The Department of Human Services is preparing a solicitation to pilot privatization of Foster Care Placement Services and Room, Board and Watchful Oversight for Children.
For purposes of discussion and clarification, child welfare services are divided into two categories: case management services and child placement services. Case management services are those services and activities provided to the children and families in support of achieving case plan objectives. Case management includes development of case and visitation plans, reporting to the court, working with birth parents, conducting diligent searches for relatives and other activities in support of expediting and achieving permanency for children.
Child placement services are activities to assess children’s placement needs, make appropriate placement match referrals and to ensure a child’s safekeeping and watchful oversight and his or her well-being while in foster care. This includes ensuring that an array of Partnership Parenting and trauma-informed placement options are available in the regions of the pilot project through network development, referring children to the least restrictive and most appropriate placements and ensuring that once placed, children are safe, well-cared for and have all their well-being needs met, directly or through contracts with Child Placing Agencies (CPAs) and Child Caring Institutions (CCIs).