The Department of Human Services may enter into agreements with District, other public or private agencies for the provision of protective services.
The designated agency shall comply with all applicable procedures related to the APS program.
The designated agency shall:
The designated agency shall agree to accept all referred cases as defined by D.C. Law 5-156 which do not exceed its limits for number of cases, and which meet the criteria that have been proposed by the agency and accepted by DHS as outlined in the contract.
The agency shall set the following criteria for social workers who provide protective services:
The agency may use paraprofessional staff to supplement the work of the licensed social worker or experienced caseworker so long as the para-professional staff receives professional supervision and guidelines.
The Department of Human Services shall make known to agencies interested in designation what the need is for investigation and protective services, and when District government funds are available to contract with agencies for the provision of the services.
The Director of DHS shall receive requests for designation and forward all requests for agency designation to the Adult Protective Services (APS) Branch, Social Services Division, Family Services Administration, Commission on Social Services for review and recommendation.
The Director shall make his or her decision based on the review of this recommendation.
The Department of Human Services shall retain the responsibility for receiving all reports, after which it will determine who will perform the necessary investigations and provide the required protective services in accordance with the contracts executed between the Department and the designated agencies.
Agencies interested in designation shall have the responsibility to submit a written request to the Director of the Department of Human Services, which shall address the criteria for designated agencies described in § 2906.2(b) through (j), 2906.3 and 2906.4.
Agencies to be designated shall enter into a contract with the Department agreeing to adhere to the criteria outlined in § 2906.3 through 2906.5, and all other applicable legislation.
The Director, upon recommendation of the Adult Protective Services Branch, may terminate the contract if the following conditions exist:
The designated agency shall provide reports as requested and required by the Department, and shall allow the Department access to client records.
Any fees that the designated agency charges for services shall be consistent with the fee charging policy of the Department of Human Services and specified within the request for designation.
The designated agency shall have the responsibility to ensure that the contract contains a provision outlining the procedure for transferring cases in the event that the contract is terminated or not renewed and a provision regarding the final disposition of files.
D.C. Mun. Regs. r. 29-2906