25.4 Placement Of Another State’s Child Into Missouri

The Children’s Service Worker will:

1. Receive the placement request from the ICPC Coordinator in Central Office.  Any request received directly from a sending agency must be forwarded to Central Office.  Do not complete an assessment, home study, or walkthrough without a referral from Central Office.  Walkthroughs are outside the scope of the ICPC.
2. Complete and return the results of the requested preliminary home assessment, as explained in CWM, Section 6, Chapter 3 Attachment A, Guide for Conducting Foster/Kinship Family Assessments, within 60 calendar days to the ICPC unit in Central Office.  The preliminary home assessment does not require the training component or FBI checks, but should evaluate the safety and suitability of placing a child in the prospective relative, foster or adoptive home.
3. Staff will then proceed with completing the home study.  The home study must address the extent to which the proposed placement will meet the specific needs of the child, including the child’s safety, permanency and well-being.  Training and FBI background checks are also required.
4. Complete the Vendor Licensure/Placement Resource form, SS-60, if the receiving state requests the family to be licensed.

   NOTE:  Missouri resource providers are not entitled to receive the Professional Parent maintenance payment when they accept children from another state.

5. The foster/adoptive home study must be completed and submitted to the ICPC unit in Central Office within 90 calendar days after the State received the original request.  The CSW should submit the original and 2 copies of the completed home study along with a recommendation for or against placement.  The ICPC Coordinator will make the decision whether or not the placement is approved.  DO NOT send the information directly to the requesting state’s worker or to the requesting state’s ICPC office.

   NOTE:  If Missouri is the Sending Agency and is going to make a maintenance payment to the resource provider should the placement be approved, a home study should be requested regardless of the degree of relationship.  The home study is not “official” until the ICPC Coordinator in the receiving state has made a determination for or against placement.

   The above procedure does not apply to parents and unlicensed relatives.  Parents and unlicensed relatives will go through the same home study process as an applicant applying for licensure, which is clarified in Memorandum CD04-63 and in the CWM, 6.3.A, Guide for Conducting Foster/Kinship Family Assessments.  The differences are that parents and unlicensed relatives are not required to complete training, and the timeframe for completing their assessment/home study is 60 days.

6. Receive a written placement decision from the MO ICPC Coordinator:
   1. Complete the Alternative Care Client form, SS-61, for relative, foster, or adoptive placements, or the Family-Centered Services Case Report, SS-63, for a parent placement and notify ICPC Central Office of the assigned CSW and supervisor;
   2. Cooperate in arranging services for the family;
   3. Determine with verification from the sending state, if the child is eligible for Title IV-E Medicaid; and
   4. Open Title IV-E Medicaid if the family is licensed and receiving payment from the sending state.  Refer to CWM 4.25.7 for more information regarding ICAMA.
7. Maintain services accordingly:
   • The worker who completed the home study should provide a copy of the initial referral and home study to the worker who has been assigned to supervise the placement.
   • Prepare written quarterly progress reports and submit the original and two (2) copies to ICPC Central Office.

     NOTE:  The sending state worker should be notified prior to any financial decisions being made on behalf of the child (i.e.:  residential treatment, etc.).  Written verification MUST be received from the sending state that they are in agreement to and will be financially responsible for payment of the identified service prior to the initiation of the service.  If it is determined that ICPC services are not appropriate, the Missouri ICPC Coordinator should be informed immediately, per Section 3, Chapter 1.3 Case Opening Criteria.

   • Notify the ICPC Coordinator in Central Office as soon as possible if the child is returned.  Send the ICPC 100-B to close out the ICPC case, if a disruption may or has occurred.
   • Submit a recommendation for a transfer of custody or case closing in writing to ICPC.
8. Terminate services when permanency has been established through one of the following:
   • The child’s adoption is legally finalized;
   • The child reaches the age of majority (18 years);
   • The child becomes self-supporting;
   • The child returns to the sending state; or
   • The child is discharged from court jurisdiction with concurrence of the appropriate authority in the receiving state.
9. Close the case and record a brief narrative/summary in the file.  Submit the closing narrative/summary in triplicate to the ICPC office and retain a copy in the ICPC section of the child’s case file.

   Related Subject:  Forms and Instructions