4420. Health and Safety Visits with Children and Youth and Monthly Visits with Parents and Caregivers

Applies To:  This policy applies to child welfare (CW) employees.

Policy Number & Title:  4420. Health and Safety Visits with Children and Youth and Monthly Visits with Parents and Caregivers

Effective Date:  July 1, 2024

Purpose 

The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance to child welfare (CW) employees on face-to-face visits with children and youth and regular visits with parents or guardians who have an open case with Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) and out-of-home caregivers. Visits with:

  • Children and youth help in identifying and assessing their safety, stability, permanency, and well-being.
  • Parents or guardians can provide reassuring information about how their children or youth are doing, provide caseworkers with information to help monitor parental progress with services and case goals, shorten children or youth’s length-of-stay, and help achieve permanency more quickly.
  • Out-of-home caregivers provide opportunities to monitor children or youth’s safety and well-being, identify support and training needs to encourage placement stability, promote permanency, and provide caseworkers with information they can share with parents or guardians.

Authority

42 USC § 624  Payments to States

RCW 74.13.031  Duties of department-Child welfare services-Children’s services advisory committee

RCW 74.13.710  Out-of-home care-Childhood activities-Prudent parent standard

Policy

  1. Caseworkers must conduct:
    1. Private individual face-to-face health and safety visits at a minimum of every calendar month for children and youth in: 
      1. Receiving in-home services or out-of-home care, including when a dependency petition is filed or dependency is established and the: 
        1. Court has ordered children or youth to reside in out-of-home placement.
        2. Dependent adjudicated youth is in a Juvenile Rehabilitation Division (JRD) facility.
      2. In-home dependencies, including dependent children or youth who return home on a trial return home or remain home under the jurisdiction of the court and until dismissal of the dependency.
      3. In-home pre-fact findings, when the court ordered the children or youth to reside in the home prior to the establishment of a dependency with a shelter care order and ask the court for authority to access the children or youth in in-home pre-fact finding status, if access was not granted at the shelter care hearing, to conduct at minimum: 
        1. Two in-home health and safety visits, per calendar month for all children ages five years or younger.
        2. One in-home health and safety visit, per calendar month, for all children and youth ages six and older. 
      4. Extended Foster Care (EFC).
      5. Voluntary placement, when the children or youth are placed under a Voluntary Placement Agreement (VPA).
      6. Courtesy supervision.
      7. Voluntary Services, including FVS and FRS.
      8. Child Protective Services or FRS cases when the family agrees to services or open beyond 60 calendar days.
      9. An Interstate Compact on Placement of Children (ICPC).
    2. The first health and safety visit within seven calendar days of a child or youth’s initial placement or any change of placement. Placement of children or youth is not considered a health and safety visit.
    3. At minimum two in-home health and safety visits every calendar month for children that are age five or younger that reside in the home for: 
      1. FVS cases.
      2. Child Protective Services (CPS) when the family agrees to services or cases are open beyond 60 calendar days. 
      3. In-home pre-fact finding, in-home dependency, or trial return home for the first 120 calendar days.
    4. Private and individual face-to-face monthly visits with parents or guardians and caregivers.
    5. Monthly contact in-person, whenever possible, with all known parents or guardians.
    6. Individual face-to-face monthly visits to all known parents or guardians involved in a Voluntary Placement Agreement (VPA), shelter care, dependency proceedings, or voluntary services including FVS, CPS open beyond 60 calendar days, or FRS, unless the parents are deceased or their rights have been terminated.
  2. Other qualified DCYF employees may, in place of the caseworker, conduct health and safety visits and monthly visits with parents or guardians and caregivers, but must not conduct more than four visits per year, with no two visits occurring consecutively. This does not apply to youth in a JRD facility.
  3. CW employees must follow DCYF Administrative policies when applicable: 
    1. 6.02 Access to Services for Clients and Caregivers who are Limited English Proficient (LEP) 
    2. 6.03 Access to Services for Individuals with Disabilities

Resources

Courtesy Supervision policy

Extended Foster Care (EFC) Program policy

Family Reconciliation Services policy

Family Voluntary Services policy

Health and Safety Visits with Children and Youth and Monthly Visits with Parents or Guardians and Caregivers (Located in the DCYF Policies & Rules Office SharePoint)

Interstate Compact on Placement of Children (ICPC) policy

Return Home policy

Voluntary Placement Agreement policy

Original Date:  April 30, 2017

Revised Date:  July 1, 2024

Review Date:  July 31, 2028

Approved by: Natalie Green, Assistant Secretary of Child Welfare Division