1. (a)

   1. (1) A private licensed placement agency (PLPA) is a child placement agency licensed by the child welfare agency review board to recruit, train, approve, and support their own resource homes.
   2. (2) A PLPA resource home provides substitute care within a family-like setting on a twenty-four-hour basis for any child placed in the home by a child placement agency.
   3. (3) A PLPA is responsible for maintaining the resource homes it recruits by ensuring those resource homes continuously meet minimum licensing standards for child welfare agencies (placement) and Department of Human Services, as well as Division of Children and Family Services, resource home policy and procedures.

2. (b) These policies, standards, and procedures include but are not limited to:

   1. (1) Completion of background checks;

   2. (2)

      1. (A) SAFE home studies.
      2. (B) Note. Resource parents must reside in their residence prior to a SAFE home study being completed on the home;
   3. (3) Preservice training;
   4. (4) Continuing resource parent education as applicable;
   5. (5) Adherence to the reasonable and prudent parent standard and use of all types of alternate care (see 9 CAR § 40-814);
   6. (6) Requests for changes in placement (see 9 CAR § 40-828, foster parent request for placement change); and
   7. (7) Allegations of child maltreatment involving the resource home (see 9 CAR § 40-820, child maltreatment allegations concerning out-of-home placements).

3. (c)

   1. (1) A PLPA resource home is monitored through quarterly and annual reevaluations by its respective PLPA approval agency.
   2. (2) A PLPA resource home is also more intensively supervised and supported by the approving PLPA.
   3. (3) In addition to a division Family Service Worker, each child in a PLPA resource home is assigned a case manager who is active in the child’s daily life through frequent visits (a minimum of monthly).
   4. (4) Placement in an approved and available PLPA resource home is an option for any child in department custody when a PLPA resource home best meets the needs of a child.

   5. (5) Placement in a PLPA resource home of a child in the custody of the department is encouraged in the following circumstances:

      1. (A) He or she is a sibling of a child placed in a PLPA home;
      2. (B) He or she is a child of a youth in a PLPA home; or
      3. (C) He or she had previously been placed in a PLPA resource home and transitioned to other services requiring a more intensive treatment approach (e.g., acute treatment), and the child is now able to return to a resource home setting.

4. (d)

   1. (1) A resource parent must be financially able to care for his or her own needs without the foster care board payment to supplement his or her income.
   2. (2) If a resource parent with a current placement elects to no longer be an active resource parent for the PLPA, the PLPA will notify the division and work collaboratively with the division to move any children currently placed in that resource home to another licensed or approved resource home, shelter, facility, or an exempt child welfare agency as defined at Arkansas Code § 9-28-402(12).
   3. (3) PLPA resource homes are expected to accept placement of older children, six to eighteen (6 – 18) years of age, and sibling groups.

5. (e)

   1. (1) PLPA resource homes with space limitations are expected to seek and accept children over six (6) years of age.
   2. (2) If a child in a PLPA resource home becomes available for adoption and the resource family has expressed interest in adopting the child, a consideration-to-adopt staffing may occur in accordance with 9 CAR §§ 40-918 and 40-919.

6. (f)

   1. (1) A resource home may not be both a PLPA home through a private licensed agency and a division resource home.
   2. (2) If a PLPA home wishes to become a division resource home, the PLPA provider must close the PLPA home and complete an inquiry to become a resource home through the division.

Codification Notes: This section as promulgated prior to codification into the Code of Arkansas Rules provided as follows: "08/2020"