1. (a)

   1. (1) Regular, quality contact between the Division of Children and Family Services (the division) and a child in an out-of-home placement can be one source of vital constancy for the child.
   2. (2) Consistent contact not only provides some stability in the child’s life, but also allows the division to ensure the child’s safety and well-being.
   3. (3) As such, the division will have regular visits and other forms of contact with children in out-of-home placements.

2. (b)

   1. (1) The child’s Family Service Worker (FSW) will visit the child in his or her approved out-of-home placement at least weekly during the first month of placement and at least weekly in any new placement thereafter.
   2. (2) Visits after the first month in care or in a new placement will occur at least monthly in the approved out-of-home placement.
   3. (3) During visits in the out-of-home placement, the FSW will engage the age-appropriate child in a private conversation to better assess the quality of care being provided.

3. (c)

   1. (1) In the event the FSW is unable to conduct these regular visits in the out-of-home placement, another FSW or the FSW Supervisor may make the visits in the place of the FSW to ensure the safety and well-being of the child and meet the regular visit requirement.
   2. (2) However, these exceptions will be limited.
   3. (3) While the division support staff (e.g., program assistants) may also visit the child in the out-of-home placement to ensure various needs are met, the regular out-of-home placement visit requirement will not be considered met until an FSW or FSW Supervisor has conducted the regular out-of-home placement visit.

4. (d)

   1. (1) In addition to the visits in the child’s out-of-home placement, the FSW will maintain weekly contact with the child through forums such as school, parent-child visits, during transportation to various appointments, family-centered staffings, court hearings, and/or via telephone or programs such as FaceTime and Skype.
   2. (2) Additional contact each week with other division staff such as Program Assistants or division interns or volunteers via telephone, transports, etc., is appropriate, but will not replace the requirement for the child’s FSW to maintain weekly contact with the child.

5. (e) The purpose of these visits and other contact will be to:

   1. (1) Provide the child with accurate information about his or her case at an age and developmentally appropriate level;
   2. (2) Answer questions the child may have;
   3. (3) Engage the child and foster parents, as appropriate, in activities geared to accomplish case plan goals and to ensure the child’s needs are being met;
   4. (4) Assess the quality of the care being provided;
   5. (5) Determine and monitor, through conversation and/or observation, the child’s safety and the extent to which the child’s developmental, medical, intellectual, and emotional needs are being met; and
   6. (6) Assess the child’s adjustment to the out-of-home placement, foster parents, other persons in the home, and school.

Codification Notes: This section as promulgated prior to codification into the Code of Arkansas Rules provided as follows: "01/2016"