441—156.1 (234) Definitions.
“Child welfare services” means age-appropriate activities to maintain a child’s connection to the child’s family and community, to promote reunification or other permanent placement, and to facilitate a child’s transition to adulthood.
“Cost of foster care” means the maintenance and supervision costs of foster family care, the maintenance costs and child welfare service costs of group care, and the maintenance and service costs of supervised apartment living and shelter care. The cost for foster family care supervision and for supervised apartment living services provided directly by the department caseworker shall be $250 per month. When using this average monthly charge results in unearned income or parental liability being collected in excess of the cost of foster care, the excess funds shall be placed in the child’s escrow account. The cost for supervised apartment living services purchased from a private provider shall be the actual costs paid by the department.
“Department” means the Iowa department of human services.
“Director” means the director of the child support recovery unit of the department or the director’s designee.
“Earned income” means income in the form of a salary, wages, tips, bonuses, commissions earned as an employee, income from job corps or profit from self-employment.
“Escrow account” means an interest bearing account in a bank or savings and loan association which is maintained by the department in the name of a particular child.
“Family foster care supervision” means the support, assistance, and oversight provided by department caseworkers to children in family foster care and directed toward achievement of the child’s permanency plan goals.
“Foster care” means substitute care furnished on a 24-hour-a-day basis to an eligible child in a licensed or approved facility by a person or agency other than the child’s parent or guardian but does not include care provided in a family home through an informal arrangement for a period of 20 days or less. Child foster care shall include but is not limited to the provision of food, lodging, training, education, supervision and health care.
“Foster family care” means foster care provided by a foster family licensed by the department according to 441—Chapter 113 or licensed or approved by the placing state. The care includes the provision of food, lodging, clothing, transportation, recreation, and training that is appropriate for the child’s age and mental and physical capacity.
“Group care maintenance” means food, clothing, shelter, school supplies, personal incidentals, daily care, general parenting, discipline, and supervision of children to ensure their well-being and safety, and administration of maintenance items provided in a group care facility.
“Income” means earned and unearned income.
“Mental health professional” means a person who meets all of the following conditions:
	  1. 	 Holds at least a master’s degree in a mental health field including, but not limited to, psychology, counseling and guidance, psychiatric nursing and social work; or is a doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine; and
	  2. 	 Holds a current Iowa license when required by the Iowa professional licensure laws (such as a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a marital and family therapist, a mental health counselor, an advanced registered nurse practitioner, a psychiatric nurse, or a social worker); and
	  3. 	 Has at least two years of postdegree experience supervised by a mental health professional in assessing mental health problems, mental illness, and service needs and in providing mental health services.
“Mental retardation professional” means a psychologist, physician, registered nurse, educator, social worker, physical or occupational therapist, speech therapist or audiologist who meets the educational requirements for the profession, as required in the state of Iowa, and has one year of experience working with persons with mental retardation.
“Parent” means the biological or adoptive parent of the child.
“Parental liability” means a parent’s liability for the support of a child during the period of foster care placement. Liability shall be determined pursuant to 441—Chapter 99, Division I.
“Physician” means a licensed medical or osteopathic doctor as defined in rule 441—77.1(249A).
“Service area manager” means the department employee or designee responsible for managing department offices within a department service area and for implementing policies and procedures of the department.
“Special needs child” means a child with needs for emotional care, behavioral care, or physical and personal care which require additional skill, knowledge, or responsibility on the part of the foster parents, as measured by Form 470-4401, Foster Child Behavioral Assessment. See subrule 156.6(4).
“Unearned income” means any income which is not earned income and includes supplemental security income (SSI) and other funds available to a child residing in a foster care placement.
This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code section 234.39.
[ARC 7606B, IAB 3/11/09, effective 5/1/09; ARC 7741B, IAB 5/6/09, effective 7/1/09; ARC 8010B, IAB 7/29/09, effective 10/1/09]