	Shelter Services

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

PA-SH 10: Services for Homeless and Runaway Children and Youth

Shelters that provide services for homeless and runaway children and youth meet the age-specific needs of children and youth.

NA The agency does not provide shelter for homeless and runaway children and youth without their parents.

PA-SH 10.01

Shelters that serve children and youth without a parent or legal guardian:

consult with the child protection authority, as appropriate;
establish the youth’s legal status; and
obtain authorization to provide care.

PA-SH 10.02

Children and youth are informed that their parent or guardian will be notified of their whereabouts, and the shelter documents:

exceptions for adolescents who are emancipated minors, who have reached the age of majority, who could be endangered as a result of notification, or who will refuse shelter services if notification is required;
a case supervisor's review prior to notification;
that youth are informed of the planned notification; and
that notification occurred within 72 hours or sooner as required by law.

Interpretation: When the shelter serves youth under contract with the child welfare authority, it coordinates notification of the child’s parent or legal guardian with the authority.

PA-SH 10.03

Shelters serving children or homeless and runaway youth, assess the appropriateness of family involvement, and:

facilitate an active connection between parents, other important persons, and children;
plan for reconciliation with the family, when possible; and
provide family support and strengthening services.

PA-SH 10.04

Personnel who directly supervise homeless and runaway school-age children and youth provide continuous coverage 24 hours a day, and the adult-child ratio is 1:4 when children under school age are in the service population.

Interpretation: The term "school-age children" refers to children and adolescents who are legally required to attend school. COA does not provide specific age limits for this term; however, "school-age" is generally considered to be between 5-17 years old.

PA-SH 10.05

Children and youth have sufficient uninterrupted sleep and, when practical, follow their usual and familiar routines for bedtime, bathing, and meals.

PA-SH 10.06

The shelter houses no more than 20 children and youth at one location, and in exceptional circumstances, makes necessary physical, administrative, and programmatic accommodations to house additional children on a time-limited basis.

PA-SH 10.07

Shelter stays do not exceed 30 days, except in exceptional circumstances.

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	PURPOSE: Shelter services meet the basic needs of individuals and families who are homeless or in transition, set them on the path toward stable family or independent living, and provide a point-of-entry to the continuum of community care.

RELATED FILES


	SERVICE One or more organization-operated programs or activities that have a common general objective and deploy the organization's material and human resources in a planned and systematic manner. An organization that publicly promotes or identifies itself in writing as offering a service, is licensed to deliver a service, assigns personnel and/or space to a service, or allocates financial resources to a service is considered to offer that service.


	FAMILY Two or more people who consider themselves family and who assume obligations, functions, and responsibilities generally essential to healthy family life. Child care and child socialization, income support, long-term care, and other caregiving are among the functions of family life. The definition of "family" will rest with an individual's indication of who plays a family member role, including current or former foster family, adoptive family, extended family members, fictive kin, or significant others. Organizations that believe family is the central constellation in a child's life, and that family attachments are of primary importance for human development, will strive to work with professional staff to develop a common understanding of "family."


	COMMUNITY A specific group of people living in the same locality and who may share a common culture, values, and norms. Communities can also be defined by race, religion, ethnicity, age, occupation, political status, tribal affiliation, interest in particular problems or outcomes, or other common bonds. The term "community" encompasses worksites, schools, tribes, residential neighborhoods, business districts, recreational areas, and health and human service sites.


	PARENTS Parents can include: birth, foster, kinship, and adoptive parents. Please see service standards for more specific information about use of this term.


	LEGAL GUARDIAN A person who has legal responsibility for the care and management of a person incapable of administering his/her own affairs. In the case of a minor child, the guardian is charged with the legal responsibility for the care and management of the child and of the minor child's estate.


	CASE A general term used to designate clients (including individuals, families, and groups) served by an organization for purposes of monitoring the provision of services. A foster care case is generally based on the placement of an individual child, although casework for the child may include services to the child's family. A child protective services case is based on an entire family household if a family assessment model is used; otherwise a case is defined as a child.


	CONTRACT A formal written agreement between two or more parties that specifies the services, space, or products to be provided in exchange for some form of compensation. Also known as "purchase of service arrangement."


	APPROPRIATENESS The degree to which a particular service, placement, treatment, intervention, or activity is: best suited to an individual's needs; not excessive, unduly intrusive, or restrictive; anticipated to be effective in achieving the desired and specified outcomes; and adequate or sufficient in quantity to address the problem.


	PERSONNEL The body of employees and/or volunteers that carries out the organization's tasks under the organization's administration and/or supervision. This definition does not include foster parents who are specifically referenced in relevant standards


	SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN Children and adolescents legally required to attend school. COA does not provide specific age limits for this term; however "school-age" is generally considered to be between the ages of 5 - 17 years old.


	SERVICE POPULATION A group or target population that the organization's services are designed to serve in accord with its mission, and which includes the organization's service recipients. An organization's service population may be defined by geographic location, specific problems or needs, religion, ethnicity, culture, or other factors.