65C-30.001. Definitions  


Effective on Sunday, October 24, 2021
  • 1This rule includes the definitions for the following rules: Chapter 65C-15, F.A.C., “Child-Placing Agencies”; Chapter 65C-28, F.A.C., “Out-Of-Home Care”; Chapter 65C-29, F.A.C., “Protective Investigations”; Chapter 65C-30, F.A.C., “General Child Welfare Provisions”; and Chapter 65C-45, F.A.C., “Levels of Licensure.”

    39(1) “Additional Investigation Report” means a report to the Florida Abuse Hotline, by the same or different reporter, made prior to the date of investigation closure and containing information about one (1) or more subjects of an open report, which adds:

    80(a) New allegations of maltreatment;

    85(b) New incidents of the same maltreatment contained in the initial report;

    97(c) Additional victims or alleged perpetrators if they relate to the initial report;

    110(d) New information alleging that the immediate safety or well-being of the child is threatened thereby changing the investigation response time from a 24-hour response to an immediate response.

    139(2) “Adoption Exchange System (AES)” means the Department’s statewide information system of children receiving adoption services, and families seeking to adopt special needs children.

    163(3) “Adoption process” means any of the following: Recruitment of prospective adoptive parents; recruitment of individuals for the release of a child, including a child not yet born, for the purpose of adoption as part of a plan leading to the eventual placement of a child for adoption; provision of medical care or payment of maintenance costs and expenses during pregnancy in consideration for the release of a child for adoption; assessment and preparation of families before placement as part of a plan leading to the eventual placement of a child for adoption; and supervision of families, after placement and prior to the final adoption, has occurred.

    270(4) “Adult Household Member” means a person 18 years of age or older who is present in the home on a permanent or indefinite basis or the adult paramour who frequents the home of a household member, regardless of whether the person has unsupervised contact with children.

    317(5) “Allegation” means a statement by a reporter to the Florida Abuse Hotline that child abuse, neglect or abandonment is known or suspected.

    340(6) “Application Packet” means the entire set of completed documents required by the child-placing agency that are provided by attestation or in whole to the Department for review when requesting the issuance of a license as an out-of-home caregiver.

    379(7) “Attestation” means a community-based care lead agency’s certification that supporting documentation for the initial licensure or re-licensure of a family foster home is in compliance Section 406409.175, F.S., 408with Florida state law and Rules 41465C-13.023, 41565C-13.024, 41665C-13.025, 417and 41865C-13.028, 419F.A.C.

    420(8) “Behavior Management Plan” means an agreement established with substitute caregivers to assist and supervise specific children that have behaviors that may result in harm.

    445(9) “Behavioral Health Multidisciplinary Team” means the group of people brought together by the child welfare professional to plan and coordinate behavioral health related services.

    470(10) “Capacity Waiver” means a documented approval, prior to placement, that authorizes exceptions to the licensed capacity and the total number of children or infants to be cared for in a family foster home.

    504(11) “Case” means a group of one (1) or more persons who are associated with one another and for whom the Department provides services and arranges the provision of services.

    534(12) “Case File” means all information for a case contained in the Department’s comprehensive child welfare information system (CCWIS), i.e., Florida Safe Families Network (FSFN), as well as the supporting documentation gathered during provision of services to that family. The “case file” may also refer to a duplicate, paper copy of the electronic case file and the supporting paper documentation. The Department’s CCWIS is the official system of record for each intake, investigation, and all subsequent casework to provide a complete, current, accurate and unified case history.

    621(13) “Case Manager” means a child welfare professional who is responsible for ongoing safety management and service provision of children who, through assessment of a child protective investigator, have been determined to be unsafe.

    655(14) “Case Transfer” means the process of transferring primary responsibility for a case.

    668(15) “Child Health Check-up” means 673regular physical exams, growth measurements, immunizations, vision and hearing screenings, dental screenings and, if necessary, other tests, services, and referrals for diagnosis and treatment as outlined in the Florida Medicaid Child Health Check-Up Coverage and Limitations Handbook, October 2003, incorporated by reference, and available at 718http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-06455720.

    721(16) “Child Maltreatment Index” is a document that defines specific types of abuse, neglect or abandonment; and guides decision making by staff at the Florida Abuse Hotline and Child Protective Investigations regarding screening decisions and investigative findings. The “Child Maltreatment Index,” CF Operating Procedure No. 175-04, October 2015, is incorporated by reference and available 776at 777http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-06454779.

    780(17) “Child-on-Child Sexual Abuse” means any sexual behavior between children which occurs without consent, without equality, or as a result of coercion.

    802(18) “Child-Placing Agency” means any person, corporation, or agency, public or private, other than the parent or legal guardian of the child or an intermediary acting pursuant to Chapter 63, F.S., that is licensed pursuant to section 839409.175, F.S., 841and places or arranges for the placement of a child in a family foster home, residential child caring agency, or approved adoptive home, and provides any of the necessary adoptive services listed under subsection (3) of this rule or any corporation or agency under contract with the Department as a community-based care lead agency.

    895(19) “Child Protection Services” or “Child Welfare Services” means core child protection programs, such as the Florida Abuse Hotline, protective investigations, protective supervision, post-placement supervision, foster care and other out-of-home care, or adoption services.

    929(20) “Child Protective Investigator (CPI)” means a child welfare professional who is responsible for investigating alleged child maltreatment and conducting assessments regarding the safety of children.

    955(21) “Child’s Resource Record” means a standardized record developed and maintained for every child entering out-of-home care that contains copies of the basic legal, demographic, available and accessible educational, and available and accessible medical and psychological information pertaining to a specific child, as well as any documents necessary for a child to receive medical treatment and educational services.

    1013(22) “Child Welfare Professional” means an individual who is primarily responsible for case activities that has met the criteria for Florida Certification as a Child Protective Investigator, Case Manager or a Licensing Counselor.

    1046(23) “Children’s Legal Services (CLS)” means Department of Children and Families attorneys or attorneys from contracted entities dedicated to representing the Department in chapter 39, F.S., proceedings.

    1073(24) “Children’s Multidisciplinary Assessment Team (CMAT)” means an inter-agency coordinated effort of Medicaid in the Agency for Health Care Administration; the Department of Children and Families; the Agency for Persons with Disabilities; and Children’s Medical Services in the Department of Health. The CMAT makes recommendations for medically necessary services for children birth to 21 years old who are medically complex or medically fragile.

    1136(25) “Collateral Contacts” mean face to face, telephonic or written communication with persons who provide relevant information for a child protection investigation but who are not subjects of the reports.

    1166(26) “Commencement” means the date and time that the investigator attempted or achieved a face-to-face contact with the child victim by visiting the site where the victim was reportedly located.

    1196(27) “Communicable Disease” means any disease caused by transmission of a specific infectious agent, or its toxic products, from an infected person, an infected animal, or the environment to a susceptible host, either directly or indirectly.

    1232(28) “Community-Based Care (CBC)” means the system of care for the provision of all child welfare services – with the exception of child protective investigations and the Florida Abuse Hotline. The delivery model is utilization of privatized contractors that determine the needs and develop the resources for the community being served, in addition to core requirements outlined in Florida Statute or Florida Administrative Code, or as stipulated per contract with the Department.

    1304(29) “Comprehensive Behavioral Health Assessment (CBHA)” means an in-depth assessment of the child’s emotional, social, behavioral, and developmental functioning within the family home, school, and community, as well as the clinical setting.

    1336(30) “Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS)” (i.e., Florida Safe Families Network (FSFN)), means the Department’s comprehensive, statewide automated case tool that supports child welfare practice. A CCWIS holds the state’s official case file for all children and families served.

    1376(31) “Concurrent Case Planning” 1380or “Concurrent Planning” means as defined in Section 138839.01(19), F.S1390.

    1391(32) “Conditions for Return” means the specific family conditions or behaviors that must exist or be in place in order to meet the criteria for the child to be returned home safely.

    1423(33) “Consent for Medical Treatment” or “Informed Consent for Medical Treatment” means consent voluntarily given after a sufficient explanation and disclosure of the purpose of the proposed treatment and the alternative treatments available.

    1456(34) “Contracted Provider” means any licensed child-placing agency that has entered into a contract with the Department for the purposes of recruitment, training, evaluation and/or supervision of licensed out-of-home caregivers.

    1486(35) “Contracted Service Provider” means a private agency that has entered into a contract with the Department or with a community-based care lead agency to provide supervision of and services to dependent children and children who are at risk of abuse, neglect, or abandonment.

    1530(36) “County of Jurisdiction” means the county where the court of jurisdiction is located, or, in cases of non-judicial supervision, the county where the family has resided for 30 consecutive days.

    1561(37) “Court Ordered Supervision” means the court has ordered the Department or contracted service provider to supervise the child and family over a period of time.

    1587(38) “Criminal, Delinquency and Abuse/Neglect History Check” means the act of assessing the history of persons through a criminal records check pursuant to Section 1611435.04, F.S., 1613and criminal, juvenile and abuse/neglect history checks pursuant to Section 162339.0138, F.S., 1625as described in Sections 162939.401(3) 1630and 163139.521(2)(r), F.S.

    1633(39) “Critical Junctures” means times during an investigation or services case when events that affect child safety are occurring in the investigation or services case. Critical junctures include the following:

    1663(a) When safety analysis has resulted in a decision to remove a child from home.

    1678(b) At the birth or death of a sibling or the addition of a new family member, including paramours.

    1697(c) Before changing the case plan to include unsupervised visits.

    1707(d) Before a child is returned home from substitute care.

    1717(e) Before the case is closed or dismissal of court jurisdiction is recommended.

    1730(40) “Danger Threat” means caregiver behaviors, attitudes, motives, emotions and/or situations posing a specific threat of severe harm to a child.

    1751(41) “Emergency Medical Care and Treatment” means care or treatment of a child who has been injured or is suffering from an acute illness, disease, or condition if, within a reasonable degree of medical certainty, delay in initiation or provision of medical care or treatment would endanger the health or physical well-being of the child.

    1806(42) “Enhanced Level II Foster Home” means a foster home in which the caregivers have completed additional training hours as specified in Rule 65C-45.002, F.A.C., is designed to accept placements for children with enhanced complexities, to include sibling groups, and is eligible to receive enhanced foster care room and board payments.

    1857(43) “Evidence” for the purpose of child protective investigations means any and all materials, documents, first party observations and specific facts that are relevant to prove and support specific allegations of abuse, neglect or abandonment.

    1892(44) “Exigent Circumstances” mean situations in which it is anticipated that a child will be placed with a relative or non-relative within 72 hours.

    1916(45) “Extraordinary Medical Care and Treatment” means care or treatment of a child that is outside of the routine medical and dental care included in the definition of ordinary medical care and treatment. This includes surgery, anesthesia, and administration of psychotropic medications.

    1958(46) “Family Made Arrangement” means a safety action intiated and completed by a parent/legal guardian to temporarily relocate a child from the family’s home to a responsible adult chosen by the parent/legal guardian1991.

    1992(47) “Family Assessment,” 1996“Family Functioning Assessment,” “Ongoing Family Functioning Assessment,” and “Progress Update” means a decision-making and documentation process conducted in response to a child abuse and/or neglect report or any other instances in which safety needs to be assessed throughout the life of an active investigation or ongoing services case to help evaluate danger threats, child vulnerability, parental protective capacities and to determine the safety response, case outcomes and goals.

    2066(48) “Family Preservation Services” mean services provided to 2074children (and their families) that have been found to be unsafe and include safety management services, treatment services and child well-being services2096.

    2097(49) “Family Support Services” mean services provided to children (and their families) who have been found to be safe and at high or very high risk of future maltreatment.

    2126(50) “Family Team Meeting” means the process that enables families to create and utilize a team of persons and professionals to assist with safety and/or case planning.

    2153(51) “Family Time” means vistation and other forms of contact between children and parents, siblings who are separated, and grandparents.

    2173(52) “Finding” means the investigative determination that there is credible evidence to support or refute the alleged child maltreatment.

    2192(53) “Florida Abuse Hotline” means the Department’s central abuse reporting intake assessment center, which receives and processes reports of known or suspected child abuse, neglect or abandonment 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

    2227(54) “Foster Care Referrals” mean calls to the Florida Abuse Hotline regarding concerns about the care provided in a licensed foster home, group home or emergency shelter that do not meet the criteria for acceptance of a report of abuse, neglect or abandonment.

    2270(55) “Group Care Facility” or “Licensed Group Care Facility” means a “residential child-caring agency” as defined in Section 2288409.175, F.S.

    2290(56) “Guardianship” means a legally established relationship between a child and adult who is appointed to protect the child’s best interests and to provide the child’s care, welfare, education, discipline, maintenance, and support.

    2323(57) “Home Study” means the written documentation of an on-site assessment completed prior to the child’s placement that evaluates the caregiver’s capacity to provide a safe, stable and supportive home environment, and determines if the physical environment is safe and can meet the child’s needs.

    2368(58) “Household” means a common residence shared by two (2) or more individuals, whether related or not.

    2385(59) “Household Member” means any person who resides in a household, including the caregiver and other family members residing in the home. Household members include adult visitors to the home who provide care of the child outside the parent’s sight and/or sound supervision.

    2428(60) “Immediate” or “immediately” means as soon as possible, but no later than four (4) hours.

    2444(61) “Inappropriate Sexual Behavior” means sexually reactive behaviors of a child including acting-out sexually, engaging in inappropriate sex play for age and maturity or demonstrating a premature understanding of sex.

    2474(62) “Independent Living Services” means services to assist older children in foster care and young adults who were formerly in foster care obtain life skills and education for independent living and employment, have a quality of life appropriate for their age, and assume personal responsibility for becoming self-sufficient adults.

    2523(63) “Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA),” 253025 U.S.C. 1901 2533et seq, means the federal act that governs child custody proceedings involving American Indian or Alaskan Native children in state courts.

    2554(64) “Individual Educational Plan (IEP)” means a written assessment for a child with a disability or special educational needs that is developed and implemented in accordance with the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA),” 259220 U.S.C. §1400 2595et seq.

    2597(65) 2598“Informal safety service provider” means a responsible adult identified by a parent or legal guardian who agrees to provide safety management services as specified in a safety plan.

    2626(66) “Interstate Compact” or “Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC)” means a uniform law enacted in all fifty states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It establishes a contract among the states and jurisdictions that ensures orderly procedures for the interstate placement and post-placement supervision of children and codifies responsibilities for those involved in placing the child.

    2688(67) “Investigative Search” means making inquiries of written records and electronic databases to locate subjects of a report when reasonable efforts to locate the family have been expended, but failed to locate the family.

    2722(68) “Lead Agency” means an “eligible lead community-based care provider” as defined in Section 2736409.986(3)(d), F.S.

    2738(69) “Licensed family foster home” means “family foster home” as defined Section 2750409.175, F.S.

    2752(70) “Licensed Out-of-Home Caregiver” means any person licensed under Section 2762409.175, F.S., 2764to provide 24 hour care. This term also refers to foster parents.

    2776(71) “Licensing Authority” means the Department of Children and Families.

    2786(72) “Licensing Service Agreement” means a written agreement signed by licensed out-of-home caregivers that specifies duties and responsibilities over children served.

    2807(73) “Maltreatment” means behavior that is harmful and destructive to a child’s cognitive, social, emotional, or physical development. This is referenced in the Child Maltreatment Index, incorporated in subsection (16) of this rule as the harm that occurred as the result of maltreatment.

    2850(74) “Missing Child Emergency” means situations that require immediate actions when a child appears to be missing.

    2867(75) “No Jurisdiction” means a designation given to abuse reports that have been accepted by the Florida Abuse Hotline, but upon further investigation or after the initial contact, the CPI determines that the Department or sheriff’s office does not have the authority to investigate because the allegations and/or facts surrounding the report do not meet statutory criteria including:

    2925(a) The alleged perpetrator is a staff member in a general hospital, while acting in an official capacity (excluding a psychiatric ward);

    2947(b) The alleged perpetrator is a law enforcement officer or employee of a jail, municipal or county detention facilities, Juvenile Bootcamp Facility, or Department of Corrections, while acting in an official capacity;

    2979(c) The alleged perpetrator is a non-caregiver, except in cases of human trafficking;

    2992(d) The allegations are of harm or threatened harm to a child who is residing and located in another state at the time of the report, or

    3019(e) The allegations are of harm or threatened harm to a child who resides on federal property such as an Indian reservation or military base (unless there is an agreement with the appropriate authorities to surrender jurisdiction to the Department).

    3059(76) “Non-judicial case” means the the childen have been determined to be unsafe, a safety plan is required and the family has consented to services and supervision aimed at addressing the conditions that make the child unsafe.

    3096(77) “Non-relative” or “non-relative caregiver” means any person who does not meet the definition of a relative and who is caring for a child placed in his or her custody.

    3126(78) “On-Site Visit” means a face-to-face visit by a child welfare professional with the child or other subjects of the report at sites other than the child welfare professional’s office location.

    3157(79) “Other Parent Home Assessment” means the assessment of a parent and the parent’s household prior to the child’s release or placement, in order to determine if the parent will be able to safely care for the child.

    3195(80) “Ordinary Medical Care and Treatment” means ordinary and necessary medical and dental examinations and treatments. Included in this definition are blood testing, preventive care including ordinary immunizations, tuberculin testing, and well-child care.

    3228(81) “Out-of-County Services” mean supervision and/or services provided when case participants reside in multiple counties.

    3243(82) “Out-of-Home Care” means the placement of a child in licensed and non-licensed settings, arranged and supervised by the Department or contracted service provider, outside of the home of the parent.

    3274(83) “Out-of-Town Inquiry (OTI)” means a request for assistance that originates from intrastate, interstate or authorized international sources.

    3292(84) “Partnership Plan” means a written agreement between licensed out-of-home caregivers and the supervising agency representative that specifies each party’s duties and responsibilities to children served and to the Department and/or child-placing agency.

    3325(85) “Patently Unfounded” means incidents reported in good-faith to the Hotline which, after intitial contact with participants, are subsequently determined to have no basis in fact as demonstrated by readily observable and corroborated information. This is not the presence of evidence to refute or the absence of evidence to support the maltreatment, but rather the presence of evidence in direct contrast to what was reported.

    3390(86) “Permanency” means achieving a permanent home for a child in accordance with Section 340439.621, F.S.

    3406(87) “Permanency Hearing” means a judicial review hearing conducted pursuant to Section 341839.621(4), F.S.

    3420(88) “Permanency Staffing” means a case review meeting prior to each permanency hearing for the purpose of permanency goal planning for a child.

    3443(89) “Personal Profile” means the documents from foster parent training that provide the participant’s personal history and are considered in assessing his or her suitability as a licensed out-of-home caregiver.

    3473(90) “Placement” means the supervised placement of a child in a setting outside the child’s own home.

    3490(91) “Placement for Adoption” or “To Place for Adoption” means “placement” as defined in subsection 350565C-16.001(24), 3506F.A.C.

    3507(92) “Post-Placement Supervision” means services provided to children and families upon reunification, which aim to support and preserve the family unit during the transition period.

    3532(93) “Primarily Lives and Works Outside of Florida” means anyone who does not meet the definition of “primary residence and place of employment in Florida.”

    3557(94) “Primary Residence and Place of Employment in Florida” means a person who lives and works in Florida at least six (6) months of the year and intends to do so for the foreseeable future or military personnel who designate Florida as their place of residence in accordance with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, 361150 U.S.C. App. §§501-597b3615.

    3616(95) “ Private Adoption Agency” means a private child placing agency that places or arranges for placement of a child in an approved adoptive home and provides adoptive services for a child who does not have an open dependency case and is not in custody of the Department.

    3664(96) “Psychotropic Medication” means any medication prescribed with the primary intent to stabilize or improve mood, mental status, behavioral symptomatology, or mental illness.

    3687(97) “Reasonable Effort to Locate” means that the overall efforts of a child protective investigative unit have been sufficiently thorough to allow for case closure despite the inability to locate the family within 60 days of receipt of the report. Reasonable efforts to locate include contacts to locate the child through the school system, Economic Self Sufficiency records, additional contacts with the reporter or others named in the report, and telephone or city directory checks.

    3762(98) “Receiving County” means the county to which a child or family is relocating or has relocated while supervision and services continue.

    3784(99) “Receiving Unit” means the staff in a child protective investigations unit to which a request for an out-of-town inquiry (OTI) or a report transfer is made.

    3811(100) “Region” means a geographical area through which the Department and community-based care providers plan and administer their programs.

    3830(101) “Relative Caregiver” means a person who meets the definition of a relative as set forth in Sections 384839.5085(2)(a)1.-3., F.S.

    3850(102) “Relative Caregiver Program (RCP)” means a program defined in Section 386139.5085(2), F.S., 3863and includes non-relative caregiver financial assistance.

    3869(103) “Removal Episode” means the entire period of time a child is in out-of-home care, beginning with the child’s removal from his or her primary residence and ending when permanency is achieved, the child becomes 18 years old, the child is emancipated by marriage or a court order, or the child dies. A new removal episode begins with each reentry into care.

    3931(104) “Report” or “Hotline Report” means the document created from an allegation to the Florida Abuse Hotline alleging knowledge or a suspicion that a child has been abused, neglected, or abandoned by a parent, guardian, adult household member or other person responsible for a child’s welfare.

    3977(105) “Residential Treatment Center” means “Residential treatment center for children and adolescents” as defined in Section 3993394.67, F.S.

    3995(106) “Respite Care” means the temporary, (over 24 hours) intermittent care of a foster child by an individual other than the child’s out-of-home caregiver, regardless of whether the respite provider is paid by the lead agency.

    4031(107) “Reunification” means the safe return of a child to the child’s home with an in-home safety plan.

    4049(108) “Safe” means the absence of danger threats to a child.

    4060(109) “Safety Management Services” means services that will manage or control the condition that is making a child unsafe.

    4079(110) “Second Tier Consultation” means 4084a consultative process in which additional guidance and feedback related to an open child protective investigation is received from a manager4105.

    4106(111) “Sending County” means the county of jurisdiction that makes a request for supervision or continuation of non-judicial supervision to a receiving county when a child or family receiving services is relocating or has relocated to another county.

    4144(112) “Sending Unit” means the staff in a child protective investigations unit initiating a request for an out-of-town inquiry (OTI) or an investigation transfer to another unit.

    4171(113) “Shelter Status” means the legal status that begins when the child is taken into protective custody of the Department and ceases when the court grants custody to a parent, or, after disposition of the petition for dependency, the court orders the child released to a parent or placed in the temporary custody of the Department, a relative, or a non-relative.

    4232(114) “Significant Caregiver Responsibility” means that the specific adult household member has taken responsibility for major caregiving duties.

    4250(115) “Special Condition Referrals” means requests brought to the attention of the Department that require a response by the Department, investigating sheriff, or lead agency. These requests do not constitute willful abuse, neglect, or abandonment. These include the following situations:

    4290(a) When the caregiver has been or is about to be incarcerated and plans must be made for the child’s immediate care;

    4312(b) When the caregiver has been or is about to be hospitalized and plans must be made for the child’s immediate care;

    4334(c) When the caregiver has died and plans must be made for the child’s immediate care;

    4350(d) When the caregiver is having difficulty caring for a child to the degree that it appears very likely that without intervention, abuse, neglect, or abandonment will occur;

    4378(e) Foster care referrals, or

    4383(f) Reports of child on child abuse.

    4390(116) “Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS)” (i.e., Florida Safe Families Network (FSFN)), means the Department’s comprehensive, statewide automated case tool that supports child welfare practice. A SACWIS holds the state’s official case file for all children and families served.

    4431(117) “Subject of a Report” means any person named in an abuse, neglect or abandonment report.

    4447(118) “Suitable” or “Suitability” for residential treatment means a determination by a Qualified Evaluator that a child with an emotional disturbance as defined in Section 4472394.492(5), F.S., 4474or a serious emotional disturbance or mental illness as defined in Section 4486394.492(6), F.S., 4488meets the statutory criteria for placement in a residential treatment center.

    4499(119) “Supervision” means responsibility for managing a safety plan and a case plan to ensure enhancement of diminished protective capacities and/or permanency for unsafe children.

    4524(120) “Supervising Agency” means any licensed child-placing agency that oversees and supports a family foster home and assists applicants in the licensing process.

    4547(121) “Supplemental Report” means a report, whether by the same or another reporter, pertaining to the same incident currently under investigation, which involves the same subjects and same alleged maltreatments, but improves upon what is already known, such as providing a better address, corrected spelling of names, or other collateral contacts. These reports do not always require additional investigative activity, however upon review may warrant action.

    4613(122) “Therapeutic Foster Care” means a program that provides mental health services for children with emotional and behavioral disturbances living in a family foster home.

    4638(123) “Threatened Harm” means a behavior that is not accidental and which is likely to result in harm to the child.

    4659(124) “Tribal Agreement” means a formal written agreement between the Department and a federally recognized American Indian tribe that guides interaction between the Department and the tribe in matters pertaining to child welfare, including child protective investigations and proceedings involving American Indian and Alaskan Native children in state courts.

    4708(125) “Unified Home Study” means an assessment of a potential caregiver residing in Florida to determine if he or she is responsible and capable of providing a physically safe enviornment and a stable, supportive home for children under his or her care and that he or she will be able to meet the children’s well-being needs.

    4764(126) “Voluntary Licensed Placement” means placement of a child in licensed out-of-home care when a parent or legal guardian requests the assistance of the Department or contracted service provider in planning for the temporary care and supervision of a child.

    4804(127) “Well-Being” means a child’s emotional, developmental, educational, social, physical and mental health needs.

    4818(128) This rule shall be replaced within five years from the effective date, if not renewed.

    4834Rulemaking 4835Authority 483639.012, 483739.0121, 483839.5085(2)(a), 4839409.175(5) FS. 4841Law Implemented 484339.401(3), 484439.5085, 484539.521, 484639.701, 4847409.145(1), 4848409.165(1), 4849409.401, 4850409.175 FS. 4852History–New 5-4-06, Amended 2-25-16, 6-29-17, 12-4-17, 10-22-18, 6-3-20, 10-24-21.