Case Reviews, Recruitment, Screening and Application Process/Adoptive Applicants, Evaluation of Applicants, Determination of Maintenance Subsidy Payments, Florida Adoption Reunion Registry, Adoption Benefits for Qualifying Employees of State Agencies
DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES
Family Safety and Preservation ProgramRULE NO: RULE TITLE
65C-16.003: Case Reviews
65C-16.004: Recruitment, Screening and Application Process/Adoptive Applicants
65C-16.005: Evaluation of Applicants
65C-16.013: Determination of Maintenance Subsidy Payments
65C-16.017: Florida Adoption Reunion Registry
65C-16.018: Adoption Benefits for Qualifying Employees of State AgenciesNOTICE OF CHANGE
Notice is hereby given that the following changes have been made to the proposed rule in accordance with subparagraph 120.54(3)(d)1., F.S., published in Vol. 34, No. 23, June 6, 2008 issue of the Florida Administrative Weekly.
65C-16.003 Case Reviews.
(2)(b) Quarterly Case Staffings. Staff responsible for planning for children in need of adoption will meet together as a team to collectively discuss staff and assess the needs of waiting children and available families. The teams will meet as often as necessary to assure that permanency needs are met. Each waiting child is to be staffed at least quarterly. The team will meet at least quarterly for each waiting child, 65C-16.004 Recruitment, Screening and Application Process/Adoptive Applicants.
(3) The recruitment activities shall reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of children needing adoptive placement pursuant to the Indian Child Welfare Act and Multi-Ethnic Placement Act.
(5) An application to adopt must be made on form CF-FSP 5071, PDF 084/2008, Adoptive Home Application, which is incorporated by reference and which includes necessary identifying information and information required by statute. If a community based provider chooses to use its own form, that form must contain all of the elements of CF-FSP 5071, PDF 084/2008, which is incorporated by reference. A copy of the form is available upon request by contacting the Office of Family Safety, at 1317 Winewood Blvd., Tallahassee, FL.
65C-16.005 Evaluation of Applicants.
(3)(m) All adoptive parent applicants must disclose to the department or community based care provider any prior or pending local, state or national criminal proceedings in which they have been involved. Affidavit of Good Moral Character. All adoptive parent applicants must complete an affidavit of good moral character (Form CF-1649, Affidavit of Good Moral Character), hereby incorporated by reference, attesting to their own good moral character. A copy of the form is available upon request by contacting the Office of Family Safety, at 1317 Winewood Blvd., Tallahassee, FL. Foster parents who are adopting a foster child in their home and who have completed this affidavit as a part of their licensing requirements need not complete it again;
(3)(o) Use of References. A minimum of five written references will be required. At least two of the references will be non-relatives. References must be obtained from persons who either: 1) have had the opportunity to observe the applicants in situations that may give some indication for their capacity for parenthood, or 2) who as a result of their relationship to the applicant, possess or should possess documentation or knowledge of the applicant’s capacity for parenthood. deviant behavior or immoral character. References should be obtained from employers of applicants and from schools or day care providers who have had an opportunity to know the family.
65C-16.013 Determination of Maintenance Subsidy Payments.
(9) The adoption assistance agreement (Form CF FSP 50791, PDF 08/2008, Adoption Assistance Agreement), hereby incorporated by reference, must be signed and dated by all parties prior to the finalization of the adoption. A copy of the form is available upon request by contacting the Office of Family Safety, at 1317 Winewood Blvd., Tallahassee, FL. The effective date of the agreement is the date of placement in the adoptive home, or in the case of adoption by the current caregiver, on the date the memorandum of agreement to adopt is signed. Payments may not be made for any months in which there is no adoption assistance agreement in place.
65C-16.017 Florida Adoption Reunion Registry.
(3)(a) Any person may register by completing and submitting the application for registry services (Form CF 1490, PDF 08/2008, Application for Registry Services), hereby incorporated by reference, indicating to whom they consent to release identifying information about themselves. A copy of the form is available upon request by contacting the Office of Family Safety, at 1317 Winewood Blvd., Tallahassee, FL.
(6)(a) Any registrant may change the name, address or telephone number associated with their registration, may limit or restrict their consent to release information, or may completely withdraw from the registry at any time using Form CF 1491 PDF 08/2008, Application to Update Information on File with Adoption Registry, hereby incorporated by reference. A copy of the form is available upon request by contacting the Office of Family Safety, at 1317 Winewood Blvd., Tallahassee, FL.
(10) CF1490, PDF 08/2008, 09/2000 Applications for Registry Services, and CF1491, PDF 08/2008, 09/2000 Application to Update Information on File with Adoption Registry, which are incorporated by reference, are available upon request from the Department’s Office of Family Safety, Interstate Compact Office at 1317 Winewood Blvd., Tallahassee, FL.
65C-16.018 Adoption Benefits for Qualifying Employees of State Agencies.
(9) The Department shall hold an annual open enrollment period for submission of applications between the first business day of August and the last business day of October. To apply for this benefit, the applicant shall fully complete and submit the State of Florida Application for Adoption Benefit Form, CF-FSP 5327, Sep. 2008, which is hereby incorporated by reference, and is available online at http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/adoption/adoptbenefitsprogram.shtml.
