Designate certain families to be on call after hours

About this recommendation

There's a difference between the number of available beds the placement desk can see in its database, and the number of placements who answer the phone — especially during off-hours. Having specific "shifts" during which current foster families know they might receive an emergency placement call can help ensure every child has options at every hour.

How to do this

• Ask foster families to sign up to be on call. They might have times they can easily commit to already, or you might ask them to sign up for specific shifts. If this is on a volunteer basis, do your best to accommodate their schedules and preferences. Incorporate these preferences into your placement data, whether directly in the IT system or through a separate spreadsheet.
• Provide incentive payments for being on call and accepting any child during off-hours. This can incentivize more families to sign up.

Anticipated costs and benefits

Who's doing this

5 of 54 states and territories have implemented this recommendation.

• Hawaii has identified resource caregivers who will take non-infants and placements at any hour, in exchange for a monthly stipend.
• Rhode Island has an Emergency Response Program. Some families are paid a $15 (taxable) stipend per day in exchange for being on call. If they receive a call, they have a no-reject, no-eject policy for 14 days. These families are for children under the age of 12. There is a second program, Emergency Response X, for children age 12 and older, with lighter requirements around no-reject/no-eject. These families are to support DCYF in assessment, planning for transition, etc.
• Indiana provides a higher per diem rate to certain homes in exchange for the following: you can only say “no” twice every quarter, you’re open to taking ages 0-18, you will answer the phone in the middle of the night, and you will and maintain placement up to 7 days. The state can sometimes provide this higher stipend for longer than the 7 days if necessary.
• Ohio counties have the flexibility to provide higher rates to families who take emergency placements in the middle of the night. The per diem reverts to normal rates if the placement continues.
• Montgomery County, MD asks its foster families to commit to one or two weeks to be on call, but they can generally specify their own availability schedules.
• Frederick County, MD asks every family if they are available to answer phones in the middle of the night, and keeps track of this preference.