1. (a)

   1. (1) The Division of Children and Family Services is dedicated to ensuring that all children in foster care receive a full range of healthcare services including mental health services (assessment and treatment).
   2. (2) All children ages three (3) to eighteen (18) years of age will be referred to a community mental health center (CMHC) within five (5) days of entry into foster care.
   3. (3) Children under three (3) years of age will be referred for mental health services if the need is identified by a physician during the initial comprehensive health assessment or by the Family Service Worker (FSW), legal/biological parent, foster parent, or other involved party.
2. (b) Urgent (requiring immediate action) or emergent (appearing for the first time) mental health treatment needs identified by the primary care physician (PCP) during the initial health screening (within twenty-four to seventy-two (24-72) hours of entering foster care) shall be referred immediately by the FSW to a CMHC.

3. (c)

   1. (1) Because mental health issues may appear at any time during foster care, the FSW will refer a child for mental health services at any time deemed appropriate during the child’s stay in foster care, and immediately, whenever a traumatic event takes place in the life of a child in foster care.
   2. (2) Mental health services include outpatient treatment, inpatient psychiatric residential treatment, and inpatient acute psychiatric treatment (see 9 CAR § 40-755 for a listing of mental health terms).

4. (d)

   1. (1) If a child or his or her family members are already receiving mental health services upon entry into foster care, the Division of Children and Family Services will promote continuity of care by continuing clinically indicated mental health services.
   2. (2) The FSW should encourage cooperation and coordination among service providers as well as encourage the PCP to refer without delay.
   3. (3) While collaboration is essential to promote the best interest of the child, the Division of Children and Family Services retains ultimate case planning and management responsibility for placement and permanency issues.
   4. (4) The FSW will make every effort to expedite access to appropriate documents from previous treatment as this is critical to obtaining authorization of services from the Division of Medical Services (DMS/Medicaid), as well as the quality and timeliness of services.

5. (e)

   1. (1) The Division of Children and Family Services values close family participation in decision making.
   2. (2) Therefore, when a child’s permanency goal is reunification, the FSW will ensure that the legal/biological parents are involved in their child’s treatment, unless such involvement is not in the child’s best interest.
   3. (3) The mental health provider, in collaboration with the Division of Children and Family Services, will determine if it is appropriate for the family to participate in the child’s treatment.
   4. (4) Additionally, the FSW will seek to fully engage the foster parents in the child’s treatment.

Codification Notes: This section as promulgated prior to codification into the Code of Arkansas Rules provided as follows: "11/2011"