DCFS Placement - Text-Only Version

6.5 Placement Selection and Pre-Placement Activities

6.5.1 Placement Criteria | 6.5.2 Child Specific Placement Selection Factors | 6.5.3 Permanency Factors in Placement Selection | 6.5.4 Caregiver-Specific Factors to Consider to Enhance Permanency | 6.5.5 Pre-placement

Placement selection should be a carefully planned process with deliberate consideration of multiple variables and factors involving the child, the placement resource and the child's family. It requires thorough assessment of the child and placement resource. The worker is responsible for preparing the child and family for placement and obtaining as much information about the child as possible.

All placements must be consistent with the best interests and special needs of the child. However, it is important to acknowledge that in placing a child, "the caseworker may at times be forced to choose a `least detrimental alternative' " (Steinhauer, l991). Caseworkers must balance the potential risk of harm to the child of leaving him/her in a less-than-satisfactory family against the emotional harm of removing the child from that family, disrupting the continuity of care and attachment. This is not an easy decision and always requires consultation with the supervisor.

When a child is removed from the care of a custodial parent, the CPSW and/or the permanency worker will explore in this order:

Placement with the non-custodial parent
Placement with siblings in care
Placement with other relatives
Placement in traditional foster care

Refer to Rule and Procedure, Appendix C, P301-2 for five circumstances under which it shall be in the best interest of the child to be placed apart from siblings.

6.5.1 Placement Criteria

All placements should be made based on the following principles:

Least Restrictive: The child should be placed in the least restrictive environment consistent with his or her individual needs. A family home is the preferred placement unless a specific need for care that cannot be delivered in a family home has been identified.
Proximity to Home: Whenever possible the child should be placed within his or her own community and school district and within close proximity to parents. If distance from parents exceeds 50 miles, caseworkers must document the reason on the CFS 497 and the Child/Caregiver Matching Tool.
Consistent with IEPA and Consent Decrees: Caseworkers must place children of Native American heritage in accordance with the procedures specified in Rules and Procedures 307, Indian Child Welfare Services. The Burgos consent decree must be followed in placing children of Hispanic heritage. The provisions of IEPA must always be followed in making placement selections.

When children need placement, the child protective services worker and/or the permanency worker should gather as much information as possible regarding the child and his or her needs. Much of the information should already be known if the child is being placed from a family who has previously received services from the Department. It is imperative that the worker matches the needs and characteristics that are known about the child to the strengths, interests and skills of the resource.

The key question a caseworker must address is "which placement resource can best meet the child's needs for safety, well being and permanency?" While the initial placement may be based on limited information due to the urgency of providing immediate protection, every effort should be made to utilize all of the available information in order to place the child in a first placement which can best meet his or her needs.

A thorough, accurate assessment of the child should be obtained during the first 30 days of case opening before making long-term or permanent placement decisions. Not only is it highly likely that the child's behavior will be atypical during the early stages of the placement, many times essential information regarding the child's history, development, coping strategies, medical and education needs is unknown.

Once a thorough assessment has been completed , the caseworker should consider the range of placement types available that can meet the child's individual needs. (Types of placement options may include placement with the non-custodial parent or placement in foster homes, kinship care, diagnostic centers and/or residential care [with appropriate approval]). The search for the best placement match should involve the Child and Family Team (worker, the supervisor, parents, extended family and providers) and should be driven by the child's permanency goal.

Placement, which is a critical casework decision as specified in Rule 315, must be discussed with and approved by the worker's supervisor and documented in the case record. All Placement Clearance Desk procedures prescribed in Rule 301 must be followed.

6.5.2 Child Specific Placement Selection Factors

Caseworkers must consider the following child-specific factors and document these factors on the Child/Caregiver Matching Tool when selecting a substitute care placement:

Child's age
Nature of the trauma, injury or neglect which brought the child into care
Known problematic behaviors exhibited by the child (fire setting, drug or alcohol, truancy, sexually inappropriate or aggressive, etc.)
Positive behavior patterns exhibited by the child
Overall physical and mental health of the child (including all medications and chronic health conditions)
Developmental delays
Pre-existing relationships and bonds that the child may have (including any prior substitute care placements)
Prior (positive) relationships with substitute caregivers
Child's kinship network
Child's community and location of parent
Child's school and educational program
The nature and quality of relationship among siblings
Direction in which permanency appears to be heading
Child's religious preference if over 12; parent's religious preference if child is under age 12
Child's primary language
Child's strengths, interests and talents
Other special needs

Note that when looking at behavior, it is important to distinguish which behaviors may be historical (i.e., exhibited by the child over time) and which behaviors are reactive (i.e., a response to the trauma of DCFS involvement and subsequent removal from the birth parents). This distinction is significant in developing a meaningful behavioral profile of the child so that the best match can be made.

At times the initial match is enduring and appropriate. However, in other instances it is necessary, based on additional information and changing case circumstances, to make a placement change based on the permanency needs of the child. Making this change to support and achieve permanency is consistent with the general tenets of concurrent planning. An example of a placement change to support permanency is the movement of a child from a foster home to an adoptive home when the assessment is completed and concludes that adoption is in the child's best interests. Between the 30th and 90th day any necessary placement choices should have been identified and an appropriate placement made that meets the child's long-term need for permanency, well being and safety.

6.5.3 Permanency Factors in Placement Selection

The caseworker should consider the following permanency factors when selecting a placement resource:

Is this an expedited termination or permanency risk case? If so, placement should be made with a legal risk or potentially permanent family. (Family willing and able to meet child's long-term permanency needs, capable of seeing child through to majority, etc)
How long is the child likely to be in care? What is the prognosis for reunification? If reunification appears likely, placement should be made with a reunification foster family (caregiver willing and able to work with child's parents, share parenting responsibility (co-parenting), support and sponsor visits, etc.)
Can the home accept placement of all siblings? If not, will the home support frequent sibling visitation, including overnight visits in the foster home until the siblings can be placed together?
Is the foster parent or other caregiver willing to help the child transition to a permanent home?
Is the foster parent or other caregiver willing to actively participate in the Child and Family Team and support the agreed upon permanency goal?
Can the caregiver successfully support the adolescent's individuation and preparation for independence?

Information regarding the possible placement options is also needed. This information may come from a variety of sources that change from region to region based on who fills these roles.

Following are some sources of information about resources:

The parents who identify a particular relative placement resource
Family Development Specialists who have knowledge of specific homes
Computer systems which match foster parent and child variables
Consultation with the supervisor
Peer consultations
Personal knowledge by the worker of an existing resource

The foster family (or other caregiver) also has responsibility in this placement selection process. They need to know which child characteristics or dynamics they can work with and offer feedback as to whether they can fully serve the referred child and her or his family. For example, resources that are willing to work with parents should be identified and utilized by permanency staff accordingly. Resources that are willing to participate in an in-depth assessment process should be identified and used accordingly. The challenge to both the potential placement resource and the permanency worker is to accurately determine what types of activities and with what types of children and families the placement works best. While placement resources are seen as having a standard baseline with regards to competencies, reality dictates that each resource may in fact have different interests, skills and tolerances with regard to children placed with them and their families.

6.5.4 Caregiver-Specific Factors to Consider to Enhance Permanency

Ability and willingness to ensure the child's safety
Willingness to work with the child's parents (including co-parenting and parenting the parent) if reunification is the goal
Willingness to maintain siblings together
Willingness to support, facilitate and participate in the child's visits with siblings and family and maintain the child's connections with family, past caregivers and others of significance to the child
Proximity to child's home and community, including same school district
Capability and willingness to meet the child's needs (medical, psychological, developmental, special talents and activities etc.). Factors to assess are physical ability, training, experience, caregiver's "track record"
Willingness and ability to assist in developing and supporting the permanency goal and actively participate in the Child and Family Team
Willingness and ability to provide permanency if child is not reunified
Willingness and ability to provide transportation for the child's appointments and to participate in and document the child's activities by maintaining a Lifebook
Caregivers' specific expectations, strengths and needs

6.5.5 Pre-placement

Placement should never be taken lightly; it may very well represent the most serious emotional trauma that a child will experience. Time spent on pre-placement activities can reduce trauma and problems that the child may later experience in placement. By preparing the child for placement the worker is attending to the child in a very professional and humane manner.

To reduce the child's trauma, the caseworker should encourage parents to provide information and assist in preparing the child for separation and subsequent placement. In helping the child during the placement process, the parent is demonstrating interest in and concern for the child's well-being while showing the worker they can put the needs of the child ahead of their own needs and feelings. Engaging the parent in helping their child enables the parent to develop strengths that can be used in resolving problems and achieving permanency.

Pre-placement Activities

The pre-placement activities described below can be performed prior to the initial placement or prior to a change of placement, including return home.

Attempt to place the child in the most familiar setting that meets his/her needs for safety, well-being and permanency.
Follow Placement Clearance Desk protocols.
In the event that the placement chosen is one with which the child is not familiar, pre-placement visits should occur if possible.
Except in the case of emergency placements, pre-placement visits must occur, including day visits, mutual activities and at least one overnight visit if possible.
In all cases prior to the actual placement, the worker should discuss what is known about the resource with the child and the child's family.
Be sure the child brings familiar and emotionally significant items including his/her favorite toys, pictures, books, blanket, pillow, mementos, etc. to the new placement.
Begin to utilize the child's Lifebook.
Utilize the Department's Child/Youth Handbook; review all relevant parts with the child prior to placement. Continue to use this book in interactions with the child.
Assist the child in saying goodbye to his/her present caregiver, review what the worker and child discussed about the new placement, have the child bring a favorite toy with him/her in the car on the way to the placement.
Prepare the resource for the arrival of the child. Full disclosure of all known information about the child and relevant information about the family is essential. The more the caregiver knows about the child, the better he/she can meet the child's needs. The caregiver should meet the child prior to placement during pre-placement visits.
Strongly encourage the parent to be involved in preparing the child for placement and make sure that parent, child and foster family (or other caregiver) know how child/parent contact will be maintained.
In all preparation of the child for placement, make sure that the child's developmental, intellectual and social levels are taken into account. Work at the child's level.

The pre-placement activities should be followed with the initial placement and any subsequent placements. They ease the child's adjustment not only to the initial placement but also to any subsequent changes in placement, including return home.

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