Section 2174 - Family Preservation Program(a) Establishment.--The department, through grants to counties, shall establish and supervise a program, to be known as the Family Preservation Program, which will provide intensive intervention services to families whose children are at risk of immediate out-of-home placement under the custody of a county children and youth agency.(b) Purpose.--The Family Preservation Program shall be designed to preserve families through the creation, within families, of positive, long-term changes which will enable children who are victims of neglect or abuse or whose parents lack the ability to control their child's behavior without in-home family support to remain with their families, thereby reducing the more expensive and potentially psychologically damaging incidence of out-of-home placement in foster care or group homes.(c) Grants to counties.--The department shall award grants to counties without any county matching fund requirements to provide financial support for the development and implementation of Family Preservation Programs. During the initial phase-in period of this program, such grants will be awarded by the department to counties on an open competitive basis, after review of proposals submitted to the department by interested counties. Counties, acting through their children and youth agencies, may operate these programs directly with county employees or may contract with other public or private agencies as may be appropriate to provide family preservation services.(d) Eligible families.--Only those families, as determined by the county children and youth administration, in which one or more children are at imminent risk of separation from their families through placement in foster care, a group home or other appropriate facility are eligible to receive family preservation services. All members of the families who accept such services shall be responsible for cooperating fully with the Family Preservation Plan developed for each family under subsection (e)(4). Families in which children are at imminent risk of sexual abuse or physical endangerment perpetrated by a member of their immediate household are not eligible to receive family preservation services.(e) Delivery of family preservation services.--Services delivered to eligible families under this program must be provided in accordance with the following requirements:(1) Intensity of services.--Each family preservation caseworker will provide services to a maximum of five families at any given time. At least three of the five families must be in their last month of service.(2) Duration of service.--Each family will normally receive intensive family preservation service, beginning with the crisis of imminent risk of placement of one or more children, for six to eight weeks, with a maximum of three months of service for all eligible families.(3) Accessibility of services.--Family preservation services will normally be provided in the family's home and community consistent with the needs of family members. Family preservation caseworkers shall be normally available by telephone and on call for visits to families at all times during the period of service to each family.(4) Family Preservation Plan.--Within the first week of initiating family preservation services, the family preservation caseworker shall develop, after thorough consultation with the family receiving such service, a Family Preservation Plan which shall clearly state the specific goals and priorities, and approaches to be utilized to reach these goals, for the time-limited duration of these services.(f) Qualifications of family preservation workers.--(1) A public or private agency staff member who provides direct service to eligible families in this program must possess a bachelor's degree in a human service-related field and five years' experience providing direct services to children, youth or their families, or possess a master's degree in a human service-related field with one year's experience. A person who supervises caseworkers who provide the direct services to eligible families must possess a master's degree in a human service-related field and have at least one year of supervisory experience or must possess a bachelor's degree in a human service-related field and have at least five years of supervisory experience.(2) Caseworkers and paraprofessional program staff must also successfully complete at least 40 hours of intensive training prior to providing direct service under this program. Program supervisors and caseworkers must thereafter complete at least 40 hours of additional training each year in accordance with standards established by the department.(g) Coordination.--The department shall ensure that counties administering Family Preservation Programs take the steps necessary to coordinate the service provided under this act with services available through other State and county human service agencies appropriate to the needs of families receiving service under this act. Administrators shall be responsible for ensuring coordination with related human services such as mental health and drug and alcohol programs also administered through county agencies.1989, July 7, P.L. 218, No. 35, § 4, effective 7/1/1989.