18.3 Prevention of Unnecessary Placement (PUP) | CWS

The goal of PUP services is to reduce risk factors contributing to child maltreatment in order to ensure the protection and safety of children. Imminent risk of placement or readiness for reunification of the children must be clearly documented in the case record. The PUP Program offers an array of support and intervention services. Through PUP, psychological or psychiatric assessments, substance abuse assessments, drug screens, and counseling services may be obtained from vendors who have the necessary skills and training to address the identified problems. PUP may also be used to help a family through a financial crisis with emergency rent, utilities or childcare.

Families are encouraged to contribute to the costs of needed services. A family’s own contribution, financially or in-kind, toward part of the required PUP expenditures is highly recommended, particularly in long term services such as childcare or counseling. This encourages and promotes a commitment on the part of the caregiver(s) to participate in the case plan toward goal achievement and self-sufficiency. PUP funds should not be used if other resources (i.e., community resources, private insurance or Medicaid) exist or until other resources have been exhausted.

Risk of imminent placement is defined as the likelihood of removal of children from their parent or caretaker and placement of the children into an emergency shelter or foster care placement within 14 days without intervention.

A child must be in a foster care placement, including a kinship placement, and be ready for reunification with parents, kin, guardians or non-foster care placement within 60 days of initiating PUP services.

PUP funds may be authorized for temporary shelter, food, clothing and related services required by families with children to cope with a temporary crisis situation which poses an imminent threat to the safety of the children (i.e., fire, eviction, unsafe housing, separation for the safety of children and family members, etc.). It is important to assess how the crisis arose and how the family plans to manage going forward when considering the authorization of PUP funds for emergency financial assistance (i.e. rent and utility payments). If the family’s crisis is because of some unavoidable emergency, PUP can be helpful. If the family’s difficulties are chronic and reflect a lifestyle of crisis, PUP should not be used without a documented plan of how the family will manage once PUP is utilized. The case record must reflect how the family will resume responsibility for payment of rent and utilities after this one-time assistance. All financial assistance is through vendor payments.

The emergency housing/financial assistance and temporary childcare components of the PUP Program are not to be used as a county “general assistance fund.” These funds are provided as one support service among others as a part of the safety or case plan in an open child welfare case.

Past due rent, current rent and up to three months future rent can be paid once per family per fiscal year. Past utility bills, current utility bills and up to three months future utility bills may be paid once per family per fiscal year. Utility deposits may be paid once per fiscal year. When PUP funds are used to pay deposits for rent or utilities, the SSCM should include with the payment, a letter notifying the payee that the deposit should be returned to the County Department. Acceptance of this procedure by utility companies varies; however, SSCMs should still send the letter along with the payment. They should also notify the parent/caregiver that any deposits will need to be reimbursed to DFCS.

Minor home repairs, directly related to the risk of maltreatment, may be authorized. Repairs on rental property that are the responsibility of the property owner, landlord, and/or property Management Company are NOT allowable expenses under PUP.

Minor legal services or nominal legal fees may be paid with PUP funds, if it is directly related to risk of placement or immediate reunification efforts.

PUP funds can be used to purchase emergency furniture after all other community resources have been exhausted. All emergency furniture assistance must be paid to the vendor only. Examples of emergency furniture include mattresses, cribs, and major appliances, etc. to maintain or reunify children back in a stable home. Prior authorization from the supervisor is needed before using this service.

PUP funds can be used to purchase emergency clothing after all other community resources have been exhausted.

Temporary childcare services may be purchased for families when the unassisted, daily care of children by their family presents an unacceptable risk of continued maltreatment and/or placement. Types of temporary childcare include:

Childcare is often an ongoing need and PUP’s time-limited services cannot meet this ongoing need. The safety or case plan should indicate how the family will assume the responsibility for the ongoing expense of day care. Childcare is for children under the age of 13, or under the age of 18, if there is a physical or mental disability. Childcare services are provided away from their own home for less than 24 hours per day. The exception to this is payment of emergency 24-hour childcare with an approved resource when a caretaker is hospitalized and has no other resources to meet this need. The childcare services must correct or prevent a situation that would lead to an out-of-home placement of one or more children. Other support services such as Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS) should be accessed before approving PUP for temporary childcare.

There is a maximum of six months of childcare services provided to each child per family per fiscal year.

Counseling may be authorized for families when the provision of counseling services will help the family or individuals within the family resolve issues that contribute to the risk of maltreatment and out-of-home placement. Types of counseling services that may be utilized include, but are not limited to the following:

Counseling services through PUP are provided primarily to help with the effects of maltreatment and to strengthen the family’s ability to resolve their problems through effective decision-making and coping skills. The counselor shall adhere to the professional code of ethics regarding responsibility to clients, integrity, and confidentiality, responsibility to colleagues, assessment instruments, research, advertising, and professional representation. Services must be provided by an approved contracted provider.

Authorizing payment for Individual ongoing counseling for a sexual abuse offender is prohibited. The cost of ongoing counseling for a sexual abuse offender is the offender’s responsibility. PUP may be used to pay for the ongoing counseling of a sexual abuse offender, when the offender is a minor in the household, as a part of the reunification plan, and when such services will prevent the removal of other children from the home. All other resources to pay for treatment and counseling for the juvenile sex offender should be explored prior to use of PUP. Medicaid and private insurance should be used before the use of PUP funds.

This guide is to serve as a minimum standard reference for mental health/behavioral health assessments. The Division of Family and Children Services understands that every client is different, and selection of specific tests and tools may depend on the needs of the client. The Division respects the autonomy of licensed psychologists and mental health professionals and their selection of assessment tools. This guide does not restrict assessors to the referenced components of each listed assessment. All Assessments should include:

The Division strongly recommends the use of best practice when conducting these formal assessments.

PUP funds may be used to obtain drug and/or alcohol screens for the purposes of determining caregiver substance abuse and/or monitoring compliance with case plan goals related to substance abuse. Drug/alcohol screens must be completed by an approved contracted provider. Drug and/or alcohol screens should be conducted at random by the designated service provider.

PUP funds may be utilized for Paternity/DNA testing in cases where prevention of placement or reunification is related to establishing paternity with a non-custodial parent. Paternity testing may also be authorized during the TPR process.

Enrichment programs promote the well-being of children by providing them with an experience that draws out their fullest potential and talents. Enrichment activities are often geared towards an educational experience that focuses on high abilities such as gifted programs and can span across the arts, humanities, and sciences. They help bolster academics and social interactions for children. These extra-curricular activities can include, but are not limited to:

Funding for this service can also include purchase of materials needed for these classes (i.e. instruments, uniforms and equipment, supplies, etc.)

Children must be under age 14 and funds are available for all children in DFCS custody; regardless of the placement type (DFCS FH, kinship placement, CPA).