Safety model frequently asked questions
Adoption
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Question: How does the OSM apply to adoption workers?
Answer: The OSM applies to the safety of all children in care regardless of the permanency plan. Training and procedure on Confirming Safe Environments, Certification Standards for foster care, relative care, and pre-adoptive families, and the adoptive family home study/assessment are most applicable to the adoption worker’s responsibilities. OARs to note that relate to Confirming Safe Environments include:
- Placement Matching (I-E.3.1; 413-070-0600 thru 0645)
- Monitoring Child Safety (I-B.1; 413-080-0040 thru 0067)
- Certification Standards for Foster Parents, Relative Caregivers, and Pre-Adoptive Parents (II-B.1; 413-200-0301 thru 0396)
- Department Responsibilities for Certification and Supervision of Relative Caregivers, Foster Parents, and Pre-Adoptive Parents (II-B.1.1; 413-200-0270 thru 0296)
- Department Responsibilities During Screening and Assessment of a Child Abuse or Neglect Report Involving the Home of a Department Certified Foster Parent or Relative Caregiver (I-B.2.2.3; 413-200-0404 thru 0424).
Question: If the parents’ rights have been terminated and we are waiting for the adoption to finalize:
- Do we need to review the ongoing safety plan every month?
- Do we need to review the case plan every 90 days?
Answer: An ongoing safety plan is used when working with a child’s biological and/or legal parents and would not be applicable once the child is legally free for the purpose of adoption.
An Informational Memo (IM) was released on 02/22/08 giving guidance on the appropriate Case Plan (333) form to use when a child has been placed in a designated adoptive home. Following is an excerpt from that IM:
The request from a recent Child Welfare Program Manager meeting, was a Central Office guidance on the appropriate Case Plan (333) form to use when a child has been placed in a designated adoptive home. The Adoption Program advises field staff to use the Case Plan (CF 333e) when:
The parental rights have been terminated (TPR achieved), child has been placed in an adoptive home AND adoption assistance has been approved.
The entire IM can be found at the following web link: http://www.dhs.state.or.us/policy/childwelfare/im/2008/cw_im_08_003.pdf
It should be noted that the Case Plan guidance applies whether the child was freed for adoption through termination of parental rights or voluntary relinquishment of parental rights. All Case Plans, including those documented on the CF333e, need to be reviewed every 90 days.