Section 395-3-005 - REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL PLACEMENTS The requirements of this section apply to all homes in which children in the custody of the Department are placed. Failure to meet any of these requirements could result in a foster care license being denied or revoked or approval of a relative or Kinship Home being denied or revoked
005.01PARTICIPATION IN ACTIVITIES. Every foster parent, whether in a licensed home or approved home, will: (A) Permit each child placed in his or her care to participate in age appropriate school, extracurricular, enrichment, cultural, and social activities;(B) Permit each child placed in his or her care to practice and further the child's own religious beliefs and cultural practices; and(C) Exercise the Reasonable and Prudent Parent Standard when determining whether to allow a child in Foster Care in the custody of the Department to participate in extracurricular, enrichment, cultural, and social activities.005.02DISCIPLINE. Every foster parent, whether in a licensed home or approved home, will provide age appropriate discipline for children placed in his or her home and will not use corporal or degrading punishment for children placed in his or her home. The following forms of discipline may not be used by any Caregiver for children in the custody of the Department: (1) Denial of necessities;(2) Chemical or mechanical restraints;(3) Derogatory remarks, abusive or profane language;(4) Yelling, screaming or threats of physical punishment;(5) Physical punishment of any kind to include spanking, slapping, shaking, biting, striking, kicking;(7) Denial of visits or contact with parents, siblings, or others, as designated by the Department.005.02(A)DELEGATION OF DISCIPLINE. The foster parent will not delegate discipline of a child in the custody of the Department to anyone who is not the licensed foster parent for that child or the approved relative or kinship placement for that child.005.03CONFIDENTIALITY. All information concerning a child and his or her family is considered confidential and will only be disclosed with authorization from the Department and for purposes that benefit the child. Foster parents, whether in a licensed home or approved home, will not post pictures and information regarding the child on social media sites.005.04COOPERATION. Every foster parent will cooperate with the Licensing Agent and the Department.005.05MEDICAL CARE AND RECORDS. The foster parent, whether in a licensed home or approved home, is responsible for ensuring each child placed in his or her care has routine medical, vision and dental care necessary for the child's well-being. The foster parent will maintain and keep the child's medical history to include the following accurate written information on each child in their care:(2) Name, address, and phone number of the child's physician;(3) Name, address, and phone number of the person or agency holding legal custody of the child;(4) Past (if available) and current immunizations;(5) The administering of all medications;(6) Significant health concerns; and(7) Emergency medical treatment and intervention received.005.05(A)NOTICE TO DEPARTMENT. The foster parent is responsible for informing the worker of all illnesses, accidents, injuries, and other incidents requiring medical attention within 24 hours.005.06ON-SITE VISITS. Every foster parent, whether in a licensed home or approved home, must allow on-site home visits by the Licensing Agent and the Department.005.07NUTRITION AND FOOD SERVICE. The foster parent will ensure that each child is provided with a minimum of three meals per day which meet his or her daily nutritional needs.005.08HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT. The foster parent will ensure that: (1) Drugs, cleaning agents, poisons, and other potentially hazardous items, materials, or equipment are inaccessible to youth or are used by youth under supervision of a Caregiver;(2) All weapons and firearms are inaccessible to children and are unloaded and locked by a child-proof safety lock or stored in a locked cabinet or area; and(3) All ammunition are inaccessible to children and stored in a locked cabinet or area and separate from the firearms.005.09EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN. The foster parent, whether in a licensed home or approved home, will develop appropriate emergency preparedness plans based on the home's geographic region. Each home must have a plan for evacuation from fire. All emergency preparedness plans must be posted in a prominent place in the home and reviewed with the children.005.10TRANSPORTATION. Each foster parent must have access to Reliable Transportation that is both legal and safe for the child.395 Neb. Admin. Code, ch. 3, § 005
Amended effective 2/29/2016.Amended effective 7/22/2020Amended effective 6/29/2022