Other agencies serving the same persons may develop plans similar to the AMR for persons to follow. The CAO must try to coordinate those plans with the AMR.
CCYAs require documentation of services to families in Family Service Plans (FSPs). An FSP is a document prepared by the CCYA describing short and long-term goals for providing care and services to a child and his or her family. The FSP includes the following:
Information about the child and other family members.
Steps to be taken to correct conditions of neglect, abuse, or exploitation.
Services to be provided to reach the plan goals.
Actions to be taken by the parents, the child, and the CCYA.
The date when the actions should be completed.
Like the AMR, the FSP requires documentation of all services and activities. Because some TANF families also receive CCYA services, the CAO should make sure that the AMR and the FSP requirements work together toward the goals of personal and parental responsibility and family economic security.
At application and renewal, the CAO must determine whether the family is involved with the CCYA. The CAO worker should phrase the question carefully when asking the person about this delicate subject.
Example:
“Are you now working with any other agency, such as Children and Youth, whose requirements may conflict with or help this AMR plan for your family economic security? We want to work with any other agency that is trying to help you.”
The person may say that he or she is involved with the CCYA because of his or her own children, or the person may be providing formal or informal kinship care for a grandchild, niece, etc. The person may choose to resolve conflicts without help.
Whether or not the person asks for help, the CAO should enter the following appropriate living arrangement codes in the electronic Client Information System (eCIS) to indicate a TANF /CCYA mutual person or child living in a kinship care arrangement:
Code 11 Mutual Cash Assistance/CCYA recipient
Code 12 Kinship care child
If the person asks for CAO interventions, the CAO must take the following steps to ensure communication and sharing of information between the CAO and CCYA:
Establish a contact person and backup liaison between the CAO and the CCYA.
Give the CCYA the name and phone number of the designated liaison staff persons. Get the name and phone number of the CCYA liaison staff persons.
When completing the AMR with a person who is working with the CCYA, explain the purpose of the Consent for Release of Information Form (PA 1691). The PA 1691 is available on Docushare. This signed form is needed before any information may be shared between agencies. Emphasize that signing the form is voluntary and that the person may choose what information may be released by either agency.
Send a copy of the signed release to the CCYA liaison and provide the name and phone number of the CAO caseworker. Follow up with a phone call to verify the TANF recipient’s CCYA status.
Make sure the CCYA liaison verifies receipt of the signed release in writing on agency letterhead and provides the name and phone number of the CCYA caseworker.
Facilitate the connection between the CAO worker and the CCYA worker so that they may communicate directly about the family and discuss possible conflicts between the AMR and the FSP.
NOTE: Supplemental Handbook Chapter 930, Section 930.3 states that the CAO executive directors have authority to disclose public assistance information. They may delegate this responsibility only to top-level supervisors. If the CAO caseworker needs to release information to the CCYA, even with the recipient’s signed permission, the executive director or the designated top-level supervisor must release the information on behalf of the caseworker.
The CAO caseworker may discuss the AMR in general terms about employment and other requirements applying to all TANF recipients. The executive director or the top-level supervisor must release any specific information to the CCYA, including the person’s time left on TANF.
The CAO does not need to know, and should not ask, why the family is working with the CCYA. The CAO should be concerned only with the FSP requirements, such as whether the person is required to go to substance abuse treatment or counseling.
The CAO must report any first-hand knowledge of suspected abuse or neglect. The CAO liaison must contact the CCYA liaison with general questions when a family appears to be at risk.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Section 8, Public Housing and Indian Housing Programs, has a voluntary program for its clients called the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. Persons must have applied and be eligible for or already living in public housing or be receiving housing assistance through Section 8.
The FSS Program is a comprehensive training program for families eligible for or receiving housing assistance. It has coordinated services in education, job training, getting a job, and basic skills development to help families become family economically secure.
An individualized plan of services is developed for each adult member. The head of household must accept services (when not in training) for the duration of the program. Each family signs a participation contract giving the plans for services and the family members’ obligations. If a person does not comply with the contract, the result may be withdrawal of FSS services. Residents of Section 8 housing may also lose their housing certificates.
FSS services may include, but are not limited to, the following:
Case management and counseling.
Child care.
Adult basic education.
Literacy services
Pre-vocational training
Job placement services.
Skills-building courses in money management, household management, parent effectiveness, and time management.
Caseworkers must ask persons living in public housing or Section 8 housing whether they have signed an FSS contract of participation. The CAO must make sure the requirements of the AMR and FSS work together to support goals of personal/parental responsibility and family economic security.
The AMR should always be written so that persons can participate successfully in required or court-ordered activities. When appropriate, required or court-ordered activities should be incorporated into the AMR. When those requirements are greater than or conflict with RESET requirements, the person cannot be sanctioned under RESET if he or she fails to comply with the court-ordered requirements.
Updated October 28, 2015 Replacing October 5, 2012