Washington – Oregon ICPC Border Agreement Training

1. Washington – Oregon ICPC Border Agreement Training

2. Topics covered in this training Brief history of the agreement Key provisions Process and forms for making a placement request under the agreement Post-placement requirements and process

3. Brief History • Why a border agreement? • Work began 10 years ago • False starts, delays, derailments • Initial draft built on the idea of having workers cross the border to perform home studies • May 2009 WA/OR meeting and Bryan Johnston’s contribution • Decision to move forward with drafting an agreement based on the idea of each state provisionally approving placements within a specified time-frame. • Negotiating and drafting of the agreement, legal review, etc. • Agreement signed August 30, 2010.

5. Area covered by the agreement In Washington: Clark and Cowlitz Counties In Oregon: Clackamas, Washington and Multnomah Counties

6. Children placed under the border agreement must originate from one of the counties covered by the agreement in the sending state, and they must be placed with a family located in one of the counties covered by the agreement in the receiving state.

7. Other Key Provisions • Proposed placement must be with a relative (WA definition) or with a person “with whom the child has an established relationship and with whom the child has spent a substantial amount of time”. • Children must be in legal custody of DHS. • Children cannot be physically residing in the home of the prospective placement family (including “visits”) at any time after the placement request is made unless and until the placement is approved in writing according to the terms of the border agreement.

8. Limits on the quantity of requests • No more than one placement request at a time for any given child • Maximum of 75 placement requests per year from either state.This includes: • Requests that are denied • Requests that the receiving state ICPC office • determines do not meet criteria to be considered for • provisional approval

9. Pre-Screening Before submitting provisional placement request, the Caseworker conducts a detailed phone interview with the prospective placement resource. The two primary functions of the interview: To the extent possible, determine the viability of the prospective placement resource in terms of willingness, ability and fitness to care for the child/children. Advise the prospective placement resource of the urgency of the need to place the child or children and of the placement resource’s responsibilities in ensuring a timely decision from the receiving state concerning provisional placement approval.

10. Documentation required for a Border Agreement Referral • Provisional Interstate Placement Request form • Completed form 100A • Court order indicating agency’s custody of the child • Copy of abuse/neglect report and assessment that resulted in child entering care, if available • Psychological, medical or other relevant evaluations, if available • Birth certificate and/or Soc. Sec. card, if available

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20. Scan & E-mail referral documents to ICPC office in Salem ICPC Coordinator will review: • Does the referral meet the criteria for submission under the border agreement? • Is the provisional placement request form complete? • Does the packet contain all the required documents?

21. Process after referral leaves Oregon • WA ICPC checks to make sure referral is complete and meets border agreement criteria. • If accepted, referral is immediately transmitted to local office. • Worker in local office evaluates prospective placement • WA ICPC approves or denies provisional placement request within 7 working days of receipt of the referral.

22. Denials • Provisional placement may be denied, but regular home study process may continue and may ultimately result in placement approval. • Placement request may be completely denied, without a continuation of the home study process, if warranted.

23. If full approval of placement is denied, or if WA requests child be returned at any point, the child must be immediately returned to OR

24. Oregon ICPC Office Washington ICPC Office • placement referral • notification of placement approval or denial • notification of child placement • withdrawal of a placement request • request to return a child Oregon Branch Offices Washington Branch Offices Communication Some things need to be communicated through the ICPC offices: Other direct communication between local workers in sending and receiving states is encouraged

25. Placement must be made within 20 calendar days of approval If child is not placed within 20 days, a new placement request must be submitted.

26. Immediately following placement approval, call back the provisionally approved placement resource • Remind the resource that even though the child will be placed, the full home study process must continue in order for the placement to receive final, full approval. • Ensure that the placement resource is aware of what the home study process entails and explain that the placement resource needs to cooperate fully with the worker conducting the study by providing information and being available when requested.

27. ICPC still applies • The border agreement works in conjunction with ICPC • All ICPC-related laws and rules apply to placements made using the border agreement

28. Where can we find the provisional placement request form and referral procedures? On the “ICPC Tools” Page Follow the link labeled “ICPC Tools” right below Policy I-B.3.4.2 (interstate compact on the placement of children) on the Child Welfare Policy Index web page.