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Home > Current Initiatives & Issues > A Report to Congress on Interjurisdictional Adoption of Children in Foster Care > Appendix I

 

Strategies and Supports	Widely Used and Effective1 x=>60% of States xx=>80% of States	Very Effective2 x=>50% of States xx=>50% + minimum of 15 States use	Want to Implement3 x=>33% of States xx=>50% of States	Very Effective Potential Support4 x=>50% of States	"Top" Potential Support x=Most frequently rated
Staffing and Resources
Have a protocol in place to complete home studies in a timely manner for an ICPC-approved placement of a child in another State's custody who moves to our State with their pre-adoptive or foster family or relatives	x
Selected to use the uniform home study format developed by several States for all intra- and interstate home studies		x	xx
Accept foster and adoptive parent training provided by other States for approval of families who move to our State with their foster or preadoptive child	x
Use video conferencing to maintain connections for children when visits are too costly or distance prevents appropriate level of contact			xx
Contract with private agencies to conduct home studies and/or supervision of children referred to our State	x
Changed procurement requirements to allow for timely POS arrangements		x
Arrange POS contracts with agencies to conduct home studies for interjurisdictional cases		x
Use a broker contract with a private agency for home studies and supervision of children referred to our State		x
Designate specific caseworkers to handle all interstate placement cases		xx
Provide additional specific Federal funding for staff designated for interjurisdictional responsibilities				x	x
Use border agreements with other States to allow caseworkers to cross State lines to conduct home studies and supervision visits			xx
Knowledge and Training
In-state expert on interjurisdictional issues available for legal or social work consultation on interstate cases	xx	xx
Provide the tools (e.g., use of Child Support Agency, Web sites, search agencies) to assist in the diligent search for relatives	xx	x
Review issues on children in interjurisdictional placements to develop best practices				x
Use a Web tutorial, CD, or video to train caseworkers on interjurisdictional (or use "just in time" training)			xx
Training includes how to diligently search for relatives (maternal and paternal) within and outside our State	x
Regular training includes a component to increase competency in interjurisdictional placement procedures			x
Offer federally sponsored training to Court Improvement Program (CIP) staff on interjurisdictional issues				x
Work with State's CIP to train judges and Guardian ad Litem (GAL) or Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) members on interjurisdictional issues and how to conduct interjurisdictional placements to improve the timeliness of placements			x
Develop "bench briefs" to educate judges on interjurisdictional issues and what questions to ask in interstate cases				x	x
Staff Attitudes and Beliefs
Policy to consider out-of-state placements to achieve permanency for children is clearly defined and communicated to staff	xx
Communicate commitment to interjurisdictional placement responsibilities to the caseworker	x
Encourage staff to consider interjurisdictional placement options that support the permanency plan routinely	x	xx
Clarify in training for caseworkers that ASFA timelines apply to interjurisdictional cases	xx
Provide training to keep a child-centered focus regarding interjurisdictional issues				x
Have supports, such as training, for caseworkers and caretakers to help deal with the emotional process of "letting go" of the child for whom an in-state permanent placement has not been found			x
Provide training for caseworkers and supports for the child to prepare and help the child transition to a placement in another State			x
Develop protocol for handling interjurisdictional placement responsibilities	x
Develop system for factoring interstate case duties into caseworker workload		xx	x
Require staff to document their response to out-of-state inquiries for children waiting to be adopted by families with complete home studies	x
Develop system of accountability for processing interjurisdictional cases in a timely manner		xx
Hold supervisors and caseworkers accountable to seek interstate resources when needed for children	x
Use techniques, such as open adoption and guardianships, to support children in maintaining (when appropriate) important connections in the sending State	x
Provide financial incentives to receiving States for timely completion of interstate home studies				x	x
Education and Medical Expenses
Receiving State generally covers medical expenses not covered by sending States for non-IV-E children		xx
Sending State provides coverage for medical expenses for non-IV-E children placed in another State	x	xx
Provide coverage for additional medical costs not covered by Medicaid for Title IV-E children placed in another State	x	xx
Enact Federal legislation which requires receiving States to cover children under their Medicaid who qualify for SSI in the sending State				x
Offer Medicaid coverage as part of TANF child-only grants for children in relative placements	xx	xx
Provide Medicaid to children receiving State-funded adoption assistance from another State residing in our State	xx	xx
Cover educational expenses of children sent from other States	x	xx
Fund the educational expenses of children placed in foster care or preadoptive placements in other States		xx
Enact Federal legislation that prohibits States from charging sending States for educational costs				x
Include a form indicating our expectations as to how medical and educational expenses will be covered when referring a child for placement in another State	x	xx
Change State law or policy to allow foster children or children in preadoptive placements to be considered residents of State for purposes of the provision of education		xx
Develop process for resolving interstate issues with educational and medical expenses in a timely manner			x
Specify availability and accessibility of resources to meet a referred child's needs	xx
Criminal Background Checks
Place info on State's Web site regarding coverage of medical and educational expenses of children placed in State from other States	xx
Develop a Web site with links to all States' requirements for coverage of medical and educational expenses				x	x
Enter into an agreement with State or local law enforcement agencies to conduct criminal record checks in a timely manner	x
Create a Federal interagency agreement between DHHS and the FBI regarding timeframes for fingerprinting				x
Establish deadlines for FBI criminal background checks and mechanisms for enforcing these				x
Use electronic fingerprinting for background checks to expedite the process		x	xx
Provide Federal financial support for States to develop electronic fingerprinting capability				x	x
Streamline criminal background check process to limit the number of individuals and agencies involved in the process	x	xx
Provide support for the development of State models for streamlining the criminal background check process				x
Routinely inform receiving States of our criminal background check requirements during the referral process		xx
Make criminal background check requirements available on State's Web site		xx
Conduct criminal background check requirements of the sending State if they are more extensive		x
Accept criminal background check requirements of the receiving State if they are less extensive		xx
Provide access to a name-based criminal database and conduct name checks directly		xx
Provide easier or on-line access to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC)				x
Conduct a prescreening name check early in the home study process to determine if full State criminal background check is needed		xx
Extend criminal background checks to routinely include all adults in the home				x
Communication
Establish procedures to facilitate communication between caseworkers and ICPC Administrator	xx	xx
Encourage direct communication between caseworkers in sending and receiving States	xx	xx
Coordinate events for caseworkers and supervisors with staff outside their jurisdiction to promote potential networking		xx
Develop a mechanism for judicial oversight including communication from sending State's judge to receiving State's judge			xx
Develop a process for negotiating which State pays to maintain emergency placement until the emergency is resolved		xx
Use a secure Web-based system for transmitting ICPC referral information across jurisdictions or State lines			xx
Use simultaneous transmission to send information from State's local agencies to both sending and receiving States' ICPC administrators and to the sending and receiving local agencies			xx
Use a tickler tracking system to alert caseworkers of time-sensitive events such as expected date of home study completion			xx
Develop a Web site with links to all States' home study requirements, POS contracting requirements, and postplacement standards					x
Permanency
Encourage courts to make "reasonable efforts" findings to achieve the permanency plan	xx	xx
Provide judicial oversight in the county of origin for children who have been placed out of State for an extended period of time	xx	xx
Develop mechanisms for judges from sending and receiving States to work together			x
Develop mechanisms for meaningful participation from foster and adoptive parents and significant others in case reviews and court hearing that are held out of State			x
Develop procedures and an appeal process of ICPC cases related to denial of home study, delays, and sending States refusing to take children back after extended time in residential or foster care					x
Accept a home study, completed and approved by the State agency or a State-licensed child-placing agency in another State, as a valid home study	xx	xx
Permanency
Develop a national uniform home study template which would facilitate dual licensure of foster and adoptive homes					x
Develop ICPC procedures and forms to support requests for dual home studies				x
Encourage concurrent planning to identify out-of-state placement resources early in the case assessment	xx
Include early identification of relative resources as a quality assurance item on a regular basis	xx
Incorporate primary and concurrent permanency plans in the placement agreement and define tasks to accomplish both plans in the case plan	x
Provide child's education information to foster or pre-adoptive parent to facilitate school enrollment	xx
Provide child's medical history to foster or pre-adoptive parent	xx
Develop protocols and guidelines for Adoption Assistance negotiations with prospective adoptive parents for children in the care of our State child welfare system	xx	xx
Request regular face-to-face contacts for supervision of children in other States	xx	xx
Require the same level of regular face-to-face contacts for supervision of children coming into our State as we require for children residing in our State	xx	xx
Work with sending States in conducting an annual assessment with relative caregivers related to their decisions and intentions regarding adoption and other options for permanency	x
Use and regularly monitor a computerized tickler tracking system to track children who are referred to or placed in our State		xx	x
Tracking and Reporting
Be able to track steps in the interstate placement process (e.g., home study and placement status)	x	xx
Identify the elements needed to track interjurisdictional cases with the goal of introducing Federal legislation to support and fund a national tracking, reporting, and case management system					x
Use an electronic-based information system for simultaneous transmission across State lines		x	xx
Use the ICPC database to generate and track information		xx
Include data specific to interjurisdictional cases in SACWIS system			x
Use an automated State tracking system that is not linked to SACWIS*	x	xx
Provide judges with electronic reports on child welfare caseload		x
Provide legal clarification of the scope of HIPPA within the child welfare realm from intake to adoption					x

¹Percentage is based on States that rated a strategy as "somewhat" or "very effective" out of all reporting States.
²Percentage is based on States that rated a strategy as "very effective" out of those States that used and rated the strategy.
³Percentage is based on States that reported they were investigating or needed assistance to implement the strategy out of all reporting States.
⁴Percentage is based on States that rated a support as "very effective" out of all reporting States.
^*This strategy meets the criteria for inclusion on this table and reflects the practice of many States. However, using a system that is not linked to SACWIS is not a recommendation; it is always preferable to link child welfare data to a SACWIS system

Source: Research Triangle Institute, International. (in press). Interjurisdictional placement of children in the child welfare system: Improving the process. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau.

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