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Department
of Human Services Families
First Online Policy Manual Living in the Home With a Relative |
Revised: |
14.5 |
PROCEDURES |
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The following questions are guides to
consider when determining if a relative has care and control of a child. The child’s age and degree of independence
are also factors in making this decision. ·
Who has and
exercises responsibility for daily physical maintenance of the child such as
purchasing/preparing food, purchasing/maintaining clothing, providing a place
to sleep and basic shelter, and overseeing daily health maintenance
activities? ·
Who has and
exercise responsibility for securing medical/dental care for the child? ·
Who has and
exercises responsibility for consenting to major medical treatment procedures
for the child? ·
Who receives
and expends monies for the child? ·
How many
weeks in a month does the child stay in the relative’s home? How many weeks in a month does the child
stay away from the relative’s home? ·
What address
is shown for a school age child on the school records? ·
If a child
is in day care, who takes the child to and picks the child up from the
facility? Who does the daycare
facility consider the responsible relative? ·
Is the child
included on the lease in public housing or does the landlord/rental agent
know of his/her presence in the dwelling? ·
Do other
records indicate where the child lives? When joint
custody has been granted, the caseworker must: ·
Obtain a
copy of the order or custody order, if possible. ·
Determine if
the order is being followed. ·
Determine if
both parents are functioning as parents. ·
Determine
where the child spends the majority of the time. ·
If the child
is of school age, obtain from the school records the child’s address and the
name and address of the person to be notified in emergencies. ·
Determine if
the child receives food stamps in the household in which he/she is included. ·
Ask
neighbors, friends, relatives, etc. with whom they consider the child to be
living. ·
Determine
who exercises care and control of the child. The caseworker /supervisor will make their decision about where the
child is living based on the information obtained through the sources listed
above. When determining temporary absence, the caseworker must establish: ·
The name and
location of the school, camp, maternity home or hospital where the person is. ·
The name and
address of the friend or relative the person is visiting. ·
The date the
individual left the home and the expected date of his/her return. ·
The reason
for the absence and the person responsible for the plans for the person to
return to the home. ·
The
responsibility that the relative has for the child while either of them is
away from the home, such as financial responsibility and decision making
regarding the child’s care. ·
Specific
arrangements for the individual’s return to the home. The caseworker will use this information to decide whether temporary
absence exists or whether the person actually lives elsewhere. If temporary absence exists, an alert must
be set to review the case when the individual is expected to return to the
home. |
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