Family Day Home Standards Manual for Alberta

1 Family Day HomeStandards Manualfor CoordinatorAgency/ Family Day home AgencyApproved Family Day home /ProviderChild and Family Services Authority/CFSAC hild Care Child in CareContractCriminal Record CheckExtended Hours of CareFamily Day home ServiceHealth CareHome Visitor/ConsultantHours of CareIncidentInvestigationMinistryResiden ceFamily Day home Program DescriptionPurpose of ManualAuthorityPart 1:Child and Family Services Authority StandardsRoleObjectivesStandard 1: Administration of Agency ContractsStandard 2: IncidentsPart 2:Agency StandardsRoleObjectivesStandard 1: StaffingStandard 1A: Agency CoordinatorStandard 1B: home Visitor/ConsultantStandard 2: Caseloads and MonitoringStandard 3: Criminal Record ChecksStandard 4: Recruitment of Family Day home ProvidersStandard 5: Support for Family Day home ProvidersStandard 5A: Training05050505050505050505060606060606 0606070809101010111314141415151516171718 1903 Part 2:Agency Standards Cont dStandard 6: Agency PoliciesStandard 6A: Backup CareStandard 6B: Hours of ServiceStandard 6C: RecordsStandard 7: Services for Parent(s)Standard 7A: Placement ServicesStandard 7B: Parent InvolvementStandard 7C: Information/ReferralStandard 8: IncidentsStandard 9: Visual IdentityPart 3: Family Day home StandardsRoleObjectivesStandard 1: Insurance CoverageStandard 1A: LiabilityStandard 1B: TransportationStandard 2: Children s Information RecordsStandard 3: Portable Emergency Information RecordsStandard 4: Family Day home Provider AccommodationsStandard 4A: ResidenceStandard 4B: Furnishings and EquipmentStandard 4C: Outdoor Play SpaceStandard 5: Transportation and OutingsStandard 6: Number and Ages of ChildrenStandard 7: Child Care ProgramStandard 8: Child SupervisionStandard 9: Child GuidanceStandard 10: Health and SafetyStandard 10A: Incidents Standard 10B: home and SafetyStandard 10C.

2 IllnessStandard 10D: Medical ConditionsStandard 10E: MedicationStandard 10F: AnimalsStandard 11: SmokingStandard 12: Meals and SnacksStandard 13: Visual IdentityFormsDefinitionsAgency CoordinatorAn individual employed by theagency whose responsibilitiesinclude managing theadministration and delivery of the Family day home Day home AgencyAn individual, partnership orcorporation that contracts with a Child and Family ServicesAuthority to administer a Family day home Family DayHome/ProviderA provider who, under contractwith a Family day home agency or the Child and Family ServicesAuthority, provides child care and supervision to children up to 12 years of age in their and Family ServicesAuthority/CFSAA Child and Family ServicesAuthority, established under the Child and Family ServicesAuthorities CareThe temporary care andsupervision of a child by an individual other than the child s parent or guardian. Child in Care A child who is 0-12 years and is registered and placed in a Family day home but is not: a child of the provider or any resident of the Family day home ; under the guardianship of the provider or any other resident of the Family day home ; or normally a resident in the Family day home .

3 ContractA legal document outlining theterms and Standards under which the Family day home service Record CheckAgency staff and Family day homeproviders must provide results of a criminal record check to theagency, including a vulnerablesector search, which may beprocessed at any Police Station or RCMP detachment and must bedated no earlier than six monthsprior to commencement with theagency. The criminal record checkis the property of the individualrequesting it. The law enforcementagency providing the criminalrecord check may charge a fee forthis service. Extended Hours of CareCare provided in the eveningbetween 6:00 and 6:00 on the Day home ProgramSection 25 of the Child CareLicensing Actdefines the familyday home program as a programunder which a person with whomthe director has entered into anagreement to coordinate andmonitor the provision of child carein the private residence of one ormore child care providers, and tonot more than six children in eachprivate residence.

4 Health CareThe health services administeredby a physician or other medicalprofessional for the treatment ofillness or accidental injury. home Visitor/Consultant An individual contracted oremployed by the agency tomonitor approved Family day homeproviders for compliance with thefamily day home Standards and theprovider s contract with the of CareThese are the stated hours childcare is provided by an approvedchild care incident is defined as a seriousillness or injury to a child thatrequires first aid or emergencyhealth care; a serious change in achild s health; an error in theadministration of prescribedmedication to a child; an adversereaction to medication by a child; the death of a child; theunauthorized absence of a childfrom the child care program; the commission by a child of anoffence under an Act of Canada;any allegation of abuse or neglectof a child; or any other occurrencethat may seriously affect the healthor safety of a child.

5 InvestigationA detailed and objectiveexamination of past events such as an incident or Ministry of Human Services is comprised of ten Child andFamily Services Authorities and the Department. The Department is responsible for establishingstandards and policies. TheAuthorities are responsible forentering into and monitoringagreements with Agencies for the operation of a Family day home program. ResidenceThe place where the Family dayhome provider lives and operates a Family day home service. Wherethere is more than one Family dayhome in a location (house, duplex,basement suite, apartment), it mustbe clear that the residence is separate or self contained and that children are not grouped Day home ProgramA Family day home is one of the child careoptions available to parent(s) in Alberta . Asper section 25 of the Child Care LicensingAct, Family day homes provide child care toa maximum of six children aged 0-12 yearsold in the private residences of theproviders.

6 Child and Family ServicesAuthorities (CFSAs) contract with agenciesfor the purposes of ensuring that childrenusing an approved Family day home serviceare healthy and safe. Approved agenciesand providers operate according to of ManualThis Manual contains the Ministry standardsfor operating an approved Family day homeservice for the purposes of providing childcare to CFSA is responsible for complying with the authority Standards and monitoringan agency and its providers to ensurecompliance to provincial Standards . Through its contract with a CFSA, theagency is responsible for complying with the agency Standards and monitoringcompliance to the provider Standards . AuthorityOperating under the legal authority of theChild Care Licensing Act, these standardsdescribe the roles, objectives, responsibilitiesand expectations for the CFSA, agency andapproved Family day home provider. 0908 Part 1:Child and FamilyServices Authority StandardsRoleThe Chief Executive Officer (CEO)is responsible for the approval,monitoring and enforcement ofagreements between a Child andFamily Services Authority and an agency and may not delegatethat authority.

7 The CEO ensures that the CFSA monitors the agency to ensure that Standards are met and thatcomplaints and incidents areproperly investigated. When it isdetermined that a standard is notbeing met the CEO can take actionas per its contract with the agencyto compel the agency and itsproviders to comply. CEOs ensurethat an agency's performance is monitored by reviewing theoperations, activities, records, and the care in providers homesaccording to these Standards andthe terms of the contract. ObjectivesThe Chief Executive Officer (CE0)approves all contracts withagencies to recruit, monitor andsupport Family day home providers. establishes contracts with agencies to recruit, approve, monitor, train and support Family day home providers; and assists eligible parent(s) choosingfamily day homes to access Child Care CEO is not obligated tocontract with any party. A contractmay be signed with an agencywhen: funding is available to pay the Family day home agency; the service is needed in the community; and the agency and the principals in the agency have met the requirements for a contract as per Ministry contract policies.

8 Standard 1:Administration ofAgency ContractsThe Director, under the Authority of the Child Care Licensing Act,delegates to a Chief ExecutiveOfficer (CEO) of a Child and FamilyServices Authority (CFSA), theauthority to enter into Family dayhome agreements and may notdelegate the authority to sign those agreements. The CEO is responsible for the approval,monitoring and enforcement ofthose agreements. All contractswith an agency will comply with the Ministry s financial policiesincluding its contract primary purpose of anagreement for a Family day homeprogram is for the agency tocoordinate, recruit,approve andmonitor Family day home providers, and to provide support and trainingto those ensure that at least once per contract term, all contractedagencies are visited to review theircompliance to agency CFSA Review of Family DayHome Standardsform will becompleted with a copy provided to the agency. If an agency is found to be notcomplying with any standard, theCEO ensures that enforcementaction is taken as described in thecontract to compel the agency toaddress the actions includesuspension of payment for serviceuntil the non-compliance is remediedand in the case of systemic andon-going non-compliances,termination of the ensure that CFSAs visit atleast once annually, unaccompaniedby agency staff, a minimum of 10 percent of an agency s activeindividual Family day home providers(with a minimum of two providers)during the provider s regularoperating hours for the purposes of determining compliance withMinistry Standards .

9 A CEO ensures that providers >1110 Part 1:Child and FamilyServices Authority StandardsStandard 2: IncidentsThe CEO ensures that aninvestigation is initiated by theCFSA immediately after an agencyreports any of the followingincidents: allegations of physical, sexual, emotional abuse and/or neglect of a child; serious injury requiring emergency response or overnight hospitalization; death of a child; missing child; or the commission by a child of an offence under an Act of Canada or investigation report is completedwithin 12 working days (which mayaccompany enforcement action)and that it documents findings,evaluation of compliance with the Standards and the enforcement actions and timelines for remediation. At the conclusion of theinvestigation, a written report of theresults of the investigation must besent to the Family day home report must document thefindings, evaluation of compliancewith the Standards , the enforcementactions and time limits forremediation of limits for remediation must bewithin three months or prior to theend of the contract term, whicheveris must establish a process,that is approved by the Department,to receive incident reports fromfamily day home agencies outsideof the regional child care office sregular operating hours.

10 1312are randomly selected for homevisits. A list of all active providerswill be requested from the agencyat least seven working days priorto a visit. From that list, 10 percentof names will be randomly selectedwith a minimum of two providersselected CEO ensures that, following avisit to an agency, the CFSAR eview of Family Day HomeStandardsform is completed and a copy and accompanying VisitResult Letter are provided to theagency. If non-compliances areidentified, these are communicatedwithin two working days of the visitto the agency in writing in the formof an Action Plan that outlines howand when the non-compliances willbe addressed. Non-compliancesmust be remedied within 90 daysor by the contract expiry date,whichever is first. The agency willprovide evidence of compliance tothe CFSA and all evidence must bemaintained in the agency s file heldby the CFSA. The CEO establishes a process to: monitor agency contract files quarterly using the CFSA Review of Family Day home Standards Quarterly Review form to ensure that staff are addressing all non-compliances;and ensure that each month a review is completed on Complaint Record forms submitted by agencies.