Florida Administrative Code

(1) Prior to release or placement of a child with another parent, an "Other Parent Home Assessment," CF-FSP 5411, October 2013, incorporated by reference and available at http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-06741, must be completed. (2) For each non-licensed place…

The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (the Act) is federal legislation found in 25 U.S.C. 1901 et seq., that governs child custody proceedings involving children who are members of an Indian tribe or Alaskan Native children as defined by the Act. (1) The child welfare professional…

(1) A child shall be referred for a Comprehensive Behavioral Health Assessment (CBHA): (a) When a child is in shelter status, the child welfare professional responsible for the case shall refer the child for a CBHA within seven (7) calendar days of being removed from his or her h…

(1) Initial Consideration of Need for Residential Treatment. Residential mental health treatment is provided to a child for the specific purpose of addressing the child's mental health needs through observation, diagnosis and treatment in a therapeutic setting, which includes the…

Rulemaking Authority 39.407(3)(g) FS. Law Implemented 39.407(3) FS. History-New 5-4-06, Repealed 12-14-10.

(1) The child welfare professional or designee shall conduct an exit interview with every child age five and older up until the eighteenth birthday who leaves a licensed out-of-home care placement if the child has resided in that placement for 30 days or more. Attempts shall be m…

(1) School stability (for school-age children) and child care or early education program stability (for birth to school age) will be prioritized for children in out-of-home care, unless it is not in the best interest of the child to remain in the school or program of origin as do…

(1) Caregiver decision-making. (a) Supervising agency approval is not required for decisions made by the out-of-home caregiver regarding a child's participation in childhood activities. Childhood activities include attending or participating in: 1. Extracurricular clubs, 2. Schoo…

(1) Household members, excluding current and potential caregivers, 18 years of age and older, who have a physical, developmental, or cognitive disability that prevents that person from safely submitting fingerprints can request an exemption from the fingerprinting requirements se…

This rule applies to qualified residential treatment programs (QRTP). A QRTP is a licensed child-caring agency that provides care for youth who have serious emotional or behavioral disorders or disturbances. (1) Placement of a child in a qualified residential treatment program (Q…

(1) Definitions. (a) "Department" means the Department of Children and Families. (b) "Child" means a child in licensed out-of-home care. (c) "Claimant" means a licensed caregiver who submits a restitution claim alleging property damages and/or direct medical expenses for his or h…

(1) A placement transition multidisciplinary team (MDT) staffing must be held when there are changes in physical custody after a child is placed in out-of-home care. This rule applies to transitions when there are changes in physical custody after a child is placed in out-of-home…

All definitions for this rule are located in Rule 65C-30.001, F.A.C. Rulemaking Authority 39.012, 39.0121 FS. Law Implemented 39.301, 39.302, 39.307 FS. History-New 5-4-06.

(1) The Department shall maintain an automated master file for all calls received by the Florida Abuse Hotline for screening. This file shall contain information on all calls received concerning a child and be maintained in the Department's automated system of record. (2) The tel…

(1) Responding to Reports. (a) The child protective investigator supervisor may downgrade an immediate response to a 24-hour response only if the local investigative unit has obtained additional information from the reporter or law enforcement subsequent to the information collec…

(1) If the institutional report involves a Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) facility or institution, the child protective investigator shall comply with the investigations of abuse or neglect in DJJ program requirements pursuant to the Interagency Agreement between the Agency…

Rulemaking Authority 39.012, 39.0121 FS. Law Implemented 39.01, 39.012, 39.201, 39.301 FS. History-New 5-4-06, Repealed 12-31-14.

(1) Foster care referrals involve concerns about possible licensing violations and regulatory infractions for children in an emergency shelter or out-of-home placement, or placement disruptions, case plan, and safety plan violations for children under the supervision of the Depar…

(1) To reduce the stigma of child-on-child sexual abuse and reduce further harm to the child victim(s), the child protective investigator shall use a family-centered, trauma-informed approach to conduct the assessment process. (2) Referrals for services shall not be initiated whe…

(1) Unless a child is exhibiting signs or symptoms of illness, an initial health care assessment by a licensed health care professional shall be completed for every child placed with a relative, non-relative, or in licensed care within five (5) working days of the removal. A chil…

(1) For each report received, the child protective investigator shall request a local history check from local law enforcement on all subjects of the report, household members and any adult visitor to the home who provides care or supervision of the child outside the parent's imm…

(1) When a child protective investigator suspects that a false report has been made, the investigator shall advise the reporter of the potential administrative fines, civil and criminal penalties associated with the filing of a false report. (2) In determining whether a report ha…

(1) Out-of-town inquiries (OTIs) are requests for information exchange between child protective investigators working in counties of different jurisdiction. (a) Requests for interviews of subjects of reports; (b) Requests for intra-state home studies for relative/non-relative eme…

(1) The transfer of a child protective investigation within and between circuits shall be initiated by the supervisor requesting the transfer via telephone or e-mail within 24 hours of identification of the need for transfer. (2) Prior to initiating the request for transfer, the …

(1) The child protective investigator shall make diligent efforts to locate a family prior to closing the investigation. When the family cannot be located at the time of the initial visit, the investigator shall conduct follow-up visits to the home during different times of the d…

Rulemaking Authority 39.012, 39.0121 FS. Law Implemented 39.01, 39.012, 39.0121 FS. History-New 5-4-06, Repealed 12-31-14.

This rule includes the definitions for the following rules: Chapter 65C-15, F.A.C., "Child-Placing Agencies"; Chapter 65C-16, F.A.C., "Adoptions"; 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 Chi…

(1) Prior to case transfer, the child protection investigator (CPI) is responsible for development, management and modification of safety plans; after case transfer the case manager is responsible for ongoing safety plan development, for safety management, including safety plan m…

(1) Within 30 calendar days of the removal of a child from the physical custody of his or her parent or guardian, the child protective investigator (CPI) shall initiate a diligent search to identify and locate any absent parent. (a) If the child remains in out-of-home care follow…

(1) Photographing of Children. (a) Children to be photographed: 1. All children under court ordered supervision in-home shall be photographed within 15 days after the case has been staffed and transferred. 2. All children placed in out-of-home care shall be photographed within 72…

(1) The case manager shall complete an ongoing family functioning assessment within 30 calendar days following the case transfer. (a) The progress update shall be updated and approved at least every three (3) months or at critical junctures until termination of services. (b) Ongo…

(1) Each child under Department or contracted service provider's supervision shall have a case plan developed and documented using the case plan functionality in the child welfare information system using the Ongoing Family Functioning Assessment to guide case plan outcomes. (2) …

(1) Contacts with Children. (a) The case manager shall make face-to-face contact with every child under supervision and living in Florida no less frequently than every 30 days in the child's residence. If the child lives in a county other than the county of jurisdiction, this sha…

(1) For children remaining in the home, the case manager shall assist the parents in order to: (a) Resolve the situation that resulted in the need for a lead agency managed safety plan; (b) Understand and meet their child's needs, including the child's need for safety; (c) Mainta…

(1) When the child welfare professional determines the protective, treatment and remedial services necessary to ensure the child's safety, well-being and need for permanency, the following shall be the priority order of least intrusive options considered and shall be informed by …

Rulemaking Authority 39.012, 39.0121 FS. Law Implemented 39.301 FS. History-New 5-4-06, Repealed 2-25-16.

(1) The child welfare professional making the placement shall: (a) Provide or arrange for the transport of the child to the placement; (b) Advise the caregiver as to the reason or circumstances that caused the child to be placed; (c) Facilitate the adjustment of the child to the …

(1) Permanency Goals. Permanency goals, as set forth in Section 39.621(2), F.S., shall be selected based on the best interest of the individual child. The primary permanency option is to maintain a child with his or her parents or legal custodian followed by reunification of the …

(1) Judicial Review Social Study Report. (a) The case manager will develop Judicial Review Social Study Reports (JRSSR) using the JRSSR functionality in the child welfare information system. (b) When a combined report is prepared for children who are referenced in court by the sa…

(1) The child's best interest and safety considerations, including conditions of return, shall be evaluated prior to recommending reunification and throughout the post-placement supervision period. The child's adjustment shall be evaluated throughout the post-placement supervisio…

(1) When a new report of abuse, neglect, or abandonment is received on an active case, the child protective investigator (CPI) shall: (a) Notify the case manager and Children's Legal Services within one (1) business day; and (b) Conduct a multidisciplinary staffing based upon the…

(1) The case manager shall immediately report to the supervisor a pending birth, a child born into a family, or any other circumstance adding a new child who is living in a home that is under supervision. (2) The case manager shall visit the home where the new child will or alrea…

Rulemaking Authority 39.012, 39.0121(12), (13) FS. Law Implemented 39.001(1)(m), 39.601, 39.701 FS. History-New 5-4-06, Repealed 12-13-15.

(1) When children and young adults and/or their parents or caregivers relocate to a county outside of the county of jurisdiction, out-of-county services will be provided when requested for: (a) Completing a home study of an other parent, relative, nonrelative, or prospective adop…

(1) Notification to Law Enforcement. (a) Exigent Circumstances. The child's caregiver, legal guardian, child welfare professional or designee shall immediately report a child as missing to law enforcement when: 1. The child is under age 13, 2. The child has a physical or mental i…

(1) Any employee of the Department or the contracted service providers who conduct child protective investigations, who has knowledge of a child's death and who has reasonable cause to suspect that the child died as a result of abuse, neglect or abandonment shall immediately repo…

The Department shall conduct multidisciplinary reviews of all child deaths where there was a prior report with a verified finding to the Department within the previous 12 months in accordance with Section 39.2015, F.S. The regional Child Fatality Prevention Specialist shall condu…