DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Family Safety and Preservation Program
RULE NO.:RULE TITLE:
65C-28.004Comprehensive Placement Assessment
NOTICE 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. 46 No. 249, December 24, 2020 issue of the Florida Administrative Register.
65C-28.004 Comprehensive Placement Assessment.
(1) Whenever a child is unable to safely remain at home with a parent, the most appropriate available out-of-home placement shall be chosen after a Comprehensive Placement Assessment of the child’s needs and availability of caregivers qualified to meet the child’s needs. The child shall be placed in the most appropriate, least restrictive, family-like setting available that meets the needs of the child and is in the child’s community or is a setting in as close proximity as possible to the caregiver with whom reunification is planned.
(a) through (c) No change.
(2) Placement Matching and Determining the Level of Care.
(a) Responsibilites of Child Protective Invesigators (CPI)
1. No change.
2. If after a thorough investigation to discover all relatives, non-relatives, and fictive kin, and a review of their availability to care for the child If it is determined that the child cannot be placed in relative or non-relative care, the CPI shall select “other” as the recommended level of care and contact the community-based care lead agency (CBC) or subcontracted agency for a multidisciplinary team staffing (MDT) and placement into licensed foster care.
a. The MDT shall have a minimum of three (3) individuals currently involved with the child, including, but not limited to, a representative from the Department at time the child enters out-of-home care and the case manager for the child; a therapist, child’s attorney ad litem, guardian ad litem, teachers, coaches, current caregiver, if applicable, Children’s Medical Services, and other community providers of services to the child or stakeholders as applicable. The team may also include clergy, relatives, and fictive kin if appropriate. The team shall gather and review information which is known at the time, including, but not limited to:
I. through IX. No change.
X. The child’s Adverse Experiences Questionnaire (ACE) score (Part 2B of the Comprehensive Placement Assessment).
b. No change.
(b) Responsibilities of the Community-Based Care Agency
1. No change.
2. The Comprehensive Placement Assessment must be updated by the case manager, CBC, or subcontracted agency when a change in the level of care is recommended for each child in out-of-home care and reviewed every three (3) months to ensure permanency for that child. This information will be considered at each judicial review.
a. No change.
b. The case manager, CBC, or subcontracted agency must ensure an MDT is completed and update the Comprehensive Placement Assessment every 60 days for youth who are placed in a group care setting or treatment program licensed by the Department as a child-caring agency.
c. through d. redesignated b. through c. No change.
3. through 8. No change.
(3) No change.
