Section 29-1639. FOSTER HOME STUDY

 

1639.1 A foster home study shall be conducted prior to the placement of a child in a home.

 

1639.2 The child-placing agency shall complete a foster home study which is a counseling and assessment process with the primary goal of providing secure nurturing and permanent families for children. The foster home study shall enable the agency to:

 

(a) Work together with the applicant to evaluate the applicant’s ability and readiness for foster parenthood;

 

(b) Make appropriate recommendations regarding the type of child to be placed with the family;

 

(c) Build supportive relationships and activities that will ensure the success of the placement;

 

(d) Provide educational opportunities for the applicant regarding the ongoing foster care and those issues unique to the type of children being considered for foster care; and

 

(e) Provide a written report integrating all of the information and culminating in an agency recommendation.

 

1639.3 The foster home study report shall include information obtained in a minimum of three (3) face-to-face interviews with each foster parent. The home study process shall include:

 

(a) One joint face-to-face interview with the couple and at least one face-to-face individual interview with each applicant;

 

(b) One interview in the home of the foster family; and

 

(c) One face-to-face contact with each member of the potential foster family household.

 

1639.4 Each foster home study report shall include the following information from applicant(s):

 

(a) Name, address, home telephone number, and emergency telephone number;

 

(b) Dates and types of contacts with applicants and family members;

 

(c) Date and place of birth of the applicants;

 

(d) Identification of the parents and siblings of the applicants;

 

(e) A summary of the applicants’ childhood and adolescent years to include family life and values; types of discipline received and relationships other than the family;

 

(f) Applicants’ motivations for providing foster care;

 

(g) Identification of each applicant’s child and each other person in the home;

 

(h) The attitudes and feelings of the family and significant others involved with the family toward foster children;

 

(i) Readiness of the applicants to parent children not born to them;

 

(j) Attitudes of the applicants toward the birth parent and their understanding of reasons the child is in need of foster care services;

 

(k) Emotional stability and maturity of applicant(s);

 

(l) Physical description and personality of the applicants;

 

(m) Applicant’s ability to cope with problems, stress, frustrations, crisis, and losses including availability of formal and informal support system;

 

(n) Applicants’ capacity to give and receive affection;

 

(o) Date of present marriage and, if applicable, date of divorce, as well as a description of the compatibility, marital satisfaction, and stability of the couple in relation to the length of their marriage, if applicable.

 

(p) Ability to provide for the child’s physical and emotional needs;

 

(q) Experience with parenting of children;

 

(r) Adjustment of the child in the home, if applicable;

 

(s) The attitude toward discipline and child-rearing;

 

(t) Clearance with the child abuse and neglect registry and record of criminal convictions, if any;

 

(u) A summary of reports from physical examination of each person in the household within six (6) months of the study which verifies that persons in the household do not have communicable diseases, any specific illness, or disabilities which would interfere with the family’s ability to parent a child;

 

(v) Level of education completed by the applicant;

 

(w) The applicants’ economic situation including current sources of income, assets, and liabilities;

 

(x) A minimum of three (3) personal and community character references;

 

(y) The interest, hobbies, and use of leisure time for each applicant;

 

(z) Religious orientation, if any;

 

(aa) Description of the home and neighborhood (sleeping accommodations, recreational or study areas, storage space, housekeeping, health, and safety standards, if applicable and available resources in the community);

 

(bb) Plan for substitute child care if parent is absent from home for work or other reasons; and

 

(cc) Child-placing worker’s assessment of the prospective foster family.

 

1639.5 After completion of the home study, the child-placing agency shall make a recommendation regarding the foster care placement in the written home study report.

 

1639.6 If the child-placing agency recommends approval of an application for foster care, the report shall identify the type of child who would be best served by the family which includes the race, sex, age, special needs, and number of children, and the applicant’s ability to work with the child-placing agency. If the recommendation is to deny the application, it shall state the reason(s) for denial.

 

 

source

Final Rulemaking published at 37 DCR 3033, 3063 (May 11, 1990).

EditorNote

This section does not apply to foster homes to which Chapter 60 of this title applies. See 29 DCMR 6000.3.