The Placement Services workers are responsible for implementing the Court Approved Plan for dependent children who have been removed from their own homes and placed into agency custody in foster care homes, group care, or residential facilities. In keeping with the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, Permanency Planning for children begins as soon as the child enters substitute care. If families will not or cannot complete the plan, they have the option of providing the worker with a relative who may be evaluated as a child's return resource.

Substitute care is meant to be temporary thus the placement worker needs to work diligently to either reunite the child with family members, place with a court approved permanent legal custodian, or to file a petition to terminate parental rights if the child has been in placement for 15 out of the most recent 22 months.

When a child enters placement, the Agency and the Court determine what type of placement is appropriate for that particular child based upon the child's level of need for structure, supervision, counseling and education. The least restrictive placement setting, foster care, is considered first.

When children need more structure and supervision, the Agency must pursue placement in a group or residential treatment facility. Group care is traditionally a home for 10 to 12 children situated in a community setting. Children attend public schools and receive counseling and other such services on an outpatient basis at local agencies.

Residential care is the most restrictive and is only utilized when problems are so severe that a child cannot function in a community setting or school. Most residential programs have on-grounds schools and provide their own counseling and psychiatric services.

Placement Services workers directly supervise the care a child receives through both in-person and case management contacts. The worker's role is to ensure that the child's safety, physical, mental, moral, emotional, educational, medical and dental needs are being met. In addition, safety and well-being issues are assessed and addressed via regular foster home visits.

The Foster home is re-licensed annually. When the placement is provided through a contracted foster, group or residential program, quarterly monitoring visits and case management services are utilized. If the placement is not consistent with the child's identified needs, replacement into a more appropriate alternative resource may be explored. All planning which results in a more restrictive placement must be approved by the Juvenile Court.

Finally, when a child is returned home, aftercare services for a minimum of 3 months are offered in order to prevent regression which could lead to replacement. The placement worker assesses the need for further in-home intervention prior to closing the family for services.