PURPOSE: The purpose of this rule is to establish guidelines and lines of authority for the classificationprocedure when a youngster is classified from one of the juuenile courts by a regional administrator or his/her designee.

1. (1) Each regional administrator, subject to all other divisional rules and pohaes, has full authority to assign youngsters to any residential unit or appropriate other placement. Classification criteria to be used is contained in 13 CSR 110-2.040.
2. (2) After a determination of the type of program in which a youngster could best function, if it is determined s/he could best function in a community-based program, the assignment will be made in the following priority order:
3. (A) If a vacancy exists in the youngster’s home community, the regional administrator should assign the youngster to that unit;
4. (B) If no vacancy exists in a local utut, the assignment can be made on a regional basis;
5. (C) If no vacancy exists on a regional basis, the assignment should be made on the basis of urban youngsters to urban units and rural youngsters to rural units; and
6. (D) When none of the circumstances in (2)(A)-(C) exist, the youngster can be assigned to a community-based program regardless of the location as long as the regional administrator still considers the assignment in the best interest of the child.
7. (3) The regional administrator will inform the juvenile court of where the youngster is to be delivered and will insure that all the appropriaterecords are deliveredwith the youngster.

8. (4) Unit managers who do not agree with a particular classification assignment may appeal this assignment to their immediate supervisor.

   Auth: section 219.036, RSMo (1986). Original rule filed Dec. 30,1975, effective Jan. 9,1976.

   Roy D. Blunt swetary Of state