Kan. Admin. Regs. § 30-47-915

Current through Register Vol. 43, No. 49, December 5, 2024

Section 30-47-915 - Complaints and concerns regarding foster families and adoptive families

(a) Policies and procedures. Each licensee that sponsors foster placement families or adoptive families shall develop and implement policies and procedures for receiving, documenting, reporting and, when appropriate, conducting or participating in the investigations of complaints and concerns that involve foster families and adoptive families. The policies and procedures shall assess the ability of the foster family or adoptive family to protect the health, safety, and well-being of any child, shall include the reporting requirements of 30-47-909, and shall address the roles and responsibilities of the staff members and child-placement agency volunteers.

(b) Investigations by law enforcement or the department. When an agency other than the licensee is conducting an investigation of a foster family or an adoptive family sponsored by the licensee, each licensee shall meet the following requirements:

(1) Cooperate with the investigating agency throughout the investigation;

(2) assist the family during the investigation; and

(3) ensure that no staff member or volunteer of the child-placement agency discloses to the family any of the following without documented approval of the investigating agency:

(A) Information that would compromise the investigation; and

(B) advance notice of an unannounced contact to the family by the investigating agency or child-placement agency staff member.

(c) Sponsoring agency investigations on child-placement agency-approved placement families. If the licensee receives a complaint on a foster family that is not licensed as a family foster home or on an adoptive family and the complaint does not involve allegations of child abuse or neglect or of criminal activity, the licensee shall assign a child welfare worker to complete the following:

(1) Investigate the allegations;

(2) write a narrative report documenting the interviews, observations, and results of the investigation;

(3) document whether the contact with the family was announced or unannounced;

(4) notify the family in writing of the results of the investigation;

(5) if indicated by the results of the investigation, document the development and completion of the corrective action plan of the family;

(6) maintain the investigation narrative, the notification of results to the family, and the completion of any corrective action plan in the record of the family; and

(7) if the licensee determines that an investigation warrants the additional involvement of law enforcement or the department, the licensee shall refer the investigation to the appropriate entity.

Kan. Admin. Regs. § 30-47-915

Authorized by K.S.A. 65-508, 75-3084, and 75-3085; implementing K.S.A. 65-508; adopted by Kansas Register Volume 43, No. 21; effective 6/7/2024.