2009 Iowa Code
Title 6 - Human Services
Subtitle 5 - Juveniles
CHAPTER 232 - JUVENILE JUSTICE
232.143 - SERVICE AREA GROUP FOSTER CARE BUDGET TARGETS.

        232.143  SERVICE AREA GROUP FOSTER CARE BUDGET
      TARGETS.
         1. a.  A statewide expenditure target for children in group
      foster care placements in a fiscal year, which placements are a
      charge upon or are paid for by the state, shall be established
      annually in an appropriation bill by the general assembly.
      Representatives of the department and juvenile court services shall
      jointly develop a formula for allocating a portion of the statewide
      expenditure target established by the general assembly to each of the
      department's service areas.  The formula shall be based upon the
      service area's proportion of the state population of children and of
      the statewide usage of group foster care in the previous five
      completed fiscal years and upon other indicators of need.  The
      expenditure amount determined in accordance with the formula shall be
      the group foster care budget target for that service area.
         b.  A service area may exceed the service area's budget target
      for group foster care by not more than five percent in a fiscal year,
      provided the overall funding allocated by the department for all
      child welfare services in the service area is not exceeded.
         c.  If all of the following circumstances are applicable, a
      service area may temporarily exceed the service area's budget target
      as necessary for placement of a child in group foster care:
         (1)  The child is thirteen years of age or younger.
         (2)  The court has entered a dispositional order for placement of
      the child in group foster care.
         (3)  The child is placed in a juvenile detention facility awaiting
      placement in group foster care.
         d.  If a child is placed pursuant to paragraph "c",
      causing a service area to temporarily exceed the service area's
      budget target, the department and juvenile court services shall
      examine the cases of the children placed in group foster care and
      counted in the service area's budget target at the time of the
      placement pursuant to paragraph "c".  If the examination
      indicates it may be appropriate to terminate the placement for any of
      the cases, the department and juvenile court services shall initiate
      action to set a dispositional review hearing under this chapter for
      such cases.  In such a dispositional review hearing, the court shall
      determine whether needed aftercare services are available following
      termination of the placement and whether termination of the placement
      is in the best interests of the child and the community.
         2.  For each of the department's service areas, representatives
      appointed by the department and juvenile court services shall
      establish a plan for containing the expenditures for children placed
      in group foster care ordered by the court within the budget target
      allocated to that service area pursuant to subsection 1.  The plan
      shall be established in a manner so as to ensure the budget target
      amount will last the entire fiscal year.  The plan shall include
      monthly targets and strategies for developing alternatives to group
      foster care placements in order to contain expenditures for child
      welfare services within the amount appropriated by the general
      assembly for that purpose.  Funds for a child placed in group foster
      care shall be considered encumbered for the duration of the child's
      projected or actual length of stay, whichever is applicable.  Each
      service area plan shall be established within sixty days of the date
      by which the group foster care budget target for the service area is
      determined.  To the extent possible, the department and juvenile
      court services shall coordinate the planning required under this
      subsection with planning for services paid under section 232.141,
      subsection 4.  The department's service area manager shall
      communicate regularly, as specified in the service area plan, with
      the chief juvenile court officers within that service area concerning
      the current status of the service area plan's implementation.
         3.  State payment for group foster care placements shall be
      limited to those placements which are in accordance with the service
      area plans developed pursuant to subsection 2.  

         Section History: Recent Form

         92 Acts, ch 1229, § 10; 96 Acts, ch 1213, § 35; 98 Acts, ch 1047,
      §22; 99 Acts, ch 111, §9; 2004 Acts, ch 1116, §13; 2007 Acts, ch 218,
      §115
         Referred to in § 232.52, 232.102, 232.117, 232.127, 234.35 

         Footnotes

         Statewide expenditure target for group foster maintenance and
      services for 2009-2010 fiscal year; 2009 Acts, ch 182, § 16, 42