Per Diem:
Foster parents will be reimbursed at a minimum of $18.00 per day. Foster parents are reimbursed at the rate set forth in their Foster Parent Agency Agreement signed at the time a child is placed. Any special circumstances unique to the child placed should be negotiated at or before the time of placement and will be reflected in the Foster Parent Agency Agreement. This amount will be paid at the end of the second month a child is in care. Checks for foster parent reimbursement will be mailed via regular United States Postal Service no later than the last day of the month (30th or 31st). In the event the last day of the month is a holiday or Saturday or Sunday, the checks will be mailed the following business day. In the event a specific county or counties have fallen behind in payment for care to Diversion, Inc., the Agency may withhold payment to parents with children from those counties until the counties have made payment. Diversion will make every effort to pay parents in a timely manner.
The per diem reimbursement is expected to provide for room and board. This will also include any special agreement made between the foster caregiver and Diversion personnel, which is stated at the time of placement. Foster parents are also expected to provide minor clothing needs such as socks, underwear, make up, cosmetics and personal hygiene items within reason.
The per diem is also expected to cover minor school supply needs (IE. Notebooks, pens, pencils, crayons, etc.). Diversion will be responsible for school fees and participatory fees for extra curricula activities in the manner described in the school expense policy.
The per diem will cover the cost for transporting a foster child to various appointments just as you would your own child for at a maximum of 40 miles round trip.
Any expenditures made by the foster parents which do not fall under the per diem expectations, must be pre-approved by the business office and will be determined on a case by case basis in accordance with the following procedure:
All requests must be made to the Casemanager that will submit, in writing; a purchase requisition form with the fee attached to their supervisor’s for approval. The supervisor can approve any fee under $25.00. Fees above $25.00 will need to be approved by the supervisor and then forwarded to the business office for approval. After the approval is obtained, the foster parents will pay the fee and will be reimbursed with their with the regular per diem check (Unless other otherwise determined on a case by case basis).
Reimbursement will be made to parents who provide documentation (canceled check, receipt or a copy of the billing) and who have obtained prior approval for the expense.
Respite Payment:
Foster parents providing respite care will be reimbursed at the same rate the placement parent is receiving.
Foster parents who have a child placed away from their home in respite care will not be paid for the days the child/children are away from their home. The exception to this is the one day a month respite that is provided by Diversion for children in Specialized Treatment Level 2 and one day every two months respite that is provided by Diversion for children in Specialized Treatment Level 1 placements.
Training Payments to Foster Caregivers:
Diversion shall make stipend payments to foster caregivers under their supervision to compensate such foster caregivers for their cost of attending training sessions. Such stipend payments must be made to the foster caregiver within sixty calendar days of the completion of the training event; it is however the responsibility of the foster care giver to submit any training received outside of Diversion within 10 days of the training. The stipend rate paid by Diversion shall be ten dollars per foster caregiver per training hour successfully completed within a training session that is a minimum of one training hour in duration. Stipend payments shall be rendered for fractional hours in increments of not less than one-quarter hour. As used in this policy, a training hour means sixty consecutive minutes of instruction and may include a break of not longer than ten minutes per training hour when a training session is longer than one training hour in duration.
Diversion may decline to make a training payment to a foster caregiver if Diversion determines that the foster caregiver has not successfully acquired the skills the training was designed to impart, or that the training was beyond the scope or the amount of training specified in of the foster caregiver's individualized written needs assessment and continuing training plan, or that the training hours received were in excess of the minimum levels specified in sections 5103.031 and 5103.032 of the Revised Code. Diversion will not make a training payment where the training the foster caregiver received was part of a program of self-directed study or otherwise not delivered in a conventional or traditional setting where the principal transfer of knowledge occurred through the physical presence of a trainer whose responsibility it was to impart instruction to the foster parent.
Diversion shall defer the payment of training payments for pre-placement training until the foster caregiver is certified. If the applicant is not certified they will not be paid the training payment for session attended.
Transportation:
Foster parents are expected to transport children for appointments, school activities, birth family visitation, work, etc. as a part of their responsibilities for trips of 40 miles or less. Diversion will reimburse mileage for trips for counseling, medical related, biological visits and court dates at the rate of $.35 per mile after the first 40 miles, with prior approval from the Casemanager for driving in the community in which the foster family lives. Trips of 100 miles or more will be paid at the rate of $.28 and must be pre-approved by the Program Supervisor.
Parents are expected to provide transportation for children in placement and in the event casework staff has to transport for a parent the mileage will be deducted from their per diem at the above rates for the entire trip.
Damage to the Home:
Diversion assumes no responsibility for any damage that a child may do to a foster parent’s home. An insurance policy is available for protection. If a parent is interested, they should speak to their Casemanager about the insurance program.
Phone Bill:
Youth shall be allowed to make and receive a reasonable number of confidential telephone calls (Unless otherwise determined in the treatment plan goals). A youth is allowed to make collect calls to his family members or significant others as agreed upon between the youth, the referring agency Casemanager, the foster parent, the Division worker and the person to whom the call is being made.
Diversion is not responsible for phone charges incurred by a foster child. It is the foster parent’s job to be sure that their phone is not being misused. A block can be put on your phone to prevent unauthorized long distance phone use. We strongly urge you to contact your phone company and carefully watch the use of your phone.
Legal Representation:
Legal representation, legal fees, counseling or legal advocacy for foster caregivers for matters directly related to the proper performance of their roles is not provided by Diversion.