N.J. Admin. Code § 3A:14-2.1

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 12, June 17, 2024

Section 3A:14-2.1 - Department employees and household members as resource parents

(a) For purposes of this subchapter only, "Department employee" means a person who is employed in, or has a work station at, any of the Department of Children and Families' offices, and anyone who has access to computerized or paper files, which contain client information, including those persons who are regarded as independent contractors for other purposes.

(b) A Department employee or a member of the Department employee's household can become a licensed resource parent for a child under the Division's supervision only under the following circumstances:

1. A child needing resource care has a kinship connection to a relative or a family friend who is a Department employee or a member of the employee's household;

2. A Department employee or member of a Department employee's household was licensed as a resource parent prior to the Department employee being hired by the Department and at least one child placed by the Division continues to reside in the Department employee's home; or

3. A Department employee or member of the Department employee's household wants to adopt a child with special needs, as defined in N.J.A.C. 3A:23-1.1.

(c) Prior to a Department employee or household member applying to be a licensed resource parent, the Department employee shall complete the approval process for an outside activity and receive approval by the Department's ethics liaison. The approval by the ethics liaison becomes part of the Department employee's application to be a resource parent in accordance with N.J.A.C. 3A:51-2.1.

(d) The study of a Department employee's home shall be conducted by a Division representative assigned to an office where the Department employee has no connections, either personal or professional.

N.J. Admin. Code § 3A:14-2.1

Amended by R.2009 d.4, effective 1/5/2009.
See: 40 N.J.R. 3924(a), 41 N.J.R. 247(a).
Section was "Division employees and household members as foster parents". Added new (a); recodified former (a) and (b) as (b) and (d); in the introductory paragraph of (b), substituted the first occurrence of "Department" for "Division" and "resource" for "foster", and inserted the second occurrence of "Department"; in (b)1, substituted "resource care" for "an out-of-home placement" and "Department" for "Division" and deleted ", including a child who is a full or half-sibling of a child already in the employee's household; and the employee offers the most appropriate out-of-home placement available for the child until a permanent plan is achieved in accordance with N.J.S.A. 30:4C-60 et seq." from the end; deleted (b)2; recodified (b)3 as (b)2 and rewrote (b)2; added (b)3 and new (c); deleted former (c); and rewrote (d).