Frequently Asked Questions

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Service Package Details

Are all Child Placing Agency (CPA)/Foster Family Home T3C Service Packages eligible for the Add-On Services?
Are all CPAs and General Residential Operations (GROs) eligible to provide all Service Packages and Add-On Services?
Will GRO facilities be able to provide more than one Service Package?
What Service Packages will Emergency Shelters be eligible to apply to provide?
Will foster homes be able to provide more than one Service Package?
Are there supposed to be differences between the current Contract and Open Enrollments for Treatment Foster Family Care and QRTPs, and the T3C Treatment Foster Family Care and Tier II GRO Service Package requirements?
Is Tier I considered Treatment services?
What is the Logic Model?
Will you include resources or a list in the next Blueprint release that tell which treatment models are considered Evidence-informed?
For the packages designed for those victims/survivors of human trafficking one of the training requirements states: "A Universal Human Trafficking Prevention Training specifically designed for victims/survivors of Human Trafficking is required for all staff and Direct Delivery Caregivers." Could you elaborate on what is meant by this?
What Service Package would the biological child of a youth or young adult who is parenting and is placed in the Tier I: Services to Support Community Transition for Youth & Young Adults who are Pregnant or Parenting Service Package have?
If a teenager is in her third trimester of pregnancy, will she be categorized under the Tier I: Complex Medical Needs Treatment Services to Support Community Transition or Tier II: Complex Medical Services to Support Stabilization while residing in a general residential facility?
If a provider is not credentialed for the Kinship Services Add-On, can the agency still license kinship families to provide Basic Foster Family Home Services? Or is the Add- On a requirement for all Kinship homes that are licensed?
Does the required paid leave for all Direct Delivery Caregivers include part-time employees?
In the T3C System Blueprint, both the GRO-Tier I and Tier II Service Packages state “The GRO must have a customized daily Recreation Schedule that supports the physical, social, and emotional well-being needs of children in a manner that is age and developmentally appropriate, and consistent with the operation’s Treatment Model.” Does that mean customized for the individual child, like what is required for a child receiving Treatment Services under Minimum Standards, or does that mean customized to be appropriate for all of the children receiving a particular Service Package?
Why isn’t “Childcare Services” identified as a required Programmatic Service type under the Permit Services for all of the Service Packages in the T3C System Blueprint?
The GRO Service Packages require the residential provider to have Permit Services for Transitional Living under the Programmatic Services if the provider will accept youth age 14 and older. Isn’t that counter to the intent when a child needs a more structured treatment program, particularly for the GRO- Tier II Service Packages?
Can a provider subcontract for Aftercare Case Management?
Are the T3C rates enough to cover the increased requirements?
Do I need to employ or contract certain service providers, such as licensed therapists or physicians?
Where can we go for resources on how to implement aspects of the Service Packages, such as what does Continuous Quality Assurance and Improvement (CQAI) look like, or getting support for developing logic models?
Is there a certain number of paid days of Intermittent Alternative Care (aka respite) that need to be provided?
Could you provide more guidance on what a Behavior Support Specialist/Mentor is and what kind of qualifications that individual might need?
If a CPA has multiple branches, will each branch office be required to have it’s own Licensed Child Placing Agency Administrator if there is a LCPAA at the main location?
If a CPA chooses not to become Credentialed for the Transition Support Services for Youth & Young Adults Add-On Service, does that mean that the CPA and Foster Home are not responsible for meeting the youth or young adult’s transition planning needs?
If a CPA chooses not to take advantage of the Transition Support Services for Youth & Young Adults Add-On Service, do they still need to add the Transitional Living Programmatic Service to their Permit?
If a provider has questions about Permit changes related to T3C compliance, who can we contact?
Can an external service provider, such as a therapist, be contracted with multiple residential operations under T3C?
Can a GRO or RTC serve both Tier I and Tier II Service Packages in the same facility?
If a GRO has utilized a contracted Psychiatrist, whose training exceeds that of a Registered Nurse and whom is routinely on-site and is available via phone or video conference 24 hours a day/7days a week to direct and oversee the administration of psychotropic and other medications to children, to fulfill a requirement for accreditation with The Council on Accreditation (COA), can that Psychiatrist fulfill the requirement for a Registered Nurse in the Tier I: Mental & Behavioral Health Treatment Services to Support Community Transition Service Package? What about to fulfill the requirements for a Registered Nurse in the Tier II Service Packages?
Can we use a Physician Assistant for our Treatment Director in the Complex Medical Needs or Medically Fragile Support Services Package, since the qualifications for Treatment Director are listed as a physician or a licensed Registered Nurse?
What role can therapy interns, under appropriate supervision, play within T3C?
For Foster Family Home Service Package Add-Ons, in the Staffing Requirements section of the Blueprint, what is the meaning behind “dedicated Kinship Caregiver Home Support staff and infrastructure”, as well as “dedicated transition Support/Mentor Staff”, and “dedicated Parenting Support/Mentor Staff”?
For the Intermittent Alternate Care, does this mean that as an agency we can withhold payment from the foster home that has placement of the child to pay the alternative care providers? Also, can we have volunteers provide this function free of charge on occasion?
Could you provide any additional information about what the new Cost reports under T3C will look like?
The definition for IT System in the T3C System Blueprint requires that it "meets industry standards for secure data storage" but I know that the contract may have special requirements. Where can I find the most up to date IT Data and Systems Security Requirements for DFPS Contractors?
In regard to the Service Package requirement related to collecting data to track Service Package referrals, is the expectation to track all referrals, including those outside of our operation’s child eligibility criteria?
What does “Length of Service” mean and how does an operation add that to their Treatment Model since they do not determine the length of service for children in Foster Care, as it can vary depending on permanency options, even for children in a T3C Basic Foster Family Home Support Services Package?
Could you clarify which Service Packages require that the Registered Nurse be on staff, and can’t just have the RN be contracted?
Updated If we do not meet the suggested ratio under General Appropriate Staff to Child Ratio based on Service Package, do the compensation rates change?
"For tracking referrals with the IT System, do child referrals that are outside of the Provider’s age range served need to be tracked?
Could you clarify which roles among the LCCA/LCPAA, Program Director, and Treatment Director can be shared by the same person for a single operation/agency?
Could the same person be employed under two different permits to serve as the same role, in regards to the LCCA/LCPAA, Program Director and Treatment Director?
Can you explain more regarding the roles of the Behavior Support Specialist and Aftercare Case Manager? Specifically, can one person hold both roles, requirements, etc.
For Medically Complex Aftercare Coordination, can it be performed by the Treatment/Medical Director?
What if the foster parent does not want to take respite?
If we commit to one of the case management IT Systems at this time, will they be able to accommodate any changes/modifications that may come up during or after the application process/ completion?
When the T3C System Blueprint identifies “a degree in a human services field from an accredited college or university” as part of the qualifications for the Treatment Director position, what degrees fall under that classification?
Is T3C looking for specific assessment tools for outcome measures for Continuous Quality Assurance and Improvement (CQAI)?
New For Service Packages that require a registered nurse, is there a requirement to establish formal supervision by a physician or another nurse?
New For the group therapy requirement, the T3C System Blueprint does not specify a minimum age. Can the provider designate a minimum age for children to participate in this group?
New For Continuous Quality Assurance and Improvement (CQAI) process, to measure Logic Model outputs, are there any requirements for the provider to prove reliability or validity of the assessment tools? Would an informal survey count?
New Do we need to create a Driver position, if we have those duties under the Direct Care Staff already?
New For positions that don't have minimum qualifications in Minimum Standards or detailed in the T3C System Blueprint, there is guidance in the FAQ about how a position like the Behavior Support Specialist/ Mentor should have a college degree, similar to a Case Manager. Is there any exception for the ability to substitute experience?

What does care look like under T3C?

What are the required child caregiver ratios?
Can provider case managers have dual roles, i.e. a child’s case manager can also act as the child’s aftercare case manager once the child is discharged?
Some service packages have expectations around therapists per a specified number of children. If the therapists are engaging in Medicaid billable activities, what is accounted for in the rate?
If the child’s needs change, does the Service Package change?
In regards to sibling group placements, how do you credential and prepare a foster home for needs that could be identified later as traumas arise, but be able to maintain the sibling group placement?
What does oversight of compliance with T3C implementation look like?
What evidence do we have that T3C will work?
What is the difference between GRO Tier I and Tier II for children with behavioral health needs?
If a child’s next placement, whether family/ kinship placement/ foster home, does not want to participate in our Aftercare Case Management, how do we handle that? Would we have to continue to try to make contact for the entire required period of Aftercare?
What is the difference between the Registered Nurse responsibilities for GRO Tier I and GRO Tier II Service Packages?
Are prior placement providers required to conduct Face to Face Aftercare visits?
What does planning for and arranging Aftercare Services look like when the next placement is unknown?
Is the Single Child’s Plan of Service (Form 3300) being updated to include T3C?
Are CPAs allowed to have children from different service packages living in the same foster home?
Why is there no longer an independent third-party review to ensure fair and consistent utilization reviews? Having the provider make the determination for the Continuing Stay Guidelines seems to be inviting disagreements between providers and SSCCs.
For those of us with a one or two person CPA office, how would the “dedicated” aspect of the staff required for Add-On Services work?
How will T3C effect contracted or external Providers who provide services to the children in Foster Care, such as Skills Training?
When will a Provider begin to receive the new rate based on the package they are providing?
Can a Case Manager provide Aftercare Services, since they have the best most trusting relationship with a child?
What is the intention behind the inclusion of a Physician for the Tier I: Emergency Emotional Support & Assessment Center Service Package?
Will shelters be able to admit children who are already rated as needing Tier II?

Credentialing Process

Will a residential provider have to undergo a separate Credentialing process with DFPS and the SSCCs (Single Source Continuum Contractor), or even with each SSCC?
Will DFPS have to review and credential each of a CPA's homes?
Do all foster homes have to be Credentialed for T3C Basic Foster Family Home Support Services, as well as any additional Service Packages that they actually want to provide?
Can a foster home be Credentialed to provide the T3C Treatment Foster Family Care Services Package, the Mental & Behavioral Health Support Services Package, and the Human Trafficking Victim/ Survivor Support Services Package, depending on the referrals they receive?
Do all GRO Tier I operations have to be Credentialed for T3C Basic Child Care Operation Service Package, as well as any additional Service Packages that they actually want to provide?
Does a residential provider have to get Credentialed to provide Supervised Independent Living (SIL) Services?
Does T3C follow current minimum standards?
Do Add-On Services need to be listed on the Permit?
Will providers need new permits?
Are new policies and procedures required for T3C?
How does a Child Placing Agency (CPA) determine which foster home can provide service packages beyond basic?
What will the process look like for agencies, to include any ongoing evaluation, as related to completion of Credentialing and the development of a logic model?
What is the state’s priority for credentialing each of the services packages?
What does Licensing look at as far as Credentialing?
Are there steps or instructions for Credentialing foster homes, including whether CPAs need to enter the Service Packages the home is Credentialed for into a system?
Could you provide more information regarding the Interim Credential eligibility criteria around having a history of termination of contract for convenience?
For the Interim Credentialing process, will the review result in an all-or-none decision for all of the Service Packages that an operation has applied to provide?
Is a provider eligible to apply for the Interim Credential if they are on Heightened Monitoring?
Is a provider eligible to apply for the Full Credential if they are on Heightened Monitoring?
Does the Credentialing process look at whether a Treatment Model and Logic Model will actually work?
Can you elaborate on the requirements of the Interim vs. Full Credential, in regard to providers who have only an “Initial” Permit?
How long does it take to the complete the Interim Credentialing application?
How long will it take to accredit an organization once the application has been submitted?
What is the difference between Inactive Interim Credential and Active Interim Credential?
Are there services such as “young adult care” that don’t show up on the physical copy of the permit?
Our T3C application folder on SharePoint is now empty after submission. Is this intended or an error?
Is there a central contact for YFT that we can utilize to ask questions during the Credentialing process?
Should we include information on specific children as examples in the documentation that we upload for Credentialing?
For providers that have already started working on their Interim Credential application, will the addendum attestation form be released for us to complete?
For policy and handbook updates, do we still need to submit changes created due to T3C to Licensing, even though we are submitting them to T3C?
New Do we need to go through Interim Credentialing, or can we go straight to the Full Credentialing application process?
New Once a provider is awarded an Inactive Credential, will that be for one Service Package or multiple Service Packages, if the provider has applied for more than one?
New Once a Provider is awarded an Inactive Credential, is the 120-day timeframe concurrent or consecutive for the Service Packages?
New Can I apply for Credentials for multiple permitted facilities on one application?
New Will the application review by the Credentialing Analyst be for all Service Packages applied for concurrently, or one at a time?
New Do I have to apply for Credentials for each CPA Branch on a separate application?

CANS 3.0 Assessment

Who administers the CANS 3.0 Assessment?
How will providers know the results of the CANS 3.0 Assessment?
When is the CANS 3.0 Assessment completed?
Is the CANS 3.0 Assessment recommendation for a Service Package the sole determining factor for where the child is placed?
What happens if a child, who is brand new to conservatorship, is placed under a Service Package to meet a particular need that was identified in the child’s application for Placement, but the CANS 3.0 Assessment recommendation does not match that Service Package?
How will you be able to accurately assess the child’s needs, especially behavioral/emotional needs, if the CANS 3.0 is done in the first 30 days, yet behaviors often don’t surface until after the honeymoon period (up to 3 months)?
Will young adults age 18 and older be required to complete the CANS 3.0 assessment on the schedule required by the Service Package that they are placed in, or at least annually if they are placed in Supervised Independent Living (SIL)?
Logistically, how is the CANS 3.0 going to be accomplished? The shear volume seems like a huge undertaking… will this potentially be passed down to the child care providers?
For a child or youth that is non-verbal, how can the CANS accurately assess them for a service package?
In cases where a child or youth needs to be immediately placed, due to allegations of abuse or neglect, how does that work with needing a CANs Assessment?
If a full CANS assessment will be conducted each time, I am concerned about the long-term validity due to assessment fatigue. If a child is required to complete a CANS assessment, per T3C service package requirements, more than once per year, will the full assessment be administered each time, or will an abridged version be administered to prevent assessment fatigue?
Will DFPS staff be responsible for becoming certified in administering the CANS 3.0 assessment?
For children who are newly entering DFPS conservatorship, will the CANS' Recommended Service Package be known prior to their placement?
Do Treatment Directors, Therapists, Case Managers and/or other clinical staff that will be involved in child service planning need to be certified in the CANS 3.0?
Will the CANS 3.0 be ready in January 2025?
When will the CANS Assessment be finalized and tested?
Where do we find a copy of the CANS 3.0?
Will the CANS 3.0 result in a recommendation for multiple Service Packages, since a child can have multiple needs where they may meet the criteria for more than one Service Package?
New When a child who is new to care is placed in a pre-T3C System placement, will their CANS 3.0 be handled under the current administration process or by DFPS/SSCC CANS Assessors?

Making the Transition

Under the T3C System, will General Residential Operations and Foster Family Home no longer be reimbursed according to the child’s Level of Care?
When do providers need to start planning the transition?
Is the T3C System Blueprint the Contract requirements for residential provider operations to provide T3C?
Can a residential provider still utilize a Treatment Model that they have developed?
The T3C System Blueprint emphasizes that therapy services should be authorized and paid for through STAR Health, but can a residential provider have the majority of therapists utilized on staff and pay them a salary or contract directly with them?
Can a residential provider continue to utilize Microsoft Word and Excel documents through the operation’s shared Google Drive as their Information Technology (IT) System?
What does the transition of CPAs and their Foster Homes look like?
How are CPAs with multiple branches supposed to address the Generally Appropriate Staff to child ratios? Does each branch need to meet that same approximate staff ratio for each Service Package, or does the total number of all specific staff positions that serve that Service Package across all branches need to meet that same ratio?
Will T3C completely replace the Service Levels System?
Will providers need new DFPS contracts?
How long does it take for a residential provider to obtain an additional Permit Service in order to be eligible for offering a Service Package?
Will DFPS be releasing a list of approved evidence-informed Treatment Models?
Is there a grace period for the implementation process?
What happens if/when a provider cannot meet the deadline to implement T3C?
Is DFPS going to streamline processes?
What is the role of emergency shelters in T3C?
What happens to TLPs or SILs when they don’t fall into those tiers?
Will YFT be involved in T3C?
I am a new provider. Where do I start?
How can we get assistance to be able to navigate implementing T3C in our own program?
When will funding be available? How long will the funding be guaranteed?
Do you already need to already be contracted as a QRTP in order to apply for a Credential for Tier II Service Packages?
How will T3C align with Community Based Care, in terms of how the SSCC's pay, monitor, etc.?
Will providers still be required to comply with “Cost Report” accounting under T3C?
Is the "Foster Family Home Pass Through Portion" identified for Service Packages in the Blueprint a minimum or maximum? Can it be changed by the SSCC?
What is the expectation for monitoring of Continuous Quality Assurance and Improvement (CQAI) in regards to Logic Models?
For operations that are Nonfinancial Contractors, providing Basic Level of Care residential services at no cost to DFPS children or the state, since they can’t take advantage of the increased rates under T3C and may not have the ability to access grants or extra funds to make some of the changes needed to fulfill all T3C requirements, what does their future look like under T3C?
If a GRO does not plan to serve youth age 14+, do they still need to have the transition to adulthood preparation and planning requirements, including the training of staff?
Are there guidelines regarding how many days of Intermittent Alternate Care (also known as respite) per month a CPA is required to provide to foster parents?
What actions would be appropriate to take if a Provider wants to combine functions, such as including the Educational Liaison, Cross System Coordination, as roles that Case Managers will be responsible for?
If we start with individuals serving multiple functions, but over time are able to move to a more focused job description for individuals, how will we report or account for those changes with SSCCs or DFPS?
Could there ever be a need for a single CPA branch office to need 2 Treatment Directors?
Among the STAR Health Medicaid services that the CANS 2.0 would often recommend for children with complex physician and mental health needs is Targeted Case Management (TCM). The Staffing Requirements section of each Service Package in the T3C System Blueprint reinforces that “All Case Management functions must be performed by actual employees of the operation.” Does this mean that residential providers will no longer be able to utilize TCM? Will CANS 3.0 continue to recommend services such as TCM, in addition to the Recommended Service Package?
How are Permanency Care Assistance and Adoption assistance subsidies, as well as Post-Permanency Service rates/eligibility affected by the change to T3C Service Packages?
What is the timeline for appeals once the CANS 3.0 results in a Recommended Service Package?
Once a provider has submitted their Credentialing application, should they be requesting a new CANS 3.0 Assessment while they await their Credential Award?
To meet the requirements of the Quality Assurance and Continued Stay Guidelines, would a signature from the Program Director (and any other required staff, such as RN and Treatment Director depending on Service Package) on the service plan meet that requirement? Or is additional documentation needed?
To meet all of the requirements of the physician position for the GRO Tier I: Emergency Emotional Support and Assessment Center Service Package, can the Provider utilize multiple resources to create a composite to meet all the standards?
Will transitional living program clients still maintain LOC's, and that can be included under the basic childcare package?
Will SSCCs maintain discretion over contracts ending when a Provider transitions to T3C? It has been noticed that for SSCCs, when the provider isn’t in their physical catchment area, will terminate contracts when the provider isn’t accepting all referrals, even if those referrals are outside of that provider’s license.
New Do all agencies get an Inactive Credential as a first step, even if you have met all requirements for an Active Credential?
New Can you have a youth placed under the pre-T3C System and another placed under the T3C System in the same foster home?
New What sort of documentation will providers need to be able to initially assign children who are currently placed to Service Packages?
New Do current foster homes have to receive the training for each Service Package that the CPA Credentials them for, before we can enter them in the CLASS Provider Portal?
New For GROs, can children with different Service Packages that require different Treatment Services on the Permit be housed in the same building?

The Placement Process

Once a residential provider is Credentialed, will all children who are already placed under that provider automatically convert from a Service Level to a T3C Service Package?
So, can a child remain placed with the same residential provider and be transitioned to T3C when the provider becomes Credentialed, without having to move?
When a child is brand new to conservatorship, what Service Packages would be eligible to accept the child before the CANS 3.0 Assessment is complete?
Will SSCC’s still receive blended rates and be able to determine rates for their network providers for children that are placed with network providers that are not yet Credentialed to provide T3C?
Can a child that qualifies for Treatment Services under Minimum Standards be placed in either a Support Services Package in a foster home or a Services to Support Community Transition Package in a GRO Tier I?
Who ultimately decides which package a child is eligible for, and how is the start date of the new reimbursement level communicated?
What will happen in a scenario where a provider or foster home’s Credential for a particular service package is expiring or being discontinued and will not be renewed, but there are children in the placement utilizing that service package?
When children are first administratively transitioned to a T3C Service Package, after the Provider becomes Credentialed, does new placement paperwork need to be completed?
For children with dual diagnosis of IDD/Autism and Medically Complex or Fragile, what Service Package would they fall under?

IT-Related Questions

Where can I view the IT presentations for SSCCs?
How can I get more IT information?

Human Trafficking Training

Will a Spanish curriculum be offered?
This curriculum for T3C is only 90 minutes when SSCCs contracts require HT to be 2 hours. Are you counting the testing period towards the 2-hour requirement?
Can we add additional resources/activities to this curriculum, and if so, do we need approval?
When can this curriculum be implemented?
Can we embed videos into the presentation and make it a PowerPoint presentation with trainers' notes?
If we do a Human Trafficking Training already, will this training take place of that, or do we just add this to that?
Approximately how much time will be required to provide this training to our team?
How many credit/contact hours do our participants receive?
We can create our own Human Trafficking training for T3C as long as it meets requirements. Do we have to run our training by someone? Will we provide our training during the credentialing process to see if it meets the requirements?
Is this an annual training?
Is this training required to be in-person, or is it encouraged to be in-person?
Will this training replace the Human Trafficking Training in the DFPS Learning Hub?
Is this curriculum used to train the youth?
When does implementation of this training start? Now or when T3C starts?
Will this training be mandatory for our foster parents?
Will this be something that can be used to train people outside of the DFPS industry?
Will the current DFPS Human Trafficking Training in the DFPS Learning Hub meet the core components required to pass approval for being equivalent to the DFPS Universal Human Trafficking Prevention Training required for T3C Service Packages?
My organization already has a Human Trafficking Prevention Training, and does not plan on using the DFPS Universal Human Trafficking Prevention Training.  Is there anything my organization needs to do differently as a part of the application process for Credentialing to ensure we meet all of the requirements?
Does a residential provider have to use the Universal Human Trafficking Prevention Training created by DFPS and disseminated through a "Train the Trainer" model?
If an operation wants to utilize the Universal Human Trafficking Training that DFPS is developing, what will that look like?
New Is the Human Trafficking Prevention Training required for staff that have no direct child contact?
New We are trying to determine what Service Packages our current families should be Credentialed for, based on the children currently in their care. How would we evaluate that?