Library: Policy

340:75-6-31.1. Family meeting (FM) process

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Revised 9-15-20

The FM's purpose is to facilitate planning, team decision-making, and engaging the family of the child in Oklahoma Department of Human Services custody.

(1) The court may require facilitation of a meeting no later than 30-calendar days prior to a permanency hearing when a child was in out-of-home care for 12 months or longer, per Section 1-4-810 of Title 10A of the Oklahoma Statutes and an FM is used for this purpose.

(2) An FM includes parents, caregivers, children, relatives, family friends, child welfare specialists, service providers, community group members, and other appropriate community partners, when appropriate.

INSTRUCTIONS TO STAFF 340:75-6-31.1

Revised 9-14-24

1.  (a) Family meeting (FM) purpose and requirements.  The FM is designed to assist the child welfare (CW) specialist with achieving timely permanency for the child in Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) custody or under OKDHS supervision.

(b) FM process.  The FM process is initiated for each child in OKDHS custody or under OKDHS supervision who is placed in his or her own home or outside of the parent, legal guardian, or custodian's home including out-of-state Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) placements.

(1) FM participants include, but are not limited to, the:

(A) child;

(B) child's:

(i) birth parents;

(ii) legal guardian, when any;

(iii) extended family and kinship relations as the family requests;

(iv) caregivers;

(v) court-appointed special advocate or guardian ad litem, when applicable;

(vi) tribal representative, when applicable;

(vii) attorney; and

(viii) assigned CW specialist, CW supervisor, and assigned successful adulthood specialist, when appropriate; and

(C) service providers;

(D) Developmental Disabilities Services staff, when applicable;

(E) SoonerStart staff, when applicable;

(F) post-adjudication review board (PARB) member;

(G) district attorney;

(H) other family supports;

(I) Systems of Care; and

(J) Comprehensive Home-Based Services.

(2) Prior to case discussion, the FM facilitator:

(A) explains the confidential nature of the meeting;

(B) requests all team members sign the confidentiality section of Form 04MP046E, Family Meeting Report; and

(C) uses Form 04MP046E as a reference source for discussion by the team.

(3) The process addresses placement issues and essential case elements including efforts to place the:

(A) child with relatives; and

(B) siblings together.  At each FM:

(i) a placement review is conducted for each sibling to determine if each child is placed with relatives and if all siblings are placed together;

(ii) when siblings are not placed together, a plan is developed or updated to reunite the siblings, when feasible, in placement; and

(iii) when placing siblings together is not feasible, a plan is developed or updated to maintain, when possible, sibling connections.

(c) Required FM.  An FM is held:

(1) within 30-calendar days of the child's removal or petition filing date, whichever is earlier;

(2) within 30-calendar days following the assessment of child safety when an in-home or out-of-home Safety Plan is necessary.  The FM purpose in this situation is to engage families in identifying supports or resources that can assist in keeping the child safely in the home or assist in the identification of possible kinship caregivers for the child when necessary;

(3) within 30-calendar days after the court determines reasonable efforts to reunite the child with the parent are not required;

(4) a minimum of once every six months to continue to engage the person responsible for the child (PRFC);

(5) as part of the ongoing assessment process and Individualized Service Plan (ISP) development to:

(A) identify barriers to the child's permanent placement; and

(B) propose and implement solutions to the barriers; and

(6) when a decision is made to actively implement concurrent planning or alternate permanent plan to ensure the family understands the poor prognosis indicators for reunification and the need to identify an alternate permanent caregiver;

(7) prior to reunification when a decision is made to reunify the child and the PRFC, to identify the supports the PRFC needs from the extended family to enhance child safety;

(8) for every youth 14 years of age and older to develop a successful adulthood plan, per Oklahoma Administrative Code (OAC) 340:75-6-110.

(A) The youth is present at the FM.

(B) The youth is given the opportunity to invite the supportive connections of his or her choosing to the FM; and

(9) within 120-calendar days before a youth ages out of care.  The 90-calendar day plan is then incorporated into a report to deliver to the court within 90-calendar days of the youth aging out of care; and

(10) before the supervisor approves the goal of PAPP.  The FM's purpose at this time is to meet with the child and all identified permanent connections, CW specialist, and CW supervisor to discuss and agree upon the permanency plan that is in the child's best interests.  The FM report includes a detailed description of how and why all other permanency options are ruled out and what ongoing steps are being taken to achieve permanency for the child.

2. FM responsibility. The county with court jurisdiction coordinates and conducts the FM.  The CW specialist in the county of jurisdiction:

(1) contacts the appropriate persons to participate as FM members for each case;

(2) obtains input from each district involved when more than one district provides services to the child and family;

(3) informs any FM member, who is unable to attend the meeting that written or verbal information from the member provided to the CW specialist at least 24 hours prior to the FM, is presented at the meeting;

(4) documents the FM results in KIDS Contacts screen no later than 30-calendar days after completion of each FM; and

(5) reports FM results to the court.

3.  FM documenting and reporting.  The CW specialist:

(1) documents the FM in KIDS Contacts screen no later than 30-calendar days after the completion of each FM;

(2) summarizes the FM results in the KIDS Contacts screen and at a minimum, includes:

(A) attendees;

(B) discussions regarding each identified barrier to permanency;

(C) action steps identified, the name of the person responsible for completing the action step, and the completion time requirement for each action step; and

(D) all FM purpose options in KIDS that apply; and

(3) attaches Form 04MP046E or includes a summary of the FM on Form 04KI014E, Individualized Service Plan (ISP) Progress Report, for the next court hearing following the FM; and

(4) uploads the completed FM forms into the KIDS document management system (DMS).

4.  FM, permanency meeting, and permanency report.  When an FM is held as a permanency meeting to discuss recommendations regarding the child's permanency plan, information gathered during the meeting is included in Form 04KI014E, per OAC 340:75-1-18.1.  The progress report includes, but is not limited to:

(1) parental efforts and progress to:

(A) comply with the ISP requirements;

(B) change behaviors or conditions; and

(C) develop protective capacities; and

(2) the status of the child including the child's behavioral, physical, and emotional health.

5.  FM during trial reunification.  An FM is not required for the child placed in trial reunification unless the court orders an extension of trial reunification beyond six months.  During the trial reunification FM, the team:

(1) identifies issues and concerns that necessitated the trial reunification extension; and

(2) proposes a plan to address the issues including, but not limited to:

(A) recommendations for services;

(B) initiation or modification of safety plans; and

(C) other strategies to meet identified family needs as applicable and appropriate.

6. FM and adoption criteria staffing.  When the child's foster parent requests adoption of the child, a local adoptive placement criteria staffing is required.

(1) The criteria staffing may occur concurrently with the FM when the FM is held within 30-calendar days of the foster parent's request.  The adoption specialist's attendance at the FM is mandatory.

(2) The CW specialist in the county of jurisdiction completes Forms 04MP046E and 04AN020E, Adoptive Placement Criteria Staffing Documentation.  Upon completion of the FM, the CW specialist provides a copy of Form 04AN020E to the adoption specialist in attendance for processing.

7.  (a) Case transfer meetings.  Ensuring a continuity of services for the child and family is important when cases are transferred.  The case plan goal drives all decision-making.  All Child Protective Services (CPS) functions, including setting up the transfer meeting, are completed within 10-calendar days of the emergency custody hearing or petition filing, whichever is earlier, and the case is transferred to a PP specialist.  An initial case transfer meeting between CPS and PP is completed within 10-calendar days of the emergency custody hearing or petition filing, and:

(1) includes the CPS and PP specialists, both supervisors, the family, and Indian child welfare (ICW) worker, when applicable;

(2) is preferably held in person or by teleconference, when the case is transferred to another district;

(3) includes discussion of the Safety Plan, when applicable, and how safety threats are managed and controlled; and

(4) includes a discussion of, but not limited to, the:

(A) safety threats to the child and safety plan, when applicable;

(B) referrals made for services and Safety Plan any barriers to service provision for the child or family;

(C) child's placement;

(D) demographic information;

(E) child's educational needs;

(F) child's medical and immunization histories;

(G) family's Native American heritage;

(H) previous court hearing results;

(I) next court date and any requests by the court or parties for specific information or action;

(J) Family Time Plan and the date the last visit occurred;

(K) diligent search and family-finding efforts for relatives;

(L) initial meeting (IM) with the resource family, when applicable; and

(M) FM outcomes, when applicable.

(b) Transfer meeting between PP specialists.  The transfer meeting between PP specialists includes the family.  Points of discussion include those listed in (a)(4) of this ITS and:

(1) an articulation of the specific adult behaviors that are safety threats to the child requiring OKDHS involvement with the family;

(2) a description of interventions in place to affect behavioral changes in the family;

(3) a description of specific behavioral changes needed in the family;

(4) a discussion of successful and previous intervention attempts; and

(5) a written case summary including the case history, legal history, and placement information.

(c) Case transfer meeting between CPS and family-centered services (FCS).

(1) The case transfer meeting between the CPS specialist and FCS specialist is completed within 10-calendar days after a Safety Plan is established and Form 04MP078E, Family Service Agreement, is signed and includes:

(A) the CPS specialist and FCS specialist; both supervisors; the family; service providers; Safety Plan monitors; kin; informal supports; and the ICW worker, when applicable;

(B) a discussion of the:

(i) results of Form 04KI030E, Assessment of Child Safety; and

(ii) Safety Plan and how the safety threats are being managed and controlled; and

(C) a discussion of, but not limited to, the:

(i) referrals made for services and any barriers to service provision for the child or family;

(ii) remaining safety threats;

(iii) behavioral changes the PRFC demonstrates;

(iv) child's needs;

(v) action steps identified during the meeting, the name of the person responsible for completing each step, and the amount of completion time assigned to each step; and

(vi) a Family Time Plan is developed for the child involved in an out-of-home Safety Plan using Form 04MP047E, Family Time Plan, to ensure purposeful visits occur between the child, sibling(s), and PRFC.  The Family Time Plan is updated as progress is made and the PRFC's protective capacities increase.  A copy of the Family Time Plan is uploaded into the KIDS DMS.

(2) The CPS specialist enters a KIDS contact with a purpose of "Family Accepted FCS" and changes the case type to FCS.

(d) Case transfer meetings are documented in KIDS Contacts with a purpose of "Transfer Meeting."  The contact includes a summary of the meeting discussion, first and last names of everyone involved, meeting location, and resulting action steps.

8.  IM and process.  The IM is an opportunity for the biological and resource parents to talk about the child's needs, share family information, build positive and supportive relationships between the parents, and develop the child and resource family support plan to assist with placement stability.  The IM is held for children placed in all family-like settings including kinship, traditional, and therapeutic foster homes.  (1) through (4) of this Instruction detail the CW specialist's role and responsibilities during the IM process.

(1) The assigned CW specialist schedules and conducts an IM within 30-calendar days of each placement.  The IM is scheduled around the placement provider, parents, and child.  Mandatory participants are:

(A) the assigned CPS specialist, supervisor, or both at the first placement;

(B) the assigned PP specialist, supervisor or lead specialist, or both for all subsequent placements;

(C) the assigned resource specialist, resource family partner specialist or supervisor(s), or both for the current and previous placements;

(D) all biological parents.  In cases of domestic violence (DV), separate IMs are conducted for the victim and the batterer.  In cases where a child is in the permanent custody of OKDHS, the CW specialist assesses if including the biological parents is in the child's best interest; and

(E) the current and previous resource parent(s), when appropriate.

(2) The assigned CW specialist schedules the first IM and schedules IMs for all subsequent placement changes.

(A) An IM is held in a neutral location on a date and time with due consideration of the placement provider's, parents', and child's schedules.

(i) Every effort is made to change the meeting date and time to accommodate the parents' schedules; however, when a parent is unable to attend, the specialist works to secure his or her presence by phone or virtual conference.

(ii) When parent participation is impossible, the CW specialist gathers important information about the child to incorporate the youth's voice into the meeting.

(iii) For absent parents, extensive and diligent efforts to locate the parent are made and documented prior to the meeting. Child information is gathered from the people who are caring for the child.

(iv) In DV cases, two separate IMs are conducted, one with the victim and one with the batterer when the dynamic within the DV warrants this.  The victim may invite his or her advocate to attend all meetings.

(v) When all parents are not in attendance, the IM documentation contains valid reasons why they did not attend.

(vi) Every effort is made to change the meeting date, place, or time to accommodate resource parent schedules; however, when resource parents are unable to attend, the specialist works to secure their participation by phone or virtual conference.  When that is not possible, the meeting is rescheduled.

(vii) When the current placement provider refuses to attend in any capacity, the resource specialist or facility liaison addresses this with the placement provider and includes the information in the IM documentation.

(B) All parties are contacted and given the meeting date, time, and location.  The specialist discusses the IM's purpose, the child's likes, dislikes, and needs with each attendee.  All other discussions are conducted in different meetings.  When a party is unable to attend the IM, the specialist makes an effort to ensure the party participates by phone or virtual conference.

(C) Form 04PP024E, Child and Resource Family Plan, is provided with the CW specialist's contact information to the biological and resource parents to answer any questions they have about the process.

(D) Extensive diligent search efforts are conducted to locate any absent parents and are documented in KIDS.

(3) During the IM, the CW specialist:

(A) reviews the meeting's purpose and ground rules that emphasize the meeting is:

(i) conflict free;

(ii) child friendly; and

(iii) focused on the child's needs; and

(B) facilitates a discussion of:

(i) the child's routine, likes and dislikes, needs, education, sleeping and eating habits;

(ii) any current allergies, medication, medical conditions or needs; (iii) extracurricular activities, community and family connections, including contact information for any connections; and

(iv) techniques or items that provide security and comfort to the child; and

(C) establishes goals, boundaries, and methods to facilitate an ongoing line of communication between biological and resource parents and those present;

(D) discusses what supports the resource parents may need for the child moving forward including, but not limited to, child care, transportation, services, respite, and contact with other parties;

(E) uses Form 04MP015E, Important People in the Child's Life/Family Tree;

(F) develops and documents a child and resource family support plan using Form 04PP024E, Child and Resource Family Support Plan, and uploads the form into the KIDS DMS;

(G) provides a copy of Form 04PP024E, to each of the mandatory IM participants listed in (a)(1) of this Instruction;

(H) reviews the support plan with the resource specialist at least quarterly to make sure all services, resources, and supports are in place to ensure placement stability.  When the support plan needs updating, the PP specialist schedules an FM with the resource specialist, child, biological family, and resource family to discuss changes;

(I) discusses and completes the child's educational needs using Form 04MP072E, The Best Interest Determination, per OAC 340:75-6-50; and

(J) discusses the child's sleeping arrangements, per OAC 340:75-7-18.  For a child 12 months old and younger, safe sleep consideration is essential.

(4) Within five-business days of the IM date, the CW specialist documents the meeting in KIDS Contacts and includes:

(A) Contact Type:  Face-to-Face, Phone, or Virtual Conference;

(B) Staff Participants:  First and last names and job titles of staff attending;

(C) Non-client or non-collateral participants including the resource parents' first and last names; and

(D) Purpose:  Select Initial Meeting – Bridge and Support Plan; and within the body of the contact documents:

(i) the efforts made to ensure all parties attended the IM;

(ii) the details from the IM guide about the child(ren);

(iii) the details from the IM guide about the child and resource family support plan; and

(iv) identifying the staff responsible for implementing the child and resource family support plan.