18.4 Parent Aide Services

Georgia State Seal

Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
Child Welfare Policy Manual

Chapter:

(18) Support Services to Preserve or Reunify Families

Policy Title:

Parent Aide Services

Policy Number:

18.4

Previous Policy Number(s):

N/A

Effective Date:

March 2020

Manual Transmittal:

2020-03

Codes/References

Title IV-E of the Social Security Act §§ 431 (a) (1) and (2)
Public Law 96-272 Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980

Requirements

The Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) will:

  1. Explore community-based services, Medicaid covered services, Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF), services offered through partner agencies such as Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD), Department of Community Health (DCH), Department of Public Health (DPH), and other resources at no cost to the family before use of contracted Parent Aide services.

  2. Utilize contracted providers to provide Parent Aide Services in accordance with criteria in the COSTAR Manual Section 3006 Support Services Program.

    The COSTAR manual provides fee schedules, contract requirements, funding limitations and applicable waivers.

  3. Determine and prioritize eligibility for Parent Aide services based on the following:

    1. Families have an active Family Preservation or Permanency case.

    2. Families are prioritized in the following manner:

      1. Priority 1: Families in which an investigation has been substantiated or there is an open Permanency case.

      2. Priority 2: Families in which an investigation has been unsubstantiated and/or there is no open Permanency case. Services to priority families 2 will be voluntary in nature.

  4. Complete a Service Authorization and obtain approval prior to initiating Parent Aide services.

  5. Refer families to approved service providers and monitor service provision.

  6. Document provision of services in Georgia SHINES within 72 hours of receipt of progress reports/summaries from the provider. Document the services provided and the resulting behavioral changes in the case plan.

  7. Monitor Parent Aide services and expenditures in accordance with criteria outlined in the COSTAR manual.

  8. Ensure providers and staff respect families’ rights to confidentiality and protected health information through adherence to the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and other confidentiality laws in accordance with policy 2.5 Information Management: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and 2.6 Information Management: Confidentiality/Safeguarding Information.

Procedures

Social Services Case Manager

  1. Determine the family’s eligibility for Parent Aide Services.

  2. Engage parents/caregivers to build consensus regarding the need for Parent Aide services:

    1. Inform him/her of the reasons that support the need for Parent Aide services.

    2. Explain how Parent Aide services can address the behavioral and environmental concerns.

    3. Discuss the choices of services and available providers (including reviews available to them).

  3. Refer the family for parent aide services in accordance with policy 19.17 Case Management: Service Provision.

  4. Complete a Service Authorization in Georgia SHINES and obtain approval to initiate Parent Aide services in accordance with the Georgia SHINES Job Aid: Comprehensive Job Aid for Service Authorization in Forms and Tools. Document the provider’s acceptance of the referral in Georgia SHINES.

    Emailed referrals must be encrypted. To encrypt the email, type DHSEncrypt in the Subject line.

  5. Document provision of Parent Aide services in Georgia SHINES:

    1. Include the services provided to the family, their level of participation and any behavioral changes resulting from the services in the Log of Contacts within 72 hours of occurrence.

    2. Update the Case Plan in accordance with policies 8.3 Family Preservation Services: Case Planning and 10.23 Foster Care: Case Plan, as applicable.

    3. Review and upload provider reports/summaries in External Documentation within 72 hours of receipt.

  6. Monitor provision of Parent Aide services in accordance with policy 19.17 Case Management: Service Provision.

Social Services Supervisor

  1. Assist the SSCM in determining if Parent Aide services are appropriate.

  2. Review and approve the Service Authorization.

  3. Ensure timely completion and submission of the referral to the provider.

  4. Review Georgia SHINES to ensure services are being provided and the SSCM is providing appropriate follow up.

  5. Assist the SSCM with monitoring of Parent Aide services.

Practice Guidance

Parent Aide Services

The goal of the Parent Aide Program is to stabilize and help families in need of intervention by providing parenting education, training and support though in-home and group parenting education and referrals to community-based resources. Parent Aide services are a professional family support and prevention program available to any family with an open Family Preservation or, Permanency case. The services are most useful for cooperative parents who are experiencing stress and are open to learning new approaches to parenting. These services are not designed to address issues that require clinical intervention. Parent(s) who have chronically neglected, seriously injured, sexually abused, abandoned a child or have a mental illness or disability, often need more structured intervention than what is available through parent aide services.

The objectives of parent aide services are to strengthen the parent-child bond, reduce social isolation, build trust, teach appropriate discipline and help parents identify their children’s needs and ways to respond to those needs. Other services may include emergency respite care, food and nutrition education (i.e., meal planning, advice on grocery shopping, meal preparation, safe food handling and sanitation), information on homemaking and budgeting topics, and assistance in accessing community resources.

Parent aides, using a team approach, work with case management staff with the goal of ensuring the safety and protection of children by improving parenting competency. Parent aides provide support to families by using positive reinforcement, being emotionally supportive and coordinating access to critical resources. The parent aide functions as a peer educator and mentor to the family and must possess skills that enable them to establish a trusting relationship with the client. Parent aides may also be used to provide emergency respite care for brief periods of time when deemed appropriate.

Role of the Parent Aide

There are many factors that contribute to the risk of child maltreatment. Research shows that knowledge of childcare and development, preparation for parenthood, and family and social supports are critical areas for successful parenting. A root cause of child maltreatment is often a lack of parenting knowledge and skills, low self-esteem and isolation. Parent aides target these and related topics to help reduce the risk of child maltreatment. Parent aide roles include teaching practical parenting knowledge and skills, providing resource information, helping parents become involved in support activities and providing occasional transportation. Their role does not include doing housework for parents, directly caring for children, consistently providing transportation, investigating complaints or making case management decisions or recommendations.

Although parent aides need to develop honest and trusting relationships with parents, they need to maintain professional objectivity and guard against becoming too emotionally involved with parents or disclosing too much of their own personal information. Parent aides are expected to adhere to a professional code of ethics regarding client contact and confidentiality.

Parent aides are not responsible for the protection of children in the same way that SSCMs are; however, they are mandated to report any suspected child maltreatment (see policy 3.24 Intake: Mandated Reporters). The role of the parent aide is always that of a professional working jointly with the Department and not as a CPS investigator. It is never appropriate for the County Department to request a parent aide to go out as the first responder to a family’s home to assess a report.

Forms and Tools

N/A