Virginia Law

A. The licensee shall complete a social history on each child within 45 days of the date of the child's placement except:

1. When the child is placed in a short-term foster care placement, the initial social history shall be completed within 30 days of the date of the child's placement and if subsequent short-term placements of the child are made, the licensee shall review and update the initial social history; and

2. For adoption, the licensee shall complete the social history prior to the signing of the adoptive placement agreement.

B. The social history shall be documented in the record of each child and shall include the following:

1. Date the history was completed;

2. Reasons for the placement and the permanency planning goal of the child's placement;

3. For foster care, treatment foster care, and independent living placements, identify the services needed to reach the child's permanency goal;

4. Information on the child's family's structure, relationships, and involvement with the child;

5. Child's previous placement history, including dates and names of previous caretakers, if any;

6. Child's developmental, educational, and medical history. The information, if available, shall include names and addresses of providers of medical treatment and copies of available reports or documentation of the licensee's attempts to obtain the information;

7. Child's history as a victim of abuse and neglect, including history of prenatal neglect or substance abuse by mother, if applicable;

8. Education and occupation of the child's parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents;

9. Medical and psychiatric history of the child's parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents as it relates to the suitability of the child for placement;

10. Emotional or psychological problems the child has experienced within the last 13 months, including strengths and needs of the child, assessments, and professional treatment received, if applicable;

11. Background information from other sources such as court reports and previous social histories, if any; and

12. For treatment foster care, current service or treatment plan from other treatment providers and discharge summaries from previous placements, if any.

C. For a child less than one year of age placed in foster care prior to adoption, the licensee shall in addition to the elements specified in subsection B of this section include the following in the child's social history:

1. Physical appearance of the child and of both parents if available;

2. Child's parents' nationality, race, and religion;

3. Description of the child's birth parents' personality, lifestyle, and childhood;

4. Identification of individuals in the family who know about the birth parents' plan;

5. Identification of the relatives who have been contacted for possible foster care placement;

6. Description of the type of adoptive family with whom the birth parents would like to have their child placed;

7. Expected length of the child's placement in a foster care home; and

8. Description of the recommendation of adoptive home that best meets the needs of the child or an explanation as to why the licensee has not yet made that determination.

D. If information on any item required by this section was not completed or obtained, the reason shall be documented under the appropriate section of the child's social history.

E. For a child less than one year of age placed in foster care prior to adoption, the licensee shall review the child's social history with the selected adoptive parents.