Specifications include, but are not limited to: The Contractor shall conduct Home Studies on potential Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) Foster families that have completed Pre-Service Training by their agency, including Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) and Relative/Kinship, and Traditional Foster Families on behalf of the state. As such, the studies are to be conducted by the Contractor in accordance with the Tennessee Department of Children's Services (TN) (DCS) Policy 16.20 and TN DCS Policy 16.4 on a modified/more expedited time schedule as outlined in the contract: https://www.tn.gov/dcs/program-areas/qi/policies-reports-manuals.html For the purpose of this contract a Home Study is defined as: a. “Home Study” means a written assessment to determine if the applying foster parents and family members meet all required home approval standards as determined by state and federal guidelines. b. “Prospective Traditional Foster Parent Home Study” means a Home Study, conducted in accordance with applicable Departmental policy, on a Tennessee family without any children placed in the home at the time of referral. c. “Relative/Kinship Home Study” means a study for a family with children placed in the home and is approved as an expedited placement in accordance with DCS Policy 16.20. d. “Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (ICPC) Home Study” means a Home Study conducted by the Contractor on a relative, foster, or adoptive Tennessee applicant on behalf of the State for children who are under the jurisdiction of another ICPC party state, subject to ICPC compliance, and for whom Title IV-E of the Social Security Act certification is required. e. “Profile for Parenting Study” (POPS) means a tool developed in Tennessee to assist in identifying and developing potential Traditional Foster and Relative/Kinship parents. . The POPS builds from the foundation of the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS), the Family Advocacy & Support Tool (FAST), and the Adult Needs and Strengths (ANSA) and the five protective factors that are at the heart of the Center for the Study of Social Policy’s Strengthening Families Initiative. f. “Documentation of the Foster Family Home Study” is a tool which outlines the ongoing process that uses the case management skill of family engagement to gather and analyze information and identify family strengths and underlying needs, so that Home Study writer can make knowledgeable decisions that will result in approval of quality foster homes, child safety and permanency.
