1. (a) Application and licensing of foster family homes shall be in accordance with He-C 6446.
2. (b) A child-placing agency shall have a written description of its application process to determine the suitability of a family for foster care including all requirements in He-C 6446.03.

3. (c) The child-placing agency shall conduct a family assessment of the foster family which:

   1. (1) Includes a minimum of 3 meetings with the prospective parent(s) at least 2 visits made to the home;
   2. (2) Consists of individual and joint meetings with all household members;
   3. (3) Shall be completed within 120 days of the date that the application and all required documentation as described in He-C 6446.04 were received, unless the applicants agree in writing that the child-placing agency may extend the time allowed to complete the family assessment; and
   4. (4) Provides written results to the applicant of the foster family assessment within 30 days after completing the family assessment.
4. (d) The child-placing agency shall prepare a written family assessment as described in He-C.6446.12.
5. (e) In accordance with He-C 6446.11, home visits shall be held in the foster home with representatives of the child-placing agency prior to the issuance of a permit or a license.

6. (f) The minimum requirements for acceptance of foster family applicants shall be in accordance with He-C 6446.05 and the following:

   1. (1) Foster parent applicants, whether married or single, shall have established a stable and consistent home life in that the applicant is self-sufficient and has adequate support systems, such as extended family and friends in the community who are able to assist the family;
   2. (2) The foster parent applicants shall demonstrate good physical and emotional health, as required in He-C 6446.07(e);
   3. (3) The foster home shall conform to the requirements set forth in He-C 6446.10; and

   4. (4) The foster parent applicant shall:

      1. a. Not have a court finding related to child abuse or neglect or any other serious crime that would affect the ability to care for children; or
      2. b. When a founded report is on file, have been determined by DCYF to no longer pose a threat to any child in accordance with He-C 6448.16(d)(4)b.
7. (g) The decision to recommend approval of a family for licensure for a foster home shall be that of the child-placing agency’s professional case work staff including at least 2 persons being involved in the decision.
8. (h) A child-placing agency shall inform each applicant in writing of its decision on the application within 120 days from the date that the completed application and all required documents are received.
9. (i) After following the child-placing agency’s appeal process, any applicant who is denied licensure may follow He C 6446.30 to appeal the decision. All records shall then be given to DCYF for review.
10. (j) Pursuant to He-C 6446.13, the foster family applicants shall complete pre-licensing training prior to the issuance of a license.
11. (k) The child-placing agency shall conduct a re-licensing evaluation of its foster families prior to the expiration of the current license, pursuant to He-C 6446.16.

Source. #7866, eff 4-2-03; ss by #9895, eff 4-2-11 (from He-C 6448.12), EXPIRED: 4-2-19 New. #12767, INTERIM, eff 5-2-19, EXPIRES: 10-29-19; ss by #12911, eff 10-24-19 (formerly He-C 6448.08)