Library: Policy
340:75-11-286. Requirements for specialized community home (SCH) contractors
Revised 9-15-16
(a) Each SCH contractor serves a specially defined target population of four children in Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) custody.
(1) Children served:
(A) vary by age, gender, and behaviors exhibited; and
(B) do not require 24-hour awake supervision.
(2) The contractor provides or obtains:
(A) individually focused therapeutic interventions to meet the treatment needs of these children; and
(B) educational and employment opportunities, cultural enrichment, and successful adulthood skills consistent with each child's treatment plan. • 1
(b) The SCH contractor must comply with:
(1) children's rights per Oklahoma Administrative Code (OAC) 340:75-11-237;
(2) all general requirements per OAC 340:75-11-240; and
(3) other requirements in the DHS contract.
(c) The SCH applicant must meet the requirements for DHS foster home care, per OAC 340:75-7.
(d) The SCH contractor must meet the requirements described in (1) through (4) of this subsection.
(1) Education and experience.The SCH contractor meets one of the education and experience qualifications listed in (A) through (D) of this paragraph.
(A) A Master or Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work degree or other related area of study and one year of direct experience working with children with comparable treatment needs to those requiring treatment in the SCH.
(B) A Bachelor in Social Work degree or other related area of study and two years direct experience working with children with comparable treatment needs to those requiring treatment in the SCH.
(C) An Associate degree in a social service field and four years direct experience working with children with comparable treatment needs to those requiring treatment in the SCH; or
(D) A high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) and six years of direct experience working with children with comparable treatment needs to those requiring treatment in the SCH plus training hours pertinent to residential child care.
(2) Outside employment.The SCH contractor is not allowed other employment outside of the operation of the SCH contract and is not eligible for paid day care.
(3) Alternate caregiver.During the mutual family assessment process, the SCH contractor identifies a Child Welfare Services (CWS) approved alternate caregiver, per OAC 340:75-7-65, to provide respite care when the SCH provider takes leave from his or her SCH contract responsibilities.
(A) The SCH contractor identifies the alternate caregiver at the time of the initial assessment.The alternate caregiver:
(i) must be at least 21 years of age; and
(ii) is not a DHS foster parent, a CWS employee, or an Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) employee, as the alternate caregiver must be available on short notice when the contractor takes leave.
(B) When the SCH contractor takes leave, the contractor selects one of the three options listed in (i) through (iii).
(i) The approved, alternate caregiver utilizes the SCH to provide respite care.Prior to approving the alternate caregiver, the CWS resource specialist in the region where the SCH home is located:
(I) makes personal contact with the alternate caregiver and conducts a personal assessment of the provider to determine his or her ability and willingness to provide alternate care;
(II) discusses SCH policy, per OAC 340:75‑11‑286 through 340:75‑11-289, and foster care policy, per OAC 340:75-7, with the respite care provider;
(III) contacts two references for, and completes the background investigation of the alternate caregiver, including an Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) name search, OSBI records search, a Federal Bureau of Investigation records search, and fingerprinting per OAC 340:75-7-15; and
(IV) files the personal assessment of the alternate caregiver in the SCH resource record.
(ii) The children go to the home of the approved alternate caregiver for alternate care. • 2
(iii) The children go to their own homes or relative homes on planned leave approved by the child's assigned CW specialist.
(C) The SCH contractor is:
(i) encouraged to take two weeks, planned time away from the home each year;
(ii) responsible for reimbursing the alternate caregiver from the contractor's salary; and
(iii) responsible for training the alternate caregiver.
(4) Mandatory training for SCH contractors.All SCH contractors must:
(A) complete all training requirements for DHS foster parents prior to placement of children in the home, per OAC 340:75-7-14;
(B) be certified in a behavior management system directed at managing aggressive and non-aggressive acting out behavior per OAC 340:75‑11‑237.Spouses or significant others must also be certified;
(C) obtain 21 hours of training each calendar year geared toward working with the children served in the SCH contract;
(D) attend the annual mandatory meetings for SCH contractors scheduled by CWS Specialized Placements and Partnerships Unit that provide training hours; and
(E) participate in other training curricula required of DHS foster parents.
(e) CWS does not enter into SCH contracts with any person related, either directly or through marriage, to:
(1) an OJA employee;
(2) a CWS employee; or
INSTRUCTIONS TO STAFF 340:75-11-286
Revised 9-15-16
1.Specialized community home (SCH) contract resources.Each SCH contractor is listed in the KIDS Resource Directory, category - Residential-State Office Authorized and type - Specialized Community Home.
2.Alternate caregiver.The Child Welfare Services resource specialist follows Oklahoma Administrative Code 340:75-7-65 when assessing the alternate caregiver.
