Subdivision 1.

Out-of-home placement; plan.

(a) An out-of-home placement plan shall
be prepared within 30 days after any child is placed in foster care by court order or a
voluntary placement agreement between the responsible social services agency and the
child's parent pursuant to section 260C.227 or chapter 260D.

(b) An out-of-home placement plan means a written document individualized to the
needs of the child and the child's parents or guardians that is prepared by the responsible
social services agency jointly with the child's parents or guardians and in consultation with
the child's guardian ad litem; the child's tribe, if the child is an Indian child; the child's foster
parent or representative of the foster care facility; and, when appropriate, the child. When
a child is age 14 or older, the child may include two other individuals on the team preparing
the child's out-of-home placement plan. The child may select one member of the case
planning team to be designated as the child's advisor and to advocate with respect to the
application of the reasonable and prudent parenting standards. The responsible social services
agency may reject an individual selected by the child if the agency has good cause to believe
that the individual would not act in the best interest of the child. For a child in voluntary
foster care for treatment under chapter 260D, preparation of the out-of-home placement
plan shall additionally include the child's mental health treatment provider. For a child 18
years of age or older, the responsible social services agency shall involve the child and the
child's parents as appropriate. As appropriate, the plan shall be:

(1) submitted to the court for approval under section 260C.178, subdivision 7;

(2) ordered by the court, either as presented or modified after hearing, under section
260C.178, subdivision 7, or 260C.201, subdivision 6; and

(3) signed by the parent or parents or guardian of the child, the child's guardian ad litem,
a representative of the child's tribe, the responsible social services agency, and, if possible,
the child.

(c) The out-of-home placement plan shall be explained by the responsible social services
agency to all persons involved in the plan's implementation, including the child who has
signed the plan, and shall set forth:

(1) a description of the foster care home or facility selected, including how the
out-of-home placement plan is designed to achieve a safe placement for the child in the
least restrictive, most family-like setting available that is in close proximity to the home of
the child's parents or guardians when the case plan goal is reunification; and how the
placement is consistent with the best interests and special needs of the child according to
the factors under subdivision 2, paragraph (b);

(2) the specific reasons for the placement of the child in foster care, and when
reunification is the plan, a description of the problems or conditions in the home of the
parent or parents that necessitated removal of the child from home and the changes the
parent or parents must make for the child to safely return home;

(3) a description of the services offered and provided to prevent removal of the child
from the home and to reunify the family including:

(i) the specific actions to be taken by the parent or parents of the child to eliminate or
correct the problems or conditions identified in clause (2), and the time period during which
the actions are to be taken; and

(ii) the reasonable efforts, or in the case of an Indian child, active efforts to be made to
achieve a safe and stable home for the child including social and other supportive services
to be provided or offered to the parent or parents or guardian of the child, the child, and the
residential facility during the period the child is in the residential facility;

(4) a description of any services or resources that were requested by the child or the
child's parent, guardian, foster parent, or custodian since the date of the child's placement
in the residential facility, and whether those services or resources were provided and if not,
the basis for the denial of the services or resources;

(5) the visitation plan for the parent or parents or guardian, other relatives as defined in
section 260C.007, subdivision 26b or 27, and siblings of the child if the siblings are not
placed together in foster care, and whether visitation is consistent with the best interest of
the child, during the period the child is in foster care;

(6) when a child cannot return to or be in the care of either parent, documentation of
steps to finalize adoption as the permanency plan for the child through reasonable efforts
to place the child for adoption pursuant to section 260C.605. At a minimum, the
documentation must include consideration of whether adoption is in the best interests of
the child and child-specific recruitment efforts such as a relative search, consideration of
relatives for adoptive placement, and the use of state, regional, and national adoption
exchanges to facilitate orderly and timely placements in and outside of the state. A copy of
this documentation shall be provided to the court in the review required under section
260C.317, subdivision 3, paragraph (b);

(7) when a child cannot return to or be in the care of either parent, documentation of
steps to finalize the transfer of permanent legal and physical custody to a relative as the
permanency plan for the child. This documentation must support the requirements of the
kinship placement agreement under section 256N.22 and must include the reasonable efforts
used to determine that it is not appropriate for the child to return home or be adopted, and
reasons why permanent placement with a relative through a Northstar kinship assistance
arrangement is in the child's best interest; how the child meets the eligibility requirements
for Northstar kinship assistance payments; agency efforts to discuss adoption with the child's
relative foster parent and reasons why the relative foster parent chose not to pursue adoption,
if applicable; and agency efforts to discuss with the child's parent or parents the permanent
transfer of permanent legal and physical custody or the reasons why these efforts were not
made;

(8) efforts to ensure the child's educational stability while in foster care for a child who
attained the minimum age for compulsory school attendance under state law and is enrolled
full time in elementary or secondary school, or instructed in elementary or secondary
education at home, or instructed in an independent study elementary or secondary program,
or incapable of attending school on a full-time basis due to a medical condition that is
documented and supported by regularly updated information in the child's case plan.
Educational stability efforts include:

(i) efforts to ensure that the child remains in the same school in which the child was
enrolled prior to placement or upon the child's move from one placement to another, including
efforts to work with the local education authorities to ensure the child's educational stability
and attendance; or

(ii) if it is not in the child's best interest to remain in the same school that the child was
enrolled in prior to placement or move from one placement to another, efforts to ensure
immediate and appropriate enrollment for the child in a new school;

(9) the educational records of the child including the most recent information available
regarding:

(i) the names and addresses of the child's educational providers;

(ii) the child's grade level performance;

(iii) the child's school record;

(iv) a statement about how the child's placement in foster care takes into account
proximity to the school in which the child is enrolled at the time of placement; and

(v) any other relevant educational information;

(10) the efforts by the responsible social services agency to ensure the oversight and
continuity of health care services for the foster child, including:

(i) the plan to schedule the child's initial health screens;

(ii) how the child's known medical problems and identified needs from the screens,
including any known communicable diseases, as defined in section 144.4172, subdivision
2, shall be monitored and treated while the child is in foster care;

(iii) how the child's medical information shall be updated and shared, including the
child's immunizations;

(iv) who is responsible to coordinate and respond to the child's health care needs,
including the role of the parent, the agency, and the foster parent;

(v) who is responsible for oversight of the child's prescription medications;

(vi) how physicians or other appropriate medical and nonmedical professionals shall be
consulted and involved in assessing the health and well-being of the child and determine
the appropriate medical treatment for the child; and

(vii) the responsibility to ensure that the child has access to medical care through either
medical insurance or medical assistance;

(11) the health records of the child including information available regarding:

(i) the names and addresses of the child's health care and dent