Library: Policy

317:30-5-740. Definitions

Revised 9-14-20

The following words or terms used in this Part shall have the following meaning, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Therapeutic foster care (TFC) agency" means a foster care agency that provides foster care as defined in Section 1355.20 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulation as twenty-four (24) hour substitute care for children placed away from their parents or guardians and for whom the title IV-E agency has placement and care responsibility. TFC settings are foster family homes.

"TFC home" means an agency-supervised, private family home in which foster parents have been trained to provide individualized, structured services in a safe, nurturing family-living environment. The children receiving services in this setting have moderate behavioral and emotional health needs, and may also present secondary physical, developmental, intellectual, and/or social disorder that is supported alongside the mental health needs. TFC homes are considered the least restrictive out-of-home placement for these children.

"Therapeutic foster care (TFC) model" means a model in which children in the TFC environment receive increased individualized behavioral health and other support services from qualified staff. Because TFC members require exceptional levels of skill, time, and supervision, the number of unrelated children placed per home is limited; no more than two (2) TFC members may be placed in a home at any one (1) time unless additional cases are specifically authorized by Child Welfare Services (CWS) of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS), or Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA).