Respite/Babysitting Policy

 TEXAS 

Foster parenting can be a challenging experience. Even the most dedicated and experienced families need a temporary break from the responsibilities of providing a variety of care. It is important that foster families have respite or temporary relief from fostering in order to have personal time away from children in their care. In order to ensure that proper precautions are taken when leaving foster children occasionally with Alternate Care Providers, the following policies and procedures must be adhered to:

I. BABYSITTING - Occasional short term care (not overnight) when foster parents are accessible  Minimum requirements for babysitters: o Must be a mature, responsible adult of 21 years of age or older. o Must complete the Respite/Babysitter Application, providing necessary background information. o Must have at least three (3) years of experience in working with children (i.e., providing babysitting services and/or youth work) o Must have a clear Criminal History/Central Registry background check (this process could take several weeks). o Must have a face-to-face visit with any supervisory TBF staff member. The TBF staff member must check at least one reference for each babysitter. o Must be trained on TBF HIPAA and Discipline Policies as well as on-call emergency procedures and communication restrictions. The provider must sign an acknowledgement form for training. o Infant and Child CPR and First Aid recommended (the individual foster parents will retain the responsibility of making sure a child’s needs are met and if that child is only able to stay safely with a person who has CPR/First Aid, it should be up to the foster parent to make sure that is in place before leaving the child).  Must have an understanding of how to care for the children being placed in their care and must have a complete understanding of the specific needs of each child.  Must only release children to Foster Parents, CPS Worker, or a TBF employee (once credentials are checked).  Must maintain appropriate supervision ratios of five children to one adult (with no more than two children under the age of 2 years old or two treatment services children).  Must respect the culture, race, ethnicity, language, religion and sexual orientation of the children.  Must continually protect the foster children in their care from individuals who are intoxicated by drugs or alcohol, mentally or physically unstable, or who present a safety concern. Should anyone that poses a risk come into contact with a foster child, providers must immediately remove child from that person’s presence and report the encounter to the

of 6 TBF-TX Policy-Respite Org. (9/1/03) Rev (10/17/11) TBF on-call worker.  Must immediately contact the TBF on-call worker or the TBF office (if during business hours) if a child experiences health problems, has an accident, or if there are noticeable changes in a child’s appearance and/or behaviors other than what had been previously reported to the provider. If medical assistance is deemed necessary, the TBF worker and/or foster parents will complete the necessary follow-up. All pertinent information will be recorded by the respite provider on the Respite/Babysitting Information Form.  Foster children may only be babysat for a maximum of twelve (12) consecutive hours.  Must be trained by the foster parents on the specific care instructions for each child with treatment needs. Foster parents must leave instructions with the provider that state any documentation needs, child’s daily routine, behaviors, supervision plan, child’s preferred food, any appointments, medication instructions (if applicable), appropriate discipline methods, acceptable visitors, and any additional therapeutic, educational, or employment activities.  Foster parents must be able to be reached at any time and all contact information (cell phone, pager, etc) must be left with the babysitter.  The foster parent will provide a Respite/Babysitting Information Form to the babysitter on each child. The foster parent will also train the babysitter on what documentation is required of them on this form.  All completed Respite/Babysitting Information Forms will be turned into the foster home’s TBF Social Service Worker (SSW) for approval and retention in the child’s file.  Foster parents are encouraged to identify a babysitter for their home during the pre- verification process to be available in emergency situations or whenever the foster parent(s) need a short-term break from the foster children.  TBF staff will periodically update babysitter information for each foster home during Quarterly Foster Home Reviews and during the Re-verification process.  Only those caregivers whose application has been approved by TBF staff will be allowed to babysit foster children.  Babysitters will be responsible to claim any annual earned income over $600 on their income taxes.  Regular, consistent, ongoing care (i.e. after school care, day care, etc.) must be provided by a provider that is licensed by the Department of Family and Protective Services Child Care Licensing. Foster parents will be required to share the name, address, and phone number of the day care chosen for foster children. This information will be shared during the pre-verification process and updated during Quarterly Foster Home Reviews and the Re-verification process.

II. RESPITE – planned alternative 24-hour care that has the purpose of providing relief to the child’s primary caregiver for less than 72 hours  In addition to the above requirements, Respite Providers must also meet the following requirements: o Must be willing to accept the respite rate set by TBF. Once the respite report form from the respite provider is received by Bair, payment will be made to whomever the form has indicated (either the Respite Provider or the Foster Parent) NOTE: Whoever the check is written to will receive a 1099 from The Bair Foundation if yearly respite provided exceeds $600.00 in order to claim all earned income on their taxes. Daily rates per foster child are based on the service level of the child and paid as follows: Basic - $10; Moderate & Specialized - $20. Foster parent must submit the Respite/Babysitting Information Form to their SSW as soon as possible after respite services are provided. o Must complete a W-9 form o Newly verified foster parents may only take respite after their initial placement has been in the home for 30 days. A new foster child must be placed in the foster home for thirty (30) days before foster parents qualify for respite for this child. In a situation where the foster parent has taken a break or has had no children for several months, respite will be offered after a child has been placed in their home for 30-days. o Foster parents may only take respite days that have been earned. TBF provides for 2 respite days per month per calendar year. For families who foster the entire year, that will equal 24 days. The foster family will need to seek approval from their TBF SSW first before they are able to use their respite days at any time during the year once they have earned the days. Foster families are encouraged to take 2 days monthly. o All children regardless of age and maturity level must be supervised and cared for by an approved respite provider during a foster family’s respite. No child is ever approved to stay by themselves. o Unused respite days during a calendar year will not be carried over to the following calendar year, nor will unused respite days be paid to the foster parent. o On occasion the foster family may have a need for an extended respite, i.e. 3, 4 or even up to 7 days at one time per calendar year. TBF will allow foster parents to save their respite days and use later. Foster parents must accrue the number of days being requested before taking an extended respite. Prior approval must be given by the Intake Director or Director of Social Services before taking respite that exceeds more than 2 days. The foster family may take one 7-day extended respite per year or may choose to take two extended respites (one for 3 days and one for 4 days) per year. Intermittent Alternate Care procedures below must be followed. (In rare cases where respite is requested over 7 days, a variance to policy must be preapproved by the Texas State Director. There are no guarantees to variance approval and situations will be evaluated on a case by case basis. If approved, respite will be paid for up to 7 days, with daily per diem transferring to the respite provider upon the 8 th day). o The foster parents are encouraged to find respite providers for themselves as long as the providers meet the TBF requirements listed above. Ten (10) days advance notice will be given to TBF if assistance in finding respite care is needed, except in emergency situations. o Prior to taking respite, foster parents must contact their TBF SSW to request respite days. Once notification of a request for respite has been provided, a TBF employee must complete the Respite Pre-Approval Form, notify the child’s TDFPS caseworker and then give approval of the respite to the foster parents.

of 6 TBF-TX Policy-Respite Org. (9/1/03) Rev (10/17/11) Documentation of the review and approval for the respite arrangements must be included in the foster home record. o Foster parents will complete a Respite/Babysitting Form on each child and give this form to the respite provider so that the care giver is aware of the child’s needs. o A licensed Bair foster family may provide respite care for another licensed Bair foster family provided the family offering the respite has the bed space available and the provision of the respite services will not result in that home’s census going over the licensed capacity. o In cases where Bair foster parents agree to trade respite with one another and money does not change hands, the family desiring respite must first notify their SSW in order to obtain approval before respite may be taken. The SSW must have the opportunity to notify each child’s CPS worker so the CPS worker is aware of the child’s whereabouts. TBF SSW will also track all respite days in order to ensure this benefit is being used according to policy. o For foster families fostering an Indian Child, respite services may be offered by the child’s tribal group or other local Indian organizations. To take advantage of offered services, contact the SSW for assistance. o Foster parents and/or TBF staff must take care to match children with families who can meet their needs with respect to culture, race, ethnicity, language, religion, and sexual orientation. o If the foster parent decides to take one or more foster children with them on respite, this does not meet the definition of respite and no money will be paid. o In cases of emergency respite (i.e., respite that was not preplanned and/or the result of a critical incident or investigation) where emergency respite will last longer than 72 hours, a licensed foster parent must provide the respite care to the child(ren). In these cases, the daily per diem will be moved to the emergency respite provider. Children may remain in emergency respite up to 60 days while an investigation is being conducted by Residential Child Care Licensing without the emergency respite turning into a permanent placement. All other respite situations that occur for reasons other than investigations that last longer than 72 hours turn into Intermittent Alternate Care (see guidelines/regulations below).

III.INTERMITTENT ALTERNATE CARE (IAC) – planned alternative 24-hour care that has the purpose of providing relief to the child’s primary caregiver for more than 72 hours and may last up to 14 days.  IAC may be used for the following: o Extended Respite for 3-7 days for foster families o Providing foster families the opportunity to take breaks from daily responsibilities related to the care of foster children o Interventions for foster families and children to prevent placement breakdowns while trying to resolve conflicts. o Temporary care for foster children during a foster family emergency such as a death or illness in the family. o Providing care for foster children while investigations involving allegations towards foster parents are being conducted, with the intent of returning the foster children at the conclusion of the investigation.  PROCEDURE: o As soon as it is known that a child is in need of Intermittent Alternate Care, the TBF SSW will immediately notify the Director of Social Services.

o The TBF SSW will contact the child’s DFPS Caseworker to obtain written approval for the child to enter IAC. Written approval must be obtained before the child may enter into IAC. Written approval from DFPS may be obtained on The Bair Foundation’s Request for Intermittent Alternate Care Form (form # IAC-002) or by email. If DFPS approves by email, the TBF SSW MUST print the email and attach it to the IAC Form.

o TBF SSW will provide to the IAC Provider, on the day IAC begins, information on the specific needs of the child including: Psychiatric or medical treatment currently provided, Medication regimen and instructions, Authorization for medical treatment, Child’s STAR Health Card, any expectations TBF may have of the IAC provider, non- routine events taking place in the child’s life, and emergency contact information (Child’s physician, Foster Parent, The Bair Foundation’s On-Call emergency number)

Documentation of the above information being shared with the IAC provider is documented on the IAC Communication Tracking Sheet (IAC-03).

1. TBF SSW will immediately notify the Child Care Secretary of a child entering IAC so that a tickler can be added to the Child Care NAG System. The Child Care Secretary will calculate Day 10 and Day 14 of IAC. The Child Care Secretary will notify the Director of Social Services when a child has been in IAC for 10 days.

2. On Day 10, the DSS will get an update from the SSW on the continued need for IAC and will begin diligent effort to obtain Supervisor approval. Prior to the 14th day, the following must be requested:  Supervisor written approval via email  New Medical Consent (form 2085-B), naming IAC Providers as medical consenters

3. TBF staff who experience difficulties with obtaining above approvals from either TDFPS Caseworker or Supervisor must contact their Regional Director who will assist in obtaining approvals.

4. When supervisor approval has not been obtained, Intermittent Alternate Care becomes a placement.

of 6 TBF-TX Policy-Respite Org. (9/1/03) Rev (10/17/11) *Social Service Worker should review individually with families and sign for family file.

______Foster Parent Signature Date