety and well-being.
• Explore reasons for past runaway episodes and triggers.

The plan must be evaluated monthly to determine if it needs to be updated or if the plan can be ended.

For children placed in contracted placements, the provider is responsible for developing the runaway prevention plan. When a child is placed in a non-contracted placement, such as a kinship home, FAD home, or other substitute care placement, the conservatorship caseworker is responsible for developing the plan.

The caseworker does the following:

• Puts a copy of the plan in the child’s or youth’s case file.
• Indicates whether the plan is currently implemented in the child’s or youth’s monthly evaluation.
• At least once a month, the caseworker must discuss the child’s or youth’s status and progress in meeting any conditions in the plan with all of the following people:
  • The child or youth.
  • The caregiver.
  • Anyone else who helped develop the plan.

Contracted Placements

For a child or youth who is placed with a contracted residential provider, the provider does the following:

• Invites the caseworker to participate in the development of the runaway prevention plan.
• Provides a copy of the plan to the caseworker within 24 hours of implementation.

If the caseworker is not able to participate in the creation of the plan, the provider does not delay implementation of the plan, and the caseworker provides support for the plan through alternate means (such as by phone, email, or text messages). The provider evaluates the following on a monthly basis:

• Whether any updates to the plan are needed.
• Whether the plan should be continued based on the provider’s assessment of the child’s progress, the caregiver’s feedback, the caseworker’s recommendation and feedback from the other supportive people in the child’s life, as applicable.

Non-Contracted Placements

Within two business days of the caseworker learning that the child or youth is exhibiting behavior that warrants the use of a runaway prevention plan, the caseworker must initiate a meeting to create and implement the plan for a child or youth who is placed in any type of non-contracted placement, including the following:

• Kinship home
• FAD home
• Unauthorized placement
• Any other non-contracted placement

Everyone who participates in developing the plan does the following:

• Signs or acknowledges their agreement with the plan in writing.
• Receives a copy of the plan.

The caseworker evaluates the following each month:

• Whether any updates to the plan are needed.
• Whether the plan should continue to be active based on the caseworker’s assessment of the feedback from the child, caregiver, and other supportive people in the child’s life, as applicable.