22.6 Waiver of Non-Safety Approval Standards for Kinship Foster Homes

Georgia State Seal

Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
Child Welfare Policy Manual

Chapter:

(22) Kinship

Policy Title:

Waiver of Non-Safety Approval Standards for Kinship Foster Homes

Policy Number:

22.6

Previous Policy Number(s):

N/A

Effective Date:

November 2024

Manual Transmittal:

2024-09

Codes/References

Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, Section 471(a)(10)
Public Law (PL) 110-351 Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008

Requirements

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

  1. Allow waivers of non-safety standards in kinship foster family homes for specific children in care on a case-by-case basis.

    1. Standards related to safety may not be waived (see policy 14.1 Resource Development: Safety and Quality Standards for details regarding approval standards).

    2. Commonly waived non-safety standards include, but are not limited to income, sleeping arrangements and completion of pre-service training within 120 days after foster home approval (see Practice Guidance: Commonly Waived Non‐Safety Standards).

    3. Waiver approval must be obtained from the Regional Director/Designee for DFCS foster family homes.

    4. Waiver approval must be obtained from the Office of Provider Management (OPM) Director/Designee for private agency foster family homes.

    5. Waiver approval must be documented in Georgia SHINES.

  2. Require kinship caregivers to have the protective capacity to meet the safety and well-being needs of each child in their care.

  3. Review and document the continuing appropriateness of each approved waiver during the annual re-evaluation of the foster family home.

Procedures

DFCS Caregiver Recruitment and Retention Specialist / Child Placing Agency Resource Development Staff

  1. Determine the need for the waiver of any non-safety standard and how the safety and well-being of the child(ren) will be maintained if a waiver is approved;

  2. Submit waiver requests to the Regional Director/Designee. CPA providers will submit waiver requests to their designated Resource Developer.

  3. Notify the applicant once a final decision has been made on whether to approve their home.

  4. Document the waiver of non-safety standards on the Contact Detail page in Georgia SHINES; and

  5. Upload the approved/denied wavier into External Documentation in Georgia SHINES.

Regional Director/Designee or OPM Director/Designee

  1. Review the waiver request and all applicable documentation; and

  2. Approve or disapprove a waiver request within five business days of receipt.

Practice Guidance

Commonly Waived Non‐Safety Standards

  1. Income: Consider flexibility regarding the income verification process. Assess how the kinship caregivers are currently maintaining sufficiency. For example, if they are showing an income deficit, ask them about other resources to meet the family needs (e.g., a grandmother or other kin who lives in or out of the home who helps financially)

  2. Sleeping Arrangements: Consider flexibility for potential kinship caregivers who may have limited living space which could result in situations such as rooms other than bedrooms being used as sleeping spaces, a child over the age of one sharing a bedroom with an adult, or more than three children sharing a room. The circumstances of each of these situations must be carefully assessed considering the background and history of the children involved.

  3. Pre-service Training: Consider flexibility regarding the timeframe in which kinship caregivers must complete pre-service training. If kinship caregivers are unable to complete pre-service training prior to initial approval as a foster home, they may be allowed to complete pre-service training within 120 days after initial approval.

Other non-safety standards not identified above may be considered for a waiver but must be reviewed and documented in the waiver request. Approval by the Regional Director must be obtained prior to foster home approval.

Requests for Waivers

Requests for waivers of non-safety standards must be considered on an individual case-by-case basis and should indicate its applicability to a specific child or sibling group. Multiple non-safety standards may be included in one waiver, but each standard must be individually justified. Waivers must be approved (signed and dated) before the kinship caregiver can receive full approval status. The Regional Director/Designee may request a State Office review to help determine the appropriateness of a waiver request. Requests for such a review should be sent to the office of the State Placement and Permanency Director via the state waiver mailbox: dfcs-waivers@dhs.ga.gov. The Regional Director/Designee or CPA Resource Developer/Designee should keep track of approved waivers including each non-safety standard being waived and the date of the approval.

Post-Waiver Monitoring

After a waiver of a non-safety standard has been approved, the DFCS Caregiver Recruitment and Retention Specialist (CRRS)/CPA Resource Development team must ensure the ongoing monitoring of the home addresses the standard that was waived. This is to ensure no child’s safety or well-being is adversely affected and to assess the continued appropriateness of the waiver.

IV-E Eligibility

A kinship foster home for which a non-safety approval standard is waived will be considered to have full approval status if it satisfies all other approval requirements. Consequently, title IV-E eligible placements may be reimbursable through title IV‐E.

Forms and Tools

N/A