The Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), enacted on
February 9, 2018, modified the definitions of “Family Support Services” and
“Family Reunification Services (formerly time-limited Family Reunification
Services)” when applied to utilization of Title IV-B, subpart 2 funds.
As a result of these changes, public children services agencies
and other entities using IV-B, Subpart 2 funds shall be able to claim allowable
expenditures for the following services and activities:
“Family support services” for the purposes of utilizing Title
IV-B, “subpart 2” means community-based services to promote the safety and
well-being of children and families, which are designed to increase the
strength and stability of families (including adoptive, foster, and kinship
families), to support and retain foster
families so they can provide quality family based settings for children in
foster care, to increase parents' confidence and competence in their parenting
abilities, to afford children a safe, stable and supportive family environment,
to strengthen parental relationships and promote healthy marriages, and
otherwise to enhance child development, including through mentoring.
“Family Reunification Services” for the purposes of utilizing
Title IV-B, "subpart 2" means the services and activities listed in
this definition that are provided to a child who is removed from his home and
placed in a foster home or a residential facility or a child who has been
returned home and to the parent, guardian or custodian of such a child, in
order to facilitate the reunification of the child safely and appropriately
within a timely fashion, but only during the fifteen month period that begins
on the date the child returns home. Services and activities allowable are the
following: individual, group, and family counseling; inpatient, residential, or
outpatient substance abuse treatment services; mental health services;
assistance to address domestic violence; services designed to provide temporary
child care and therapeutic services for families, including crisis care
facilities; peer-to-peer mentoring and support groups for parents and primary
caregivers; services and activities designed to facilitate access to and
visitation of children by parents and siblings, and transportation to or from
any of the services or activities described in this definition.
This guidance will result in amendments to the following rules:
- 5101:2-1-01 Children Services Definitions of
Terms
- 5101:2-40-02 Supportive Services for Prevention
of Placement, Reunification and Life Skills
INSTRUCTIONS:
The following chart depicts what materials should be deleted
from the Family, Children and Adult Services Manual (FCASM) and what materials
are to be inserted in the FCASM.
LOCATION
|
REMOVE AND FILE AS OBSOLETE
|
INSERT/REPLACEMENT
|
PROCEDURE LETTERS
|
|
FCASPL No. 336
|