When a child with complex medical needs is placed into a foster home, the match shall be made to a foster home certified to care for children with complex medical needs.  

A consultation with the Area Resource Group (ARG) nurse shall be required before placing a child with complex medical needs, and whenever  a child with complex medical needs is being considered for placement into a home that has other medically involved children.  Consideration shall be given to the child’s needs, resources of the home and demands on the time of the foster parent.

Cross-References:

·          41-19-2,  "Principles of Foster Care Matching"

·          41-19-3,  "Placements Which Do Not Conform to the Principles of Foster Care Matching"

Matching for children with complex medical needs  is the process of

·          identifying the most appropriate foster home that is certified for the care of these children in consultation with the ARG nurse, and

·          facilitating the child's placement in that home, including child-specific training.

A matcher

·          is a Social Worker in an area office Foster and Adoption Services Unit (FASU) whose responsibility is to match the child with the most appropriate foster home.

A FASU Support Worker

·          is the link between the foster family and the placing Social Worker

·          provides support to the foster family, and

·          works in collaboration with the child’s Social Worker and the ARG nurse.

For the procedures to request a placement, see Policy 41-19-4, "Procedures for Foster Care Matching".

Prior to requesting a placement, or immediately following the placement, the child's Social Worker must have obtained the "Certification of Child’s Complex Medical Needs", DCF-2101, signed by the child’s primary health care provider.  (See Policy 41-7-2.).

The child’s Social Worker shall also consult with the ARG nurse and complete the DCF 2102 to identify medical needs, equipment, medication, and other specific needs.

In the event that an appropriate home certified as medically complex is not available, and a non-certified resource is identified, then the FASU Social Work Supervisor, after consultation with the ARG nurse, shall follow the principles of matching to  

· ensure that the foster family is willing to become certified as medically complex

·  ensure that information about collateral providers is documented

·  ensure that the foster family will participate in child-specific training and receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certification through an accredited organization

·  ensure that the foster parent has a qualified back-up caregiver willing to receive the same training, and

·  notify the Central Office Clinical Nurse Coordinator that the parents require medically complex certification.

Upon receipt of the DCF-469, “Child Placement Document”, the DCF-741, “Medical Alert”, and the DCF-2102, “Placement Plan for a Child with Complex Medical  Needs”,  the FASU Supervisor shall coordinate with the Matcher, the child’s Social Worker, and the Social Worker Supervisor to facilitate all aspects of placing a child with complex medical needs.

The child’s Social Work Supervisor shall 

·          consult with the child’s Social Worker, FASU Support Worker, FASU Supervisor, and ARG nurse to identify the home characteristics needed for a placement and the child-specific training required for the caregiver, and

·          if the area office ARG nurse is not available, make efforts to contact the covering nurse, the Director of Nursing at Central Office, the Medically Complex Central Office Clinical Nurse Coordinator, or the physician on call through the Hotline to consult on the case.

The FASU Supervisor shall

·          ensure that the most appropriate home for the child has been identified

·          ensure that the Matcher makes a face-to-face or telephone contact with the Social Worker who is making the placement request to discuss the child’s placement needs and to document other pertinent information on the DCF-469, and

·          ensure that the Social Work Supervisor for the child is kept current and involved regarding any developments with the placement resource.

The FASU Matcher shall

·          search for all available and appropriate foster homes that are certified to care for children with complex medical needs based on all available information and input, and