Section 75-03-36-35 - [Effective until 4/1/2024] Foster care services related to child-placing agencies -Programs and services1. The child-placing agency shall adopt a written program description, which includes the following: a. The purpose or mission of the child-placing agency, as it relates to the child-placing agency's role as a child-placing agency; b. A description of the services provided by the child-placing agency, clearly stating which services are provided directly by the child-placing agency and which services are to be provided in collaboration with county social services, the division of juvenile services, tribal entities, community resources such as schools, and other appropriate agencies; c. Characteristics and eligibility requirements of individuals appropriate for referral to the child-placing agency; d. A list of information that is required to be submitted with the referral; and e. Acknowledgment that final decisions regarding a child referred to the child-placing agency rest with the custodian pursuant to the authority and responsibility conferred on the custodian under North Dakota Century Code section 27-20-38. 2. The child-placing agency shall have a written intake, admission, and discharge policy. The written policy must include: a. An assessment process for screening referrals, including a method of determining the appropriateness of each referral, including the age, sex, and characteristics of a child eligible for child placement; b. Verification that a child referred to the child-placing agency and accepted for services is under the age of eighteen at the time of intake and is determined to be: (1) Unable to receive parental care in the child's own home; (2) Potentially capable of accepting other family ties; (3) Able to participate in family and community life without danger to self or others; and (4) Verification that acceptance for services would not hinder an adoption plan; c. A child-placing agency engaged in providing therapeutic foster care services must follow all requirements contained in the department's policy found at manual chapter 624-05; d. A requirement that the child-placing agency will provide services to a child referred to the child-placing agency's care without discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, or sexual orientation; e. A requirement that the child-placing agency accept a child for placement only when legally authorized to do so; f. A process for assisting the applicant or referral source, or both, in obtaining services from other agencies when the child-placing agency's services are not appropriate to the applicant's or referral source's needs; and g. A requirement that the child-placing agency discuss with the child and the child's guardian the suitability of the child-placing agency's services in meeting the child's identified needs. 3. A licensed child-placing agency shall work with the department to set the child-placing agency's foster care rate. N.D. Admin Code 75-03-36-35
General Authority: NDCC 50-12-05
Law Implemented: NDCC 50-12