DEBRA K. DAVENPORT, CPA
AUDITOR GENERAL
STATE OF ARIZONA
OFFICE OF THE
AUDITOR GENERAL
WILLIAM THOMSON
DEPUTY AUDITOR GENERAL
2910 NORTH 44th STREET • SUITE 410 • PHOENIX, ARIZONA 85018 • (602) 553-0333 • FAX (602) 553-0051
November 15, 2007
Members of the Arizona Legislature
The Honorable Janet Napolitano, Governor
Ms. Tracy Wareing, Director
Department of Economic Security
Transmitted herewith is a report of the Auditor General, a Questions-and-Answers
Document on the Department of Economic Security, Division of Children, Youth and
Families—Child Protective Services—Licensed Family Foster Homes. This document was
prepared pursuant to and under the authority vested in the Auditor General by Arizona
Revised Statutes §41-1966.
Our questions-and-answers documents were created to provide answers to multiple
questions on a particular subject area. We hope that these questions-and-answers
documents will fill a need and provide you with timely and useful information on topics of
particular interest.
My staff and I will be pleased to discuss or clarify items in this document.
This document will be released to the public on November 16, 2007.
Sincerely,
Debbie Davenport
Auditor General
Attachment
Licensed Family Foster Homes
2007
Department of
Economic Security
Division of Children, Youth and Families
Child Protective Services
QUESTIONS
and
ANSWERS
Summary
This document answers
five questions about
Arizona's licensed family
foster homes.
Specifically, it presents
information on the funds
available to foster
parents, the type of
training foster parents
receive, whether
licensed foster home
recruitment and
retention has improved
with the increase in
foster care maintenance
rates, and how Arizona's
rates compare to other
states' rates. In addition,
it provides information
on the number of
children in licensed
family foster homes.
November • Report No. QA-0703
Question 1: What funds are
available to licensed foster
parents to address the
immediate needs of foster
children when they are first
placed in the home?
Licensed foster parents
have access to emergency
funds if necessary;
however, most costs are
reimbursed at the end of
each month.
The Department reimburses licensed
foster parents for the room, board, and
supervision of foster children placed in
their care.1 This reimbursement is
referred to as a maintenance payment.
Daily foster care maintenance rates
range between $24.60 and $44.69,
depending on the age and needs of
the child in care.2 Added to this amount
are the following: a daily clothing
allowance of between $0.53 to $1.02,
and a daily personal allowance of
$0.10 to $2.10 for items such as
diapers and formula, again depending
on the child’s age. In addition, foster
parents may receive special
allowances for expenses associated
with emergency clothing, educational
supplies, school tuition, graduation,
and day and overnight camps. These
allowances must not exceed the
maximum allowed limits.
Division management indicated that,
during the licensing process,
prospective foster parents are informed
that when a child is first placed in their
home, they must cover the costs of
caring for the foster child's immediate
needs and that they will receive a
maintenance payment within 30 days
of submitting the billing invoice to the
Division to reimburse those costs of
care.
Foster care is intended to be a short-term
or temporary solution when
abused or neglected children are
removed from their homes. The
Division attempts to place children in
the least restrictive, most family-like
setting possible. This may include
placement with a relative or in a
licensed family foster home. In Arizona,
licensed foster parents must meet
specific criteria regarding age, income,
health, and maturity, and be free from
conviction, indictment, or involvement
in certain criminal offenses; and the
home must pass life and safety
inspections.
1 Unlicensed relative providers are also eligible to receive a daily allowance between $0.63 and $2.63 for
clothing and personal items for each foster child in their care.
2 The standard daily reimbursement rate is $24.60 to $27.15 per day, depending on the age of the child.
Children with mild, moderate, or severe special medical or behavioral care needs receive daily
reimbursement rates of $29.40, $37.42, or $44.69, respectively, depending on the severity of the child's
special needs.
page2
Question 2: What type of training do
foster parents receive?
Foster parents receive 30 hours of
training prior to licensing and 6 hours
each year thereafter.
Foster parent training is provided state-wide using
a nationally recognized and standardized
curriculum known as PS-MAPP (Partnering for
Safety and Permanency—Model Approach to
Partnerships in Parenting).1 The 30-hour training
program is provided in ten 3-hour sessions by
contracted community agencies. PS-MAPP uses
case examples to help potential foster parents
better understand the responsibilities of parenting
children through foster care. Training covers
multiple topics, including meeting the conflicting
needs of foster children and family members,
building alliances with the parents of children in
foster care, and asking questions to understand
foster children's cultural needs. It also includes an
assessment component to help potential foster
parents assess their suitability for the role of foster
parent. This training must be completed before
licensing and is offered in both English and
Spanish.2
In addition to the 30 hours of initial training, foster
parents must annually attend a minimum of 6 hours
of ongoing training. This training is selected from
preestablished training modules based on the
needs of the foster child(ren) in the home and can
address a wide variety of subjects, including
discipline, crisis intervention, and behavior
management techniques. Ongoing trainings are
mutually selected and planned by the foster parent
and the contracted community agency providing the
training.
1 The Department adopted the PS-MAPP curriculum in the fall of 2005 and fully implemented it by November 2006.
2 According to division management, foster parents licensed before the State's adoption of the PS-MAPP must complete a modified
version of the program, called Mini-MAPP, by December 31, 2007.
Question 3: Has family foster home
recruitment and retention improved
with the increase in foster care
payment rates?
The increase in foster care payment
rates appears to be one factor
contributing to improved foster home
recruitment and retention.
increased rates, in recent years the Division has
implemented various initiatives that may also be
contributing to improved foster home recruitment
and retention, including:
Performance contracts—The Department contracts
with community agencies to recruit, license, and train
foster families. Beginning in November 2006, the
contracts for these services include 16 performance
measures. Nine of the measures relate to recruitment
and retention. For example, "the number of licensed
foster families with placement of children within their
own neighborhood shall increase each year over the
baseline" and "the number of new homes licensed
within (department) identified targeted neighborhoods
shall increase each year." In addition, the contracts
provide incentive payments of 2 to 5 percent of the
contract amount when 12 or more of the 16
performance measures are reached. According to
division officials, the first incentive payments will be
paid after the contract year ends on October 31, 2007.
PS-MAPP training program—As previously discussed
(see Question 2), this program has an assessment
component to help potential foster parents identify if
they are suitable for the role before they become
licensed. This may help reduce the amount of turnover
because people not suited to the role may instead
decide to not become foster parents. PS-MAPP also
includes information on what foster parents should
expect, the potential challenges ahead, and ongoing
training and support for those people who go on to
become licensed, which may also help retain foster
parents.
It appears that increases in foster care
maintenance rates may be one factor contributing
to improvements in licensed family foster home
recruitment and retention. Between 1996 and
2003, there were no rate increases for foster care
maintenance, and the number of licensed foster
homes fluctuated between about 1,750 and 1,900
state-wide. However, since 2003, both Arizona's
foster care maintenance rates and number of
licensed foster homes have steadily increased.
Division records indicated that between 2003 and
2007, the average monthly standard rate almost
doubled, increasing from $394 to $787, and the
number of licensed family foster homes increased
by 70 percent from 1,865 to 3,177. Division
management indicated that rate increases have
made foster parenting more attractive, and rates
are now more comparable to the actual cost of
caring for a child. However, in addition to
page3
Question 4: How do Arizona's foster
care payment rates compare to those
of other states?
An August 2007 report shows that
Arizona has some of the highest
average standard foster care
payment rates. However, direct
comparisons with other states may
be misleading because of various
factors, such as variations in the cost
of living in different areas.
misleading in some instances because direct
comparisons may not consider such things as:
Variations in the cost of living in different areas;
Variations in payments between regions or counties
within the states;
Supplemental payments that may be provided for
various expenditures; and
Variations in criteria used to determine different levels
of care that receive higher reimbursements.
Auditors used the report data on basic
maintenance payments for the various age levels to
calculate monthly state averages across all ages
and found that the average monthly payments
ranged from a low of $263 in Nebraska to a high of
$851 in the District of Columbia, with the general
average for all states being $516. Arizona was
shown to have some of the highest average
standard foster care payment rates in the nation
across the various age categories. However, in the
report it appears that Arizona's standard
maintenance rate may include the daily clothing
and personal allowances. Arizona's average
monthly standard rate was $816 based on the
report data.
The National Resource Center for Family-Centered
Practice and Permanency Planning prepared an
August 2007 compilation of states' standard foster
care maintenance rates. The report presents the
standard maintenance payments for children ages
0 through 16 and older for 48 states and the District
of Columbia.1 However, rates presented in the
report for some states may not be current because
they were obtained before 2007.2 In addition, the
report stated that comparative information may be
1 National Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice and Permanency Planning. Foster Care Maintenance Payments (Updated
8/28/07). New York City: Hunter College School of Social Work, 2007.
2 Rates presented in the report were obtained on various dates ranging from 2003 to 2007.
Question 5: How many children are
currently in licensed family foster
home placements?
As of March 31, 2007, there were
about 4,300 children in licensed
foster homes.
According to the Department's Child Welfare
Reporting Requirements Semi-Annual Report, there
were 4,273 children in licensed family foster homes
on March 31, 2007. Between March 2004 and
March 2007, the number of children in out-of-home
care increased from 8,246 to 9,773, a 19 percent
increase. During the same period, the number of
children placed in licensed foster homes grew by
55 percent, relative placements grew by 16 percent,
and children placed in other placement settings,
such as group homes and residential treatment
facilities, decreased by 15 percent.
Placement Type
As of
March 31,
Total
children in
out-of-home
care
Licensed
family
foster
home1
Unlicensed
relative
home Other2
2004 8,246 2,756 2,701 2,789
2005 9,536 3,633 3,120 2,783
2006 9,902 4,042 3,417 2,443
2007 9,773 4,273 3,137 2,363
1 The family foster home category includes children placed in licensed
non-relative and relative placements.
2 Other includes children placed in group homes, residential treatment
facilities, and independent living facilities; children on runaway
status; and children on trial home visits.
Source: The Department’s Child Welfare Reporting Requirements Semi-Annual Report for the periods
ending March 31, 2004 through 2007.
Children in Out-of-Home Care
By Placement Type
Office of the Auditor General
(602) 553-0333
www.azauditor.gov
Contact person: Catherine Dahlquist
QUESTIONS and
ANSWERS
November 2007 • QA-0703
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