1. (a) The Family Service Worker will:

   1. (1) Evaluate if legal risk placement is appropriate for the child based on the following considerations:

      1. (A) Family history of foster care episodes or prior involuntary termination of parental rights;
      2. (B) Prior placement history of the child;
      3. (C) Special needs of the child;
      4. (D) Sibling group information and placement needs;
      5. (E) Parent’s level of current participation in case planning and court ordered services; and
      6. (F) Availability of relative placement and relative permanency options (do not consider legal risk placement if all relative and fictive kin options have not been explored);
   2. (2) Conduct a conference with the Adoption Specialist and County Supervisor requesting location of a legal risk placement; and
   3. (3) Provide all information listed above to the Adoption Specialist during the conference.

2. (b) The child’s Adoption Specialist will:

   1. (1) Email a request for approval of legal risk placement, to the Area Director or designee, to include:

      1. (A) Relative information;
      2. (B) Sibling information;
      3. (C) General circumstances of the case and family;
      4. (D) Special needs of the child;
      5. (E) Legal status of the case; and
      6. (F) Data matching information;
   2. (2) Expedite concurrent planning efforts, by preparing CFS-471: Disclosure for Adoption, as soon as discussions of legal risk placement occur; and

   3. (3) Upon receipt of approval for legal risk placement from Area Director or designee:

      1. (A) Recruit a legal risk placement for the child or sibling group or verify that the current resource parent wishes to be a legal risk placement; and
      2. (B)

3. (i) Present and explain the “CFS-420: Legal Risk Adoption Placement Agreement”, to the selected resource parent or parents if a legal risk adoptive placement is planned.

   1. (ii) Secure the signature of the resource parent or parents on the CFS-420, and secure approval from the Adoptions Manager or designee prior to placement.

      1. (c) The Area Director or designee will:
   2. (1) Review the request for legal risk placement;
   3. (2) Submit the request for legal risk placement to the Assistant Director of Field Operations or designee; and

   4. (3) Email an approval or denial of request to the Adoption Specialist within five (5) business days.

      1. (d) The Assistant Director of Field Operations or designee will:
   5. (1) Review the request for legal risk placement; and
   6. (2) Consult with the Adoption Manager or designee as necessary and email an approval or denial of request to the Area Director or designee within three (3) business days.

Codification Notes: This section as promulgated prior to codification into the Code of Arkansas Rules provided as follows: "01/2021"