What May Be Included as Homemaker Services?
Homemaker services may include but are not limited to the following:
o Teaching and demonstrating acceptable methods of child care, supervision, and discipline in conjunction with teaching normal child development and age appropriate behavior expectations.
o Teaching and demonstrating improved methods of housekeeping and home management, budgeting and money management, meal planning and preparation, routine care and maintenance of property, health hazard control and other ways to improve daily living. (The primary focus of the service is to teach, not to perform household chores.)
o Information hearing and assistance in locating and using community resources.
o Monitoring and reporting on the home environment so the impact on the well-being of the children can be assessed. Suspected CA/N shall be reported immediately to the worker.
o Providing stable, nurturing role models for children and parents and providing emotional support to enable family members to develop the capacity to carry out these roles.
o Teaching and demonstrating appropriate social skills in order to assist parents and children in developing more rewarding relationships within the home and community.
o Advocating for family or individual family members within the community at large. This may include liaison activities with schools, landlords, utility companies, etc.
The following tasks are appropriate only when provided in conjunction with the above and when integrally tied to achievement of specific objectives in the client service plan:
o Routine non-medical personal care
o Routine child-care/supervision
o Transportation or escort to medical facilitates, errands, shopping and miscellaneous family or individual business necessary to the client's welfare. Transportation to and from parent/child visitation is appropriate only if the homemaker is needed to supervise the visit.
Regular homemaker services are available to any client served by the Department who in the worker's judgment can benefit from and utilize such services and who accepts homemaker services as a means to attain or achieve the permanency goal of the client. When appropriate, these services may be utilized by biological or adoptive families, youths receiving youth development services, and foster parents in times of stress or crisis when the placement of children in care might otherwise be in jeopardy.
Twenty-four hour capability is possible for either regular homemaker services or intensive placement prevention services. In such cases, the contract will note the 24-hour capability and define its use.
Relationship to Service Planning
Homemaker services shall be provided in relation to an identified service objective within the CFS 497, Client Service Plan. The worker shall provide the homemaker with a copy of the service objectives (CFS 497, Part II) which establishes the homemaker's service responsibilities for the client. The homemaker shall agree to work with or on behalf of the client in relation to the service objectives or tasks. The homemaker shall not work or pursue activities related to client service which are not specified in the objectives or tasks. If the homemaker identifies a service need that is not covered by the service objective, the homemaker shall notify the worker of this need. The worker may then revise the objective or tasks to include this service if the service is appropriate. Homemaker services may be provided by the Department by purchasing services from individual homemakers or from agencies providing homemaker services.
In accordance with Procedures 305, Client Service Planning, the appropriateness, effectiveness and necessity of continuing or terminating homemaker services shall be documented on the CFS 497 form series by the worker and supervisor during the six month case review (administrative or non-administrative) process.
Once an agreement has been reached between the client and the worker regarding utilization of homemaker services, the worker shall provide the designated person in the Regional Office (coordinator of homemaker services or other designated staff person) adequate information regarding the request on form CFS 780-1, Family Referral for Homemaker Service. (Agency contractors may use their own referral forms.) Refer to Procedures 359 for payment instructions.
Assignment of Homemaker
The coordinator of homemaker services (or other staff designated by the Regional Administrator) shall assign a homemaker or homemaker agency to the case and shall immediately notify the Department worker of assignment of the homemaker. Within five working days of assignment of the homemaker, the worker will contact the assigned homemaker by phone or in person to confirm assignment and to set a time for meeting with the client. The initial meeting between the client, the homemaker and the worker is to take place within five days of the phone call. Some agency contracts may specify shorter time frames for assignment of the homemaker and the initial meeting with the clients. The resource coordinator will notify staff of those contacts which specify shorter time frames so these time frames can be adhered to. In the case of clients with hearing impairments or limited/non-English speaking clients, a homemaker shall be assigned who can communicate in the client's preferred mode of communication or speaks the client's primary language. If one is not available, an interpreter shall be used to facilitate communication between the homemaker and client.