Florida Administrative Code

(1) The Department, community-based care lead agency and its subcontracted providers shall check the electronic FSFN case record for information on all persons being considered for placement of a child, including parents and all members of the household, 12 years of age and older…

(1) "Adverse action" means any action by the Department, community-based care lead agency, or its contracted service provider that denies a young adult's application for readmission to extended foster care, or that discharges a young adult from extended foster care. (2) "Designat…

(1) Children in the legal custody of the Department or living in licensed care on the date of their 18th birthday do not need to apply for Extended Foster Care. If the child exercises his or her option to remain in foster care under the jurisdiction of the court, the child and de…

(1) Section 39.6251, F.S., sets forth the eligibility requirements for a young adult to remain in extended foster care. (2) A young adult is considered to have been living in licensed care on the date of his or her 18th birthday if the young adult was living licensed care or the …

(1) Residing in a supervised environment is not intended to be a barrier to independence; however, every living arrangement must meet all the requirements as detailed in Section 39.6251(4), F.S. (2) Approved Living Arrangements. (a) A comprehensive assessment shall be made to det…

(1) Transition and Case Plans. Each young adult in extended foster care must have both a transition plan and a case plan developed. Designated staff shall work with the young adult on the development and updates to each plan. (a) Transition Plan. The provisions of the transition …

(1) A young adult shall be given notice of termination from the extended foster care program when the young adult fails to participate in a qualifying activity or fails to reside in an approved living arrangement. In the event the designated staff determines that the young adult …

(1) The Department, the community-based care lead agency and its contracted service provider staff shall treat all young adults fairly and afford them due process. A young adult applying for or receiving extended foster care services has the right to receive written notice of adv…

The following definitions are to be used in this chapter. (1) "Adverse action" means any action by the Department, community-based care lead agency, or its contracted service provider that denies, in whole or in part, a young adult's application for Postsecondary Education Servic…

(1) Application for Postsecondary Education Services and Support (PESS). Each young adult who wishes to receive a PESS stipend shall complete and sign an application for this program. (2) If it is determined that the young adult is not eligible for PESS, designated staff shall de…

(1) Eligibility. A young adult is eligible for Aftercare Services if he or she: (a) Reached the age of 18 while in licensed foster care or in the legal custody of the department, or lived in out-of-home care for at least 6 months after turning 14 years of age, and did not achieve…

(1) The Department, the community-based care lead agency and its contracted service provider staff shall treat all young adults fairly and afford them due process. A young adult applying for or receiving Postsecondary Education Services and Support (PESS) or Aftercare Services ha…

(1) Any child or young adult suspected of being commercially sexually exploited or labor trafficked shall be assessed using the "Human Trafficking Screening Tool Administration Guide (HTST)," CF-FSP 5406, July 2023, incorporated by reference and available at http://www.flrules.or…

Each lead agency and regional Department of Children and Families, Family Safety Office shall provide the following information about children and young adults the lead agency serves to the Department's Office of Child Welfare's Human Trafficking Unit on a monthly basis: (1) The …

Rulemaking Authority 409.1678(2)(c)7., (2)(e) FS. Law Implemented 409.1678 FS. History-New 1-12-16, Amended 10-24-19, Transferred to 65C-14.119.

Rulemaking Authority 409.1678(2)(e) FS. Law Implemented 409.1678 FS. History-New 10-24-19, Transferred to 65C-14.120.

(1) Foster parents and direct care staff of residential child-caring agencies must have completed all pre-service training, as prescribed in Section 409.145(2)(e), F.S., and Rule 65C-45.002, F.A.C., prior to the submission of the application to become a safe foster home or safe h…

(1) Child protective investigators and case managers, and their supervisors, must receive a minimum of six (6) hours of specialized training on human trafficking approved by the Department prior to accepting cases with children or young adult victims of human trafficking. The spe…

(1) Prior to a moratorium on referrals or revocation of certification for a safe foster home or safe house, the Regional Licensing Authority shall review the following: (a) Licensing history, including history of corrective action plans; and, (b) History of abuse and neglect repo…

(1) "Child" for purposes of this rule chapter means an individual who has not attained 18 years of age. (2) "Extended Guardianship Assistance Agreement" means an agreeement that outlines the payment amount and services provided for a qualifying young adult. (3) "Extended Guardian…

The child welfare professional shall inform prospective guardianship caregivers of the availability of all of the benefits listed below: (1) Guardianship Assistance Payment. (2) Other Medical Services. Other medical services available include on-going Medicaid coverage and contin…

(1) The purpose of the guardianship assistance payment is to make financial assistance available to permanent guardians to enable them to provide care for a qualifying child. Every permanent guardian must be advised of the availability of a guardianship assistance payment and the…

The "Guardianship Assistance Agreement Between the Department of Children and Families and Guardians Regarding Payments and Services," CF-FSP 5437, (December 2024), incorporated by reference and available at http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-17367, must be signe…

(1) A successor guardian should be identified and documented on the Guardianship Assistance Agreement. (2) The successor guardian is not required to be a relative, fictive kin or a licensed caregiver. (3) The successor guardian must successfully complete the following criminal, d…

(1) Under any Guardianship Assistance Agreement, the state is authorized to make payments to the guardian for non-recurring, one time, expenses the guardian has incurred in connection with the guardianship. Non-recurring guardianship expenses are court costs, attorney fees, and o…

(1) Families shall be notified of the Extension of Guardianship Assistance Payment when they are entering into an agreement for a child who has attained 14-17 years of age. (2) The initial agreement shall notate that the caregiver intends to opt into the Extension of Guardianship…

(1) An annual redetermination for Guardianship Assistance Payment eligibility shall be completed every 12 months. Failure of the guardian to submit a completed "Guardianship Assistance Program Eligibility Redetermination" form prior to the end of the 12-month redetermination date…

(1) The Department shall conduct background screenings for all persons considered by the Department for initial licensure, re-licensure, or re-screenings for 3-year licensure for out-of-home caregivers and all adult household members age 18 and older, pursuant to Sections 409.175…

(1) Parent preparation pre-service and in-service training shall meet the requirements of Section 409.175(14), F.S. (2) Applicants who have previously completed a Department-approved pre-service training curriculum in the past five years, and who can provide proof of completion, …

(1) General. (a) Each applicant wishing to become a licensed out-of-home caregiver shall complete the following: 1. An "Application for License to Provide Out-of-Home Care for Dependent Children," CF-FSP 5007, July 2017, incorporated by reference and available at https://www.flru…

(1) Summary and Recommendations. (a) Recommendation for licensure shall describe the characteristics of children most appropriate for placement in the home. These characteristics shall include level of licensure, number of children, age, gender(s), types of behaviors, and special…

(1) Pursuant to Section 409.175(5)(a)1.b., F.S., items not related to safety can be waived for Level I licensure requirements. (2) Items deemed waived will not be required for an applicant to obtain a Level I-Child Specific License through the Department; (3) The waiving of items…

(1) Individuals applying for a Level II-Non-Child Specific Foster Home License shall meet all licensing requirements in Rule 65C-45.003, F.A.C., as well as all items identified in paragraph 65C-45.005(1)(b), F.A.C. (2) The licensing counselor shall complete one (1) additional lic…

(1) Certification of Safe Foster Homes (a) Certification Standards. The child-placing agency must submit a letter of recommendation to the Regional Licensing Authority that the licensed foster home be certified as a safe foster home. The letter of recommendation must be accompani…

(1) Individuals seeking Level IV or V Licensure, must meet all Level II licensure requirement pursuant to Rule 65C-45.003, F.A.C.; (2) The licensing counselor shall complete one (1) additional licensing home study visit to the applicant's home to inspect the entire home. Rulemaki…

(1) Law Enforcement Involvement. The licensed out-of-home caregiver shall report any household member's involvement with law enforcement over the course of the licensed year to the supervising agency within one business day of the occurrence. Law enforcement involvement includes …

(1) Requirements. (a) All licensed out-of-home caregivers shall comply with subsections 65C-28.003(1), (3), (4), 65C-28.009(2), 65C-28.018(1), and Rule 65C-28.019, F.A.C. (b) Placement capacity requirements shall comply with Section 409.175(3), F.S. (c) Each licensed out-of-home …

(1) Community-based care lead agencies and their contracted providers will provide ongoing support to licensed out-of-home caregivers. Support can include but is not be limited to: (a) Access to foster parent support groups; (b) Service resources for children placed in the home; …

(1) Requirements. (a) Relicensing procedures shall be initiated by the supervising agency and the relicensing file shall be submitted to the licensing authority at least 30 calendar days prior to expiration of the current license. However, if the attestation model is used, the re…

Individuals applying for relicensure of a Level II Non-Child Specific Foster Home shall meet all relicensing requirements in Rule 65C-45.012, F.A.C., as well as the following requirements: (1) The supervising agency shall obtain from the licensed out-of-home caregiver documentati…

Individuals applying for relicensure of a Level III Safe Foster Home for Victims of Human Trafficking shall meet all relicensing requirements in Rule 65C-45.012, F.A.C., as well as the following requirements: (1) Individuals must also be licensed as a Level II foster home; and (2…

Individuals applying for relicensure of a Level IV Therapeutic Foster Home or Level V Medical Foster Home shall meet all relicensing requirements in Rule 65C-45.012, F.A.C., as well all licensing standards required by the Agency of Health Care Administration. Rulemaking Authority…

Employees, Relatives and Sub-Contractors as Licensed Out-of-Home Caregivers. Licensing of employees of the Department, county sheriff's offices, community-based care lead agencies and their subcontracted providers or their relatives who desire to become out-of-home caregivers is …

(1) The Regional Licensing Authority shall request in writing any additional information required for the purposes of making a licensing determination within 10 business days of receipt of an application file. The Regional Licensing Authority shall grant or deny an initial licens…

(1) Licensure Capacity. (a) The supervising agency shall make a recommendation to the Department regarding licensure capacity. The Department shall issue the licensure capacity for a home based on the factors set forth in Section 409.175(3)(a), F.S. (b) Licensure capacity shall b…

(1) The licensed out-of-home caregiver is responsible for ensuring that individuals providing babysitting are suitable for the age, developmental level, and behaviors of the children. The licensed out-of-home caregiver shall use a reasonable and prudent parent standard, as define…

(1) The Regional Licensing Authority maintains responsibility for ensuring follow-up actions are taken on all foster care referrals and investigations. The supervising agency shall ensure that all licensed out-of-home caregivers are notified of foster care referrals. Licensed out…