Section 7.56.450. Monitoring and supervision of services.

	(a)  A worker shall visit a child, other than an infant, at least once per month during the first six months of placement and when consistent with the service plan, the child's birth family. A worker shall visit a normally developing infant once each two months during the first six months of placement. Following the first six months of placement the worker shall visit a child once per quarter.  
	(b)  During visits required by (a) of this section the worker shall  
		(1) assess progress toward meeting the child's care and treatment plan goals by meeting with the child and the child's caregivers;  
		(2) assist the caregivers by providing information on the child and arranging needed resources as appropriate; and  
		(3) assess the ability of the placement setting to meet the child's needs and address any concerns regarding the caregiver's ability to provide appropriate care for the child.  
	(c)  If specific reasons exist that indicate that less frequent visits are appropriate, the worker shall include a statement of these reasons in the child's case record and may visit the child less than once a month.  
	(d)  If the agency determines that the child is not adjusting well, or that the placement setting is unable to provide the care and treatment needed by a child, the agency shall  
		(1) determine whether services can be provided to the child or placement setting to alleviate the problem within a reasonable amount of time; or  
		(2) remove the child from the home or facility with the least amount of harm to the child as possible.  
	(e)  If there are allegations that the foster parents or residential staff responsible for the child's care are abusing or neglecting the child, the agency shall  
		(1) take the necessary action to protect the child, by supervising the placement closely or by removing the child in accordance with 7 AAC 56.460; and  
		(2) immediately report the allegations to the division for investigation.  
	(f)  An agency shall ensure that all children the agency places receive routine emergency medical and dental health services, and must ensure that a health record is maintained while a child is in care under supervision by the agency.  

Authorities

44.29.020;47.35.010

Notes

Reference

7 AAC 56.520

Authority

AS 44.29.020 AS 47.35.010

History

Eff. 1/1/2001, Register 156