GEORGIA DIVISION OF FAMILY AND CHILDREN SERVICES

CHILD WELFARE POLICY MANUAL

Chapter:
Policy
Title:
Policy
Number:

(15) Interstate Compact on the

Placement of Children
ICPC Expedited Placements
15.4

Effective
Date:

February 2015

Previous
Policy #:

1010.16

CODES/REFERENCES
O.C.G.A. 39-4, Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children
ICPC Regulation 7 - Expedited Placement Decision
REQUIREMENTS
The Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) shall comply with Regulation 7 of the
Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) as it pertains to Expedited Placement
Decisions whether Georgia is the sending or receiving state.
NOTE: When a sending state is requesting a provisional approval, the request shall be made by
execution of an Order of Compliance by the sending states court that includes the required
findings for a Regulation 7 request and a request for provisional approval or denial. The
receiving state may, but is not required to provide provisional approval or denial.
PROCEDURES
Georgia as the Receiving State
Upon receipt of Regulation 7 requests the Georgia ICPC Administrator shall:
1. Review the request to assure it meets the criteria for an expedited study. If the request
does not fully comply with the requirements, the State Office ICPC Administrator will
within one (1) business day contact the ICPC Administrator in the sending state, informing
them of the reason(s) the request did not meet the requirements for expedited handling.
2. If the request meets the Regulation 7 criteria, the ICPC Administrator will process the
request in Georgia SHINES within one (1) business day:
a. Complete a non-incident Intake type ICPC;
b. Stage progress from Intake to Foster Care Child (FCC) stage, establishing the
case in the name of the oldest child subject to the request;
c. Assign the appropriate Georgia ICPC Administrator as the primary case manager
for the FCC case/stage;
d. Upload all documents received from the sending state into the FCC stage, Case
Management second level tab, External Documentation third level tab, Other ICPC
Documents. The original documents will be forwarded via United States (US)
Priority Mail to the County DFCS office for maintenance.
3. Contact the County DFCS Liaison and County Director via telephone and email prior to
the end of the business day to inform them of the receipt of the expedited ICPC request.
4. Render expedited placement decisions to the sending state ICPC Administrator as soon
as possible but no later than three (3) business days after receipt of the home study from
the County DFCS and no more than twenty (20) business days from the date of receipt of
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the completed documentation and forms received from the sending states ICPC
Administrator.
Upon notification of the expedited request the County DFCS staff will do the following:
1. The County ICPC Liaison/County Director will immediately inform the ICPC Administrator
via email the assigned Social Services Case Manager (SSCM) to ensure they are added
by the ICPC Administrator as a secondary in Georgia SHINES.
2. The assigned DFCS SSCM will:
a. Initiate contact with the primary and all other adult caregivers identified in the ICPC
home study request to validate their interest and willingness to assume custodial
care for the children who are the subject of the ICPC request.
b. Provide the caregiver(s) with an explanation of the assessment process and the
time frame for completion. The explanation shall include the necessity for them to
undergo GCIC/NCIC fingerprint criminal records search, medical assessments and
drug testing as a component of the assessment process.
c. Screen all adult household members as outlined in policy 14.3 Resource
Development: Caregiver Safety Screening at Initial and Reevaluation and conduct
criminal records checks for all adult household members in accordance with policy
14.2 Resource Development: Criminal Records Check.
i. If the screening results raise concerns about the viability of the proposed
placement resource, consult the supervisor regarding how to proceed;
ii. If the screening results are of concern, discuss the concern(s) with the
caregiver affording them the opportunity to provide an explanation;
iii. If the screening results are favorable for an approval of the home study and
the prospective caregiver(s) remains interested, the SSCM shall proceed
with completing the required study within twenty (20) days of assignment
(see policy 10.5 Foster Care: Relative/Non Relative Care Assessment
(R/Non-RCA) or 14.11 Initial Family Evaluation Components and 14.10
Resource Development: Initial Family Evaluation Administrative
Requirements for study outline depending on request type);
iv. Document the home study utilizing the relative care assessment document
located in SHINES in the childs FCC stage, Placement second level tab,
Relative Care Assessment third level tab; or
v. For prospective foster or adoptive homes, complete FAD stage in SHINES;
vi. Staff the case with the supervisor and assigned ICPC Administrator if there
are concerns. Determine if any of the non-safety approval requirements
may be waived or postponed for the purpose of granting provisional
approval for placement (see policy 14.4 Resource Development: Waiver of
Non-Safety Approval Standards for Relative Foster Homes);
vii. Complete the Interstate Compact Placement Request (ICPC-100A)
indicating the County decision concerning the assessment conclusion. The
assessment conclusion shall provide:
1. A recommendation that placement may be made when there is an
approval. Approval may be withdrawn should the home fail to comply
with reasonable expectations of the County DFCS office;
2. A recommendation that placement shall not be made if the caregivers
are no longer interested in pursuing placement of the child(ren) or the
screening results or home study assessment are inadequate.
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viii. Upon completion of the home study, the SSCM shall immediately notify the
Georgia ICPC office by sending an email to the assigned ICPC
Administrator and ICPC@dhr.state.ga.us. Return the completed home
study to the Georgia ICPC Administrator within fifteen (15) business days
(including date of receipt) of receipt of the request from the Georgia ICPC
Administrator.
Georgia as the Sending State
For a placement resource to be considered for an ICPC expedited placement decision by the
receiving state, the County DFCS SSCM shall take the following minimum steps prior to
submitting a request for an ICPC (Regulation 7) expedited placement decision:
1. Obtain a signed Statement of Case Manager/Potential Placement/Party Under ICPC
Regulation 7. If a Border Agreement exists (policy 15.8 ICPC: Border Agreements), the
assigned staff member in the receiving state may secure the statement from the caregiver
and fax it to the County DFCS staff member. Such statements shall include the following
regarding the potential placement resource:
a. The individual(s) interested in being a potential caregiver for the child(ren) and
willingness to cooperate with the ICPC process;
b. Details of the relatives relationship to/guardianship status of the child(ren);
c. The name(s), correct address, telephone numbers and other contact information
for the potential caregiver;
d. The dates of birth and social security numbers for all adults in the home;
e. A detail of the number and type of rooms in the residence of the placement
resource to accommodate the child(ren) under consideration and the number of
people, including children, who will be residing in the home;
f. Financial resources available to the potential caregiver to feed, clothe and care for
the child(ren);
g. If required due to age and/or needs of the child(ren), the plan for child care, and
how it will be paid for;
h. The potential caregiver acknowledgement that criminal records and child abuse
history screenings will be completed on any persons residing in the home required
to be screened under the law of the receiving state and that, to the best knowledge
of the potential caregiver, no one residing in the home has a criminal history or
child abuse history that would prohibit the placement;
i. Whether a request is being made for concurrence to relinquish jurisdiction if
placement is sought with a parent from whom the child(ren) was not removed.
2. For the purposes of an Order of Compliance, submit to the Juvenile Court:
a. The signed written statement from the potential caregiver noted above; and
b. A statement that based upon current information known there is no known
information/fact that would prohibit the child being placed with the potential
caregiver and that it has completed and is prepared to send all required paperwork
to the Georgia ICPC office, including the Interstate Compact Placement Request
(ICPC-100A) and Sending States Priority Home Study Request (ICPC-101).
i. The Juvenile Court shall enter an order for Expedited Placement Decision
subject to any additions or deletions required by federal or state law;
ii. The order shall set forth the factual basis for a finding that ICPC Regulation
No. 7 applies to the child(ren) in question, whether the request includes a

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request for a provisional approval of the proposed caregiver and a factual

basis for the request;
iii. The order must also require completion of the Sending States Priority Home
Study Request (ICPC-101) for the expedited request.
3. The County DFCS Supervisor or Special Assistant Attorney General (SAAG) will request
the Juvenile Court provide a copy of its signed Order of Compliance within two (2)
business days of the hearing or consideration of the Regulation 7 request. The order shall
include the name, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone number and FAX number
of the clerk of court or a designated court administrator of the Juvenile Court exercising
jurisdiction over the child(ren).
4. Within three (3) business days of receipt of the signed Order of Compliance, complete the
Interstate Compact Placement Request (ICPC-100A) in Georgia SHINES and upload to
Georgia SHINES External Documentation the Sending States Priority Home Study
Request (ICPC-101), the statement from the proposed caregiver and any supporting
documentation. Prepare and send an email (icpc@dhr.state.ga.us) to the ICPC Unit
notifying of the ICPC request with the subject line New ICPC Request Expedited.
NOTE: Please adhere to the procedures outlined in the Georgia SHINES Job Aide
Documenting ICPC Cases in Georgia SHINES (Georgia is the Sending State) for completing
the ICPC request.
Upon receipt of a complete Regulation 7 request from the County DFCS, the Georgia ICPC
Administrator will:
1. Transmit the completed request for the assessment and for any provisional placement to
the receiving state Compact Administrator within two (2) business days of receipt.
2. The request shall include a copy of the Order of Compliance rendered in Georgia.
Requests for provisional approval or denial
Upon request and receipt of the documentation (including an Order of Compliance and a request
for provisional approval or denial) from the sending agency and agreement of the receiving state
to make a provisional determination, the receiving state shall expedite provisional determination
of the appropriateness of the proposed caregiver by having the assigned SSCM:
1. Perform a physical "walk through" of the prospective placement's home to assess the
residence for risks and the appropriateness of the placement for the child;
2. Search the receiving state's child protective services database for prior
reports/investigations on the prospective placement as required by the receiving state for
emergency placement of a child in its custody;
3. Perform a local criminal background check on the prospective placement;
4. Undertake other determinations as agreed upon by the sending and receiving state ICPC
Administrators; and
5. Provide a provisional written report to the receiving state Compact Administrator as to the
appropriateness of the proposed placement.
The receiving state ICPC Administrator shall then make a determination within seven (7)
calendar days of receipt of the completed request packet.
1. A provisional approval or denial shall be communicated to the sending state ICPC
Administrator by the receiving state ICPC Administrator in writing. This communication
shall not include the signed ICPC Request until the final decision is made.

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2. Provisional placement, if approved, shall continue pending a final approval or denial of the
placement by the receiving state or until the receiving state requires the return of the child
to the sending state.
3. If provisional approval is given for placement with a parent from whom the child was not
removed, the court in the sending state may direct its agency to request concurrence
from the sending and receiving state ICPC Administrators to place the child with the
parent and relinquish jurisdiction over the child after final approval is given. If such
concurrence is not given, the sending agency shall retain jurisdiction over the child as
otherwise provided under Article V of the ICPC.
4. A provisional denial means that the receiving state cannot approve a provisional
placement pending the more comprehensive home study or assessment process due to
issues that need to be resolved.
PRACTICE GUIDANCE
ICPC Regulation 7
The intent of this regulation is to expedite ICPC approval or denial by a receiving state for the
placement of a child with a parent, step-parent, grandparent, adult uncle or aunt, adult brother or
sister, or the child's guardian, and to:
1. Help protect the safety of children while minimizing the potential trauma to children
caused by interim or multiple placements while ICPC approval to place with a parent or
relative is being sought through a more comprehensive home study process.
2. Provide the sending state court and/or sending agency with expedited approval or denial.
An expedited denial would underscore the urgency for the sending state to explore
alternative placement resources.
For cases involving a child who is under the jurisdiction of a court as a result of action taken by a
child welfare agency, the court has the authority to determine custody and placement of the child
or has delegated said authority to the child welfare agency as the child is no longer in the home
of the parent from whom the child was removed, and the child is being considered for placement
in another state with a parent, step-parent, grandparent, adult uncle or aunt, adult brother or
sister, or the childs guardian. One of the following criteria must be met in order to be considered
a Regulation 7 case:
1. Unexpected dependency due to a sudden or recent incarceration, incapacitation or death
of a parent or guardian. Incapacitation means a parent or guardian is unable to care for a
child due to a medical, mental or physical condition of a parent or guardian; or
2. The child sought to be placed is four years of age or younger, including older siblings
sought to be placed with the same proposed caregiver; or
3. The court finds that any child in the sibling group sought to be placed has a substantial
relationship with the proposed caregiver. Substantial relationship means the proposed
caregiver has a familial or mentoring role with the child, has spent more than cursory time
with the child, and has established more than a minimal bond with the child; or
4. The child is currently in an emergency placement.
This regulation shall not apply if:
1. The child has already been placed in violation of the ICPC in the receiving state, unless a
visit has been approved in writing by the receiving state Compact Administrator and a

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subsequent order entered by the sending state court authorizing the visit with a fixed
return date in accordance with Regulation 9.
2. The intention of the sending state is for licensed or approved foster care or adoption. In
the event the intended placement [must be parent, step-parent, grandparent, adult aunt or
uncle, adult brother or sister, or guardian as per Article VIII(a)] is already licensed or
approved in the receiving state at the time of the request, such licensing or approval
would not preclude application of this regulation.
3. The court places the child with a parent from whom the child was not removed, the court
has no evidence the parent is unfit, does not seek any evidence from the receiving state
the parent is either fit or unfit, and the court relinquishes jurisdiction over the child
immediately upon placement with the parent.
FORMS AND TOOLS
Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children ICPC
Articles
Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children ICPC
Regulations
Interstate Compact Placement Request (ICPC-100A)
Interstate Compact Placement Request -Instructions (ICPC-100A-I)
Sending State Priority Home Study Request (ICPC-101)
Sending State Priority Home Study Request - Instructions (ICPC-101-I)
Statement of Case Manager/Potential Placement/Party Under Regulation 7

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