12 Colo. Code Regs. § 2509-8-7.703

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 1, January 10, 2025

Section 12 CCR 2509-8-7.703 - RULES REGULATING THERAPEUTIC FOSTER CARE

Child placement agencies' or county department of human/social services' therapeutic foster care programs shall comply with all rules in this section, the General Rules for Child Care Facilities in section 7.701 , Rules and Regulations for Child Placement Agencies in section 7.710 , and the Rules Regulating Foster Care Homes in section 7.708, 7714.532.

7.703.1DEFINITIONS

A. "Therapeutic Foster Care" means a program of foster care that incorporates treatment for the special physical, psychological, or emotional needs of a child placed with specially trained foster parents, but does not include medical foster care. § 26-6-102(39), C.R.S. (2020).

B. "Therapeutic Foster Care Program" means a specialized program of foster care that complies with section 7.703 and that is approved to operate by the Colorado Department of Human Services (herein referenced as the Department).

C. "Therapeutic Foster Care Agency" means a county department of human/social services or a licensed child placement agency (CPA) that is approved by the Department to operate a therapeutic foster care program.

D. "Therapeutic Foster Care Home" means a certified foster care home that provides therapeutic foster care to children or youth in care.

7.703.2THERAPEUTIC FOSTER CARE AGENCY RESPONSIBILITY

A. Policies

The therapeutic foster care agency shall develop a written statement of purpose and policies for the operation and management of the therapeutic foster care program (herein referenced as program). The therapeutic foster care agency must provide the Department with the statement of purpose and policies for the Department's approval upon adoption or revision.

1. The statement of purpose and policies must describe or provide for:

a. The population of children or youth to be served, to include age, level of development, types of behavior, mental health presentation, and other needs;

b. Strategies for supporting emotional regulation, including de-escalation techniques, targeted to address the needs of the children/youth served;

c. Supports to maintain placement stability including respite;

d. Assessment, reporting, and transition services for discharge;

e. Cultural responsiveness, as described in 7.701.300; and

f. Trauma-informed care, as described in 7.701.400.

7.703.3PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS

All personnel requirements in sections 7.710.22 through 7.710.25 apply to child placement agencies. County departments of human/social services' personnel requirements apply to county departments of human/social services personnel.

A. The therapeutic foster care agency's staff shall include, at a minimum, one home supervisor.

1. Home supervisors shall meet the following minimum qualifications:

a. Child placement agency home supervisors shall meet the requirements of a placement supervisor per section 7.710.22.A.6 (12-CCR 2509-7).

If additional home supervisors are necessary to fulfill the placement responsibilities of the agency, additional home supervisors shall meet the minimum requirements per section 7.710.22.A.7 (12-CCR 2509-7).

b. County department of human/social services home supervisors shall meet the requirements of a social caseworker per section 7.603.1.D.2 (12-CCR 2509-7).

2. The responsibilities of the home supervisor include:

a. Coordinate, obtain, or provide services to ensure the needs of the child/youth are met, including but not limited to:

1. Psychiatric, psychological, or developmental evaluations;

2. Assessment of child's/youth's history, current functioning, and service needs;

3. Development and maintenance of the individual child's plan, per 7.714.4.D; and

4. Group, individual, or family therapy, as indicated in the individual child's plan.

b. Consult as needed with therapeutic foster parents to provide emotional support, share information, and address problems or concerns;

c. Ensure that the therapeutic foster parents communicate the current progress and needs of the child/youth with the parent(s), legal custodian, or identified permanent family at the frequency determined in the individual child's plan;

d. Conduct face to face contact with therapeutic foster parent(s) in the therapeutic foster home at the frequency indicated in the individual child's plan, but not less than twice monthly;

e. Assess, at a minimum of twice monthly, the needs of the foster parents, including respite, and coordinate, obtain, or provide services to ensure needs are met;

f. Conduct face to face contact with the child/youth in the therapeutic foster home at the frequency indicated in the individual child's plan, but not less than monthly;

g. Conduct a monthly review of the individual child's plan for each child/youth and document progress and changes to goals; and

h. Document all assessments, services, and face to face contacts monthly.

3. Home Supervisor Training

Prior to assuming the responsibilities of a therapeutic foster care caseload, and annually thereafter, a home supervisor shall have a minimum of twenty hours (20) of training in the following areas:

a. The Rules Regulating Therapeutic Foster Care;

b. Strategies to maintain placement stability in therapeutic care foster homes; and

c. Competencies related to the needs of the children/youth in the therapeutic foster care program.

7.703.3REQUIREMENTS FOR THERAPEUTIC FOSTER CARE HOMES

A. Training for a Therapeutic Foster Parent

1. In addition to the certification requirements per section 7.708.65 , before accepting placements and annually thereafter, therapeutic foster parents shall have 12 hours of competency-based training in the following areas:

a. Specific content related to diagnoses, behaviors, interventions, and other identified needs of the population(s) served; and

b. The Rules Regulating Therapeutic Foster Care.

B. The roles and responsibilities of a therapeutic foster parent include:

1. Communicate the current progress and needs of the child/youth with the parent(s), legal custodian, or identified permanent family at the frequency determined in the individual child's plan; and

2. Consult and collaborate with the home supervisor, and other therapeutic team members as needed, to address the needs of the child/youth;

C. Qualifications

The therapeutic foster care(s) parent must have experience, as demonstrated through verified documentation, with the population(s) served.

7.703.4PLACEMENT IN THERAPEUTIC FOSTER CARE HOMES

A. Capacity

No foster child/youth shall be placed in a therapeutic foster care home if that placement will result in more than six total children/youth, including biological, adoptive, and other children/youth, in that home.

B. Placement

Indicators for therapeutic foster care placement include, but are not limited to: discharge from a residential child care facility or treatment foster care home, a determination that the needs of the child/youth cannot be met in a traditional foster care home, and/or a disrupted foster care home placement.

C. Transition

Within no more than sixty days (60) days of the placement of a child/youth into the therapeutic foster care home, the therapeutic foster care agency shall collaborate with the family engagement and permanency team to develop and implement a transition plan to address services and supports needed for the child/youth to be in a lower level of care.

D. Reporting

1. The therapeutic foster care agency shall document progress on goals, new or unmet needs, and challenges and report these to the county department of human/social services or other referring entity on a monthly basis.

2. At a minimum of every six months, the therapeutic foster care agency shall review and consider and document outcomes for each therapeutic foster care home, to include placement stability, length of stay, achievement of treatment goals, achievement of permanency, and safety of the children/youth in the home during the review period.

12 CCR 2509-8-7.703

37 CR 13, July 10, 2014, effective 8/1/2014

38 CR 04, February 25, 2015, effective 4/1/2015

38 CR 17, September 10, 2015, effective 10/1/2015

38 CR 19, October 10, 2015, effective 11/1/2015

38 CR 23, December 10, 2015, effective 1/1/2016

39 CR 01, January 10, 2016, effective 2/1/2016

39 CR 17, September 10, 2016, effective 10/1/2016

40 CR 05, March 10, 2017, effective 4/1/2017

40 CR 17, September 10, 2017, effective 10/1/2017

41 CR 01, January 10, 2018, effective 2/1/2018

41 CR 03, February 10, 2018, effective 3/2/2018

41 CR 05, March 10, 2018, effective 4/1/2018

41 CR 17, September 10, 2018, effective 9/30/2018

40 CR 23, December 10, 2017, effective 12/30/2018

41 CR 23, December 10, 2018, effective 1/1/2019

42 CR 01, January 10, 2019, effective 2/1/2019

42 CR 03, February 10, 2019, effective 3/15/2019

42 CR 09, May 10, 2019, effective 6/1/2019

43 CR 01, January 10, 2020, effective 1/30/2020

43 CR 15, August 10, 2020, effective 9/1/2020

43 CR 17, September 10, 2020, effective 9/30/2020

44 CR 01, January 10, 2021, effective 1/30/2021

44 CR 05, March 10, 2021, effective 4/1/2021

44 CR 11, June 10, 2021, effective 6/30/2021

44 CR 17, September 10, 2021, effective 10/1/2021

44 CR 21, November 10, 2021, effective 12/1/2021

45 CR 15, August 10, 2022, effective 7/8/2022

45 CR 17, September 10, 2022, effective 9/30/2022

46 CR 03, February 10, 2022, effective 3/2/2023

46 CR 05, March 10, 2023, effective 4/1/2023

46 CR 07, April 10, 2023, effective 6/1/2023