Case Planning for Families Involved With Child Welfare Agencies - Nevada

When Case Plans Are Required

Citation: Rev. Stat. § 432B.540; Admin. Code § 432B.400

If the agency that provides child welfare services believes that it is necessary to remove the child from the physical custody of his or her parents, it must submit to the court a plan designed to achieve a placement of the child in a safe setting as near to the residence of his or her parent as is consistent with the best interests and special needs of the child.

In regulation: The agency that provides child welfare services shall develop a written case plan for a child within 45 days after the date on which the child is removed from his or her home.

Who May Participate in the Case Planning Process

Citation: Admin. Code § 432B.400

The case plan must:

• If possible, be developed jointly with a parent or guardian of the child who is receiving foster care
• Be developed with input from the child if the agency that provides child welfare services determines it is appropriate, based on the age and stage of development of the child
• Be developed with input from the foster parent caring for the child

Contents of a Case Plan

Citation: Rev. Stat. § 432B.540; Admin. Code § 432B.400

The plan must include the following, without limitation:

• A description of the type, safety, and appropriateness of the home or institution in which the child could be placed; a plan for ensuring that the child would receive safe and proper care; and a description of his or her needs
• A description of the services to be provided to the child and to a parent to facilitate the return of the child to the custody of his or her parent or to ensure his or her permanent placement
• The appropriateness of the services to be provided under the plan
• A description of how the order of the court will be carried out

In regulation: The case plan must include descriptions of the following:

• The long-term goals of the plan, including reunification of the child and his or her family, or permanent placement of the child with a relative, for adoption, into a legal guardianship, or into another permanent independent living arrangement
• A projected time by which these goals should be achieved
• The current strengths of the family and the needs that must be satisfied to achieve these goals
• The services offered or provided to prevent removal of the child from his or her home and to reunify the family of the child
• The type of home or institution in which the child is placed
• The safety and appropriateness of the placement to ensure that the child receives proper care
• How the agency will ensure that services are provided to the child and the foster parents that address the needs of the child while in foster care, including the appropriateness of services that have been provided pursuant to the case plan
• The programs and services, as applicable, that will assist a child in foster care who is age 16 or older prepare for the transition from foster care to independent living
• If the goal of the case plan is adoption or placement in another permanent home, the steps that will be taken to finalize the adoption or placement
• The manner in which a placement will be made and the reasons that such a placement will be in the best interests of the child, with particular consideration given to a placement that is safe and in the least restrictive familial environment available
• If the goal of the case plan is reunification of the family, how particular consideration will be given to a placement for the child that is in close proximity to the home of the parent of the child
• If the child will be placed in a family foster home or institution for child care that is located a substantial distance from or in a different State than where the family of the child resides, the reasons that such a placement will be in the best interests of the child
• If a child is placed in a family foster home or institution for child care that is located in a different State than where the parents of the child reside, a description of the frequency with which a caseworker from an agency that provides child welfare services and that is located in the State where the child is placed or the State where the parents reside will visit the foster home or institution and submit a report to the agency that provides child welfare services in the State where the parents reside
• The efforts that will be made to place siblings together
• The plan for family visits, including, without limitation, visits with siblings if the siblings are not residing together
• A statement indicating that the proximity of the school in which the child was enrolled at the time that he or she was placed in foster care was considered as a factor in the selection of the placement for foster care
• The health and education records of the child to the extent those records are available