Section 388-32-0005. What are home support services?

The department's children's administration (CA) offers home support services (HSS), within available funds, to provide supportive, culturally appropriate, skill-building services in partnership with CA's client families. Only CA staff may provide the services in the family home or other appropriate setting and must provide the services as part of a comprehensive case plan. The department does not contract for this service.

(1) CA typically offers HSS during the normal work week but may provide HSS on weekends and beyond normal working hours.

(2) Child and family resource specialists (CFRS) have primary responsibility to provide HSS, which may include the following services:

(a) Teach and demonstrate basic physical and emotional care of children, including child development and developmentally appropriate child discipline;

(b) Teach homemaking and other life skills, including housekeeping, nutrition and food preparation, personal hygiene, financial budgeting, time management and home organization, with consideration given to the family's cultural environment;

(c) Help families obtain basic needs by networking families with appropriate supportive community resources; e.g., housing, clothing and food banks, health care services, and educational and employment services;

(d) Provide emotional support to families and build self-esteem in family members; aid family members in developing appropriate interpersonal and social skills;

(e) Provide client transportation/supervision of visits on a nonroutine, short-term basis;

(f) Observe family functioning, assisting the social worker to identify family strengths as well as areas needing intervention or improvement, providing reports and assessments to the assigned social worker on the family's progress in skill-building, family functioning, and other areas defined in the case plan;

(g) Participate in child protection teams, multidisciplinary teams, interagency case staffings, and family intervention meetings;

(h) Provide court testimony when requested by the attorney representing DSHS or when subpoenaed.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.13.031. WSR 01-08-047, § 388-32-0005, filed 3/30/01, effective 4/30/01.]

RCW 74.13.031. WSR 01-08-047, § 388-32-0005, filed 3/30/01, effective 4/30/01.