Section 80. Service plans

A. Every child in foster care shall have a current service plan. The service plan shall specify the assessed permanency goal and when appropriate the concurrent permanency goal, and shall meet all requirements set forth in federal or state law. The development of the service plan shall occur through shared decision-making between the local department; the child; the birth parents or prior custodians; the foster, adoptive, or resource parents; and any other interested individuals. All of these partners shall be involved in sharing information for the purposes of well-informed decisions and planning for the child with a focus on safety and permanence.

B. A service plan shall be written after the completion of a thorough assessment. Service plans shall directly reference how the strengths identified in the foster care assessment will support the plan and the needs to be met to achieve the permanency goal, including the identified concurrent permanency goal, in a timely manner.

C. A plan for visitation with the birth parents or prior custodians, siblings, grandparents, or other interested individuals for all children in foster care shall be developed and presented to the court as part of the service plan. A plan shall not be required if such visitation is not in the best interest of the child.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 29, Issue 02, eff. November 1, 2012.

Statutory Authority

§§ 63.2-217 and 63.2-900 of the Code of Virginia.