§ 9-28-109. Notice of move in foster care placement
(a) The policy of the State of Arkansas is that each child placed in the custody of the Department of Human Services should have stable placements. (b) (1) To reduce the number of placements of children in foster care, if a foster parent requests a foster child be removed from his or her home at […]
§ 9-28-110. Smoking in the presence of foster children
The Department of Human Services shall not place or permit a child to remain in a foster home, unless it is in the best interest of the child to be placed in or to remain in the foster home, if the foster parent: (1) Or any other member of the household smokes; or (2) Allows […]
§ 9-28-111. Case plans — Definition
(a) The Department of Human Services shall be responsible for developing case plans in all dependency-neglect cases and in family-in-need-of-services cases when custody is transferred to the department under § 9-27-328. The case plan shall be: (1) (A) Developed in consultation with the juvenile’s parent, guardian, or custodian and, if appropriate, the juvenile, the juvenile’s […]
§ 9-28-112. Foster children and educational issues
(a) The Department of Human Services and school districts shall work together for the best interest of any child placed in the custody of the department. (b) By the next business day after the department exercises a seventy-two-hour hold on a child or a court places custody of a child with the department, the department […]
§ 9-28-113. Continuity of educational services to foster children
(a) (1) (A) It is the intent of the General Assembly that each child in foster care is: (i) Entitled to the same opportunities to meet the academic achievement standards to which all children are held; (ii) Assisted so that the child can remain in his or her school of origin; (iii) Placed in the […]
§ 9-28-114. Foster youth transition
(a) The General Assembly finds that: (1) Each juvenile in foster care should have a family for a lifetime, but too many juveniles in foster care reach the age of majority without being successfully reunited with their biological families and without the security of permanent homes; (2) A child in foster care who is approaching […]
§ 9-28-115. Immunity — Definition
(a) A foster parent approved by a child placement agency licensed by the Department of Human Services shall not be liable for: (1) Damages caused by a foster child; or (2) Injuries to a foster child caused by acts or omissions of the foster parents unless the acts or omissions constitute malicious, willful, wanton, or […]
§ 9-28-116. Restrictions on foster and adoptive parents
(a) (1) A child in the custody of the Department of Human Services shall not be placed in an approved home of any foster parent or adoptive parent unless all household members eighteen and one-half (18½) years of age and older, excluding children in foster care, have been checked with the Identification Bureau of the […]
§ 9-28-101. Legislative intent and purpose
The General Assembly recognizes that the state has a responsibility to protect children from abuse and neglect by providing services and supports that promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of the children and families of Arkansas.
§ 9-28-102. Creation of the Division of Children and Family Services
There is created the Division of Children and Family Services within the Department of Human Services.