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<regulation prefix="Regulation" num=".02" citation="COMAR 07.05.02.02" title_num="07" subtitle_num="05" chapter_num="02" heading="Definitions.">
  <paragraph num="A.">
    <text>In this chapter, the following terms have the meanings indicated.</text>
  </paragraph>
  <paragraph num="B.">
    <text>Terms Defined.</text>
    <paragraph num="(1)">
      <text>“Child placement worker” means an individual licensed in Maryland as a social worker and employed by a licensed child placement agency to:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>Perform intake services;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>Provide casework, group work, or community organization services;</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(c)">
        <text>Plan and coordinate the services and resources affecting children and their birth parents before, during, and after the time the child is in foster care; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(d)">
        <text>Conduct foster home studies.</text>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(2)">
      <text>Foster Care.</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>“Foster care” means continuous 24-hour care and support services provided for a minor child by an individual or individuals certified by a licensed child placement agency as foster parents.</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>“Foster care” includes:</text>
        <paragraph num="(i)">
          <text>Services to the child's parent or legal guardian, siblings, and relatives to achieve a safe, permanent placement for the child;</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(ii)">
          <text>Services to the foster parent and supervision of the child in the foster care placement to assure that the placement promotes the child's physical, emotional, and intellectual growth and well-being; and</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(iii)">
          <text>Post-placement services to the child and the child's caregiver to prevent placement disruption or reentry into foster care placement.</text>
        </paragraph>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(3)">
      <text>“Foster parent” means an individual certified by a licensed child placement agency to provide 24-hour care for a foster child in the home where the individual resides.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(4)">
      <text>“Household” means the home where the applicant or licensed foster parent lives.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(5)">
      <text>“Household member” means an individual who lives in or is regularly present in a household.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(6)">
      <text>“Infant” means a child younger than 24 months old.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(7)">
      <text>“Least restrictive setting” means the setting most consistent with the best interests and special needs of the child.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(8)">
      <text>“Long-term care” means care provided for a child for whom:</text>
      <paragraph num="(a)">
        <text>A local department holds commitment or guardianship; and</text>
      </paragraph>
      <paragraph num="(b)">
        <text>The court determined that, even though reasonable efforts were made to effect reunification, relative placement, or adoption, none of these options is possible for reasons such as:</text>
        <paragraph num="(i)">
          <text>After being counseled, the child who is 10 years old or older refuses to be adopted, and there is no caregiver willing to become the permanent resource for the child, or</text>
        </paragraph>
        <paragraph num="(ii)">
          <text>The child's special needs are satisfied in an institutional setting and a change in placement would be detrimental to the child.</text>
        </paragraph>
      </paragraph>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(9)">
      <text>“Staffing” means a meeting with caregivers, child placement workers, or other involved service providers to discuss a particular case and agree on methods for achieving case plan goals.</text>
    </paragraph>
    <paragraph num="(10)">
      <text>“Treatment foster care” means a 24-hour substitute care program, operated by a licensed child placement agency or local department of social services, for children with a serious emotional, behavioral, medical, or psychological condition as described in COMAR 07.02.21.</text>
    </paragraph>
  </paragraph>
</regulation>