Section 441.202.9. Supervised apartment living.

A supervised apartment living arrangement shall provide a child with an environment in which the child can experience living in the community with supervision and prepare for self-sufficiency. The child must have the capacity to live in the community with less supervision than that provided by a foster family or in a group care setting and must be able to follow the provisions of the case plan and participate in activities and services to achieve self-sufficiency.

         202.9(1) Living arrangements.

            a.               The two types of supervised apartment living arrangements are as follows:

             (1)             A cluster setting, which provides support in a structured setting. Up to six children reside in apartments or bedrooms in one building (such as an apartment building or residential housing), supervised by one agency. The supervising agency must have an adult staff member present and available on site in the living arrangement at any time when more than one child is present.

             (2)             A scattered-site setting, which is the less restrictive of the two types of living arrangements. Up to three children supervised by one agency may reside in individual housing arrangements, such as apartments or residential housing, located in one building. Children must be able to contact supervising agency staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

            b.               If an agency rents an apartment to the child, there shall be a signed lease between both parties that includes, but is not limited to:

             (1)             Amount to be paid for the rental unit.

             (2)             The term of the lease with both a beginning and an ending date.

             (3)             Rights and responsibilities of the tenant.

             (4)             Rights and responsibilities of the landlord.

             (5)             Conditions under which the lease can be terminated.

         202.9(2) Eligibility. To be eligible for supervised apartment living placement, a child shall meet all of the following conditions:

            a.               The child must be at least 16½ years old for placement in a cluster setting.

            b.               The child must be at least 17 years old for placement in a scattered-site setting.

            c.               If the child is under the age of 18, the child must:

             (1)             Satisfactorily attend school, in accordance with the school’s attendance policies, with the objective of obtaining a high school diploma; or

             (2)             Satisfactorily attend an instructional program, pursuant to the program’s policies, necessary to obtain a general equivalency diploma (GED); or

             (3)             Attend school to obtain postsecondary education or training on a full-time basis (based upon the institution’s definition of full-time) or attend on a part-time basis and be either working or participating in a work training program leading to employment; or

             (4)             Work at least an average of 80 hours per month if not enrolled in school; or

             (5)             Participate in a work training program leading to employment if not enrolled in school.

            d.               If the child is aged 18 or older, the child must:

             (1)             Meet the definition of “child” in Iowa Code section 234.1; and

             (2)             Have been in foster care immediately before reaching the age of 18 and have continued in foster care since reaching the age of 18. The service area manager or designee may waive the requirement for continuous placement for a child who leaves foster care at age 18 and voluntarily returns before the child’s twentieth birthday in order to complete high school or obtain a GED, consistent with Iowa Code sections 234.35(1)“f” and 234.35(3)“c”; and

             (3)             Attend school on a full-time basis leading to a high school diploma or attend an instructional program leading to a GED.

            e.               The child must need foster care placement and services, based on an assessment completed according to rule 441—202.2(234) and subrule 202.6(5).

            f.                The child must participate in services and activities to achieve self-sufficiency.

            g.               The child must have the capacity to live in the community with less supervision than that provided by a foster family or in a group care setting, as determined by an assessment that reviews available information on the child to identify the needs, strengths, and resources of the child, especially as they pertain to the child’s ability to function in the community. To determine if a supervised apartment living foster care placement is suitable for the child, the department worker must complete Form 470-4063, Preplacement Screening for Supervised Apartment Living Foster Care.

            h.               The child must have an approved living situation that meets the following minimum standards:

             (1)             Comply with applicable state and local zoning, fire, sanitary and safety regulations.

             (2)             Be located so as to provide reasonably convenient access to schools, places of employment, and services and supports required by the child.

             (3)             Be reasonably priced so as to fit within the child’s budget.

            i.                If supervised apartment living foster care is deemed suitable for the child, the worker shall complete Form 470-3186, Request for Approval of Supervised Apartment Living Foster Care Placement, to request that the service area manager or designee approve the placement. This form is also to be used to request that the service area manager or designee waive the requirement for continuous placement for a child who leaves foster care on or after the child’s eighteenth birthday and voluntarily returns before the child’s twentieth birthday in order to complete high school or obtain a GED.

            j.                The placement must have the approval of the juvenile court if the child is under court jurisdiction.

         202.9(3) Services to be provided. To ensure that the supervised apartment living arrangement is meeting the child’s needs, required services shall be provided directly by the department or purchased from an agency that has a contract with the department to provide supervised apartment living foster care services. The following services are required:

            a.               Development of a case or service plan (by either the department worker or the service provider, if contracted out) in consultation with the child and the child’s family (unless a reason for noninvolvement is documented in the case record) and significant others whenever appropriate that documents the following:

             (1)             Goals, intended to meet the specific needs of the child to achieve self-sufficiency, with projected dates of accomplishment.

             (2)             Objectives (action steps) to be taken by the child, the child’s support system, and staff, with projected dates of accomplishment.

             (3)             Services to be provided and activities to be undertaken, the frequency of such services, who will provide the services, the child’s progress with the goals and objectives, and the child’s compliance with the service plan.

             (4)             A budget, developed with the child, based upon the child’s monthly maintenance payment, any start-up allowance, any earned or unearned incomes and financially related assistance (e.g., food assistance). Staff will work with the child to ensure payment of bills and receipt of necessary items as outlined in the budget.

            b.               Life skills training involving interpersonal and daily living skills training to prepare the child to maintain a safe, healthy, and stable lifestyle and achieve self-sufficiency. Life skills training includes training of “hard” skills (e.g., money management, self-care and hygiene, physical and mental health care, skills related to educational and employment goals, housing and home management, time management, accessing community resources) and training of “soft” skills (e.g., decision making, problem solving, developing healthy relationships, self-advocacy). Life skills training should be individualized to the needs of the child toward achieving self-sufficiency. If a child needs a specific life skills training service or services (e.g., parenting skill development, counseling services to reduce stress and social, emotional, or behavioral problems that affect the child’s stability or ability to achieve self-sufficiency) in addition to basic life skills training services and services are purchased, the department worker will specify the necessary services under special provisions on Form 470-5081, Placement Agreement and Service Authorization for Supervised Apartment Living (SAL).

            c.               Through visits with the child and to the living situation, determination and documentation that:

             (1)             The living arrangement and mode of living are safe and suitable and provide an environment that allows for the child’s social and emotional needs to be met; and

             (2)             There is no reasonable cause to believe that the child’s living situation or mode of living presents any unacceptable risks to the child’s health or safety; and

             (3)             The child has access to a telephone; and

             (4)             There is an operating smoke alarm on each level of occupancy; and

             (5)             The child is receiving any necessary medical care; and

             (6)             The child is receiving appropriate and sufficient services and supports to achieve the child’s goals and facilitate objectives according to the child’s service plan.

            d.               Supervision to assist the child in developing the needed structure to live in the supervised apartment living setting and in locating and using other needed services. If the child is under the age of 18, supervision shall include a minimum of weekly face-to-face contacts. For a child aged 18 or older, supervision shall include a minimum of biweekly (every other week) face-to-face contacts. Supervision may include guidance, oversight, and behavior monitoring.

            e.               Ongoing assessment activities to monitor the child’s ability to achieve self-sufficiency.

            f.                If services are purchased, visits by the department to the child according to subrule 202.11(2).

            g.               If services are purchased, compliance by the provider with all reporting requirements in 441—paragraph 150.3(3)“j,” including requirements for the individual service plan, quarterly reports, and a termination summary.

            h.               A review of the case and case plan every six months, in accordance with subrules 202.6(4) and 202.6(5).

         202.9(4) Method of service provision. Supervised apartment living services may be provided directly by the department or purchased from an agency that has a contract with the department to provide supervised apartment living foster care services. If services are purchased:

            a.               Department staff shall be responsible to determine the specific service components and the specific number of service units to be provided for required services. The department case permanency plan shall specify the goals and objectives (action steps) of the services that are being purchased. If services are purchased, the worker shall complete Form 470-5081, Placement Agreement and Service Authorization for Supervised Apartment Living (SAL), to place the child with the contractor and to authorize service codes (scattered-site or cluster setting; individual services or services provided with a group of children in supervised apartment living placement) and the specific number of units to be provided and billable.

            b.               Service billings for services shall be based on one hour (one unit equals one hour of service), or any portion thereof (with monthly cumulative units rounded up or down to the nearest whole unit), of:

             (1)             Direct face-to-face contact between the service provider and the child.

             (2)             Activities undertaken to assist the child in developing the needed structure and supports to live in the supervised apartment living setting.

             (3)             Activities undertaken to assist the child in locating and using other needed services, supports, and community resources and to consult and collaborate on service directions on behalf of the child with schools, employers, landlords, volunteers, extended family members, peer support groups, training resources, or other community resources.

            c.               Service billings for group services shall be based on one hour (one unit equals one hour of service), or any portion thereof (with monthly cumulative units rounded up or down to the nearest whole unit), for each child in the group.

            d.               Expenses of transporting the child, service management activities, and other administrative functions shall be allowable indirect costs subject to the restrictions set forth in rule 441—150.3(234) and are not billable units of service.

            e.               Contractors providing a cluster setting shall be paid $551.25 per month per child in the setting for agency staffing costs, in addition to billable units of services provided to the child, but are eligible for this payment only when two or more children are in the setting. For a child who enters a cluster setting during the month, the prorated amount per day is $18.12. If a child exits the setting on or before the last day of the month, the $551.25 shall be prorated up to the date before the date of exit.

         202.9(5) Termination of services.

            a.               Mandatory termination. Supervised apartment living services shall be terminated when the child:

             (1)             No longer meets eligibility criteria;

             (2)             No longer needs services or needs a more restrictive level of placement;

             (3)             Chooses to live in a nonapproved setting; or

             (4)             Refuses to follow the provisions of the case plan.

            b.               When services are purchased and the department plans to remove a child from the supervised apartment living placement, the department shall inform the provider in writing of the date of removal, the reason for the removal, the recourse available, if any, and that the contested case (appeal) proceeding does not apply to the removal.

            c.               The provider shall be informed ten days in advance of the removal, except when the court orders removal of the child from the placement or there is evidence of neglect or physical or sexual abuse.

This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code section 234.6.

[ARC 0417C, IAB 10/31/12, effective 1/1/13; ARC 2342C, IAB 1/6/16, effective 2/10/16]