16.8 Minimum Standards

Georgia State Seal

Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
Child Welfare Policy Manual

Chapter:

(16) Room Board and Watchful Oversight (RBWO)

Policy Title:

Minimum Standards

Policy Number:

16.8

Previous Policy Number(s):

N/A

Effective Date:

April 2019

Manual Transmittal:

2019-03

Codes/References

N/A

Requirements

The Division of Family and Children Services will:

  1. Receive the following information from the Room Board and Watchful Oversight (RBWO) provider for each child in a RBWO provider placement:

    1. RBWO monthly summary;

    2. RBWO independent living program (ILP) summary for youth age 14 and older; and

    3. Documentation of “every child every month” visitation and all other contacts entered in the contact detail page in Georgia SHINES.

  2. Be familiar with RBWO Minimum Standards, as established by the DFCS Office of Provider Management (OPM);

  3. Utilize RBWO Minimum Standards as a guide to understanding performance expectations of RBWO Child Caring Institutions (CCIs) and Child Placing Agency (CPA) family foster home providers; and

  4. Ensure RBWO Minimum Standard guidelines are only waived with written approval from the OPM.

  5. Ensure non-safety standards regarding relative foster homes adhere to the guidelines in policy 22.6 Kinship: Waiver of Non-Safety Standards for Kinship Foster Homes.

Procedures

Social Services Case Manager

  1. Review all case related materials and documents received from the RBWO provider for accuracy, completeness and quality;

  2. Contact the RBWO provider to address issues or concerns with the material that was received; and

  3. Upload the documents to Georgia SHINES External Documentation.

Contact OPM when there is a request to waive a RBWO Minimum Standard that may support the safety, permanency and well-being of a child.

Practice Guidance

RBWO Minimum Standards are published annually by the Office of Provider Management (OPM). The standards contain performance expectations grouped by provider type, safety, well-being and permanency support. Contact the OPM for partnership or issues related to quality, safety and provider performance concerns that can’t be resolved at the county or regional level.

Forms and Tools

RBWO Minimum Standards