REFUGE HOUSE, INC.

Procedure Information	Details
PROCEDURE NAME	Child Travel and Overnight Visits Procedure
PROCEDURE NUMBER	FC-TRV-01.1
RELATED POLICY	FC-TRV-01 Child Travel and Overnight Visits Policy
ORIGINATED	7/26
EFFECTIVE DATE	7/13/26 (pending ED approval)
LAST UPDATED	7/13/2026

APPLICABLE T3C PACKAGES:	APPLICABLE T3C ADD-ON SERVICES:
☒ T3C Basic Foster Family Home	☒ Transition Support Services for Youth & Young Adults
☒ Substance Use Support Services	☒ Kinship Caregiver Support Services
☒ Short-Term Assessment	☒ Pregnant & Parenting Youth or Young Adult
☒ Mental & Behavioral Health
☒ Sexual Aggression/Sex Offender
☒ Complex Medical Needs or Medically Fragile
☒ Human Trafficking Victim/Survivor
☒ Intellectual or Developmental Disability (IDD)/Autism Spectrum Disorder
☒ T3C Treatment Foster Family Care

PURPOSE:

To operationalize FC-TRV-01 by detailing how overnight-travel and overnight-visit requests are received from caregivers, classified, routed for approval or notification under RCC §1120, documented, and handled on denial. Applies to children under 18 (RCC §1120); day-to-day transport is handled under FC17-06.1.

REQUEST INTAKE:

#	Who	Action	Regulatory / Source
1	Foster Parent / Caregiver	Notify the Case Manager of any planned overnight travel or overnight visit as soon as it is planned and before departure, providing: destination (in-state / bordering state / non-bordering state / out-of-country), departure and return dates (to compute the 72-hour threshold), whether the child travels with the Caregiver, and the identity and relationship of any accompanying adult who is not a Caregiver or Relative. These are the facts §1120 classifies on.	RCC §1120; RH operational standard (FC-TRV-01)
2	Case Manager	Classify the trip against the FC-TRV-01 approval matrix and tell the caregiver, before departure, which of the outcomes in steps 3–7 applies.	RCC §1120

APPROVAL ROUTING BY TRAVEL TYPE:

#	Who	Action	Regulatory / Source
3	Case Manager	No-approval categories — in-state routine travel fewer than 72 hours away from the home: no approval or notification required; note the classification in the Contact Log if the caregiver raised it.	RCC §1120 (CPS Handbook 6471.1)
4	Foster Parent / Caregiver; Case Manager	Bordering state, less than 72 hours: the Caregiver notifies the CPS Caseworker of the travel by text, phone, or email before departure; the Case Manager confirms the notification was made and documents it.	RCC §1120 (CPS Handbook 6471.2)
5	Case Manager	Written-approval categories — (a) in-state more than 72 hours with the Caregiver away from the home; (b) any travel with a person who is not a Caregiver or Relative: submit a written request to the CPS Caseworker or supervisor and obtain the written approval before departure. Bordering state more than 72 hours: obtain Caseworker or supervisor approval before departure. If the Caseworker cannot be reached, escalate through the Caseworker's Chain of Command.	RCC §1120; RCC Appendix I ("Caseworker")
6	Case Manager	Non-bordering state: obtain Caseworker or supervisor approval and coordinate with the Caseworker to give notice to the court, or obtain the court's written approval if the court having jurisdiction requires it, or both — all before departure.	RCC §1120
7	Foster Parent (Verified Kinship) / Case Manager	Verified Kinship Home, out-of-state travel: the Verified Kinship Caregiver notifies the CPS Caseworker and Refuge House prior to departure; no DFPS approval is required. The Case Manager documents the notification.	RCC §1120

FORM 2069 — OUT-OF-COUNTRY TRAVEL:

#	Who	Action	Regulatory / Source
8	Case Manager	On any out-of-country request, complete the Caregiver Declaration Regarding Out-of-Country Travel (Form 2069) with the caregiver and submit it immediately upon the trip being identified — CPS State Office approval and court approval are both required, and both take lead time.	RCC §1120
9	CPMS	Review the Form 2069 packet before submission; verify neither approval is outstanding on the departure date. Travel does not proceed until both approvals are received.	RCC §1120

DOCUMENTATION:

#	Who	Action	Regulatory / Source
10	Case Manager	File in the child's record in Radius, before or at departure: the written approval (steps 5–6), evidence of caregiver notification (steps 4, 7), court notice/approval (step 6), and the submitted Form 2069 with the State Office and court approvals (steps 8–9). Log the trip and its classification in the Contact Log per FC-WCM-01.1 step 15.	RCC §1120; FC-WCM-01.1
11	Case Manager	Discuss upcoming travel plans with the family at each monthly home visit (standing topic) so requests surface with enough lead time to obtain approvals before departure.	FC-WCM-01.1 step 7; RCC §1120

DENIAL / EXCEPTION HANDLING:

#	Who	Action	Regulatory / Source
12	Case Manager	If the Caseworker/supervisor, CPS State Office, or court denies approval, or approval is not in hand by the departure date: inform the caregiver the same day that the travel may not proceed, and document the denial and the caregiver notification in the child's record.	RCC §1120
13	Case Manager / CPMS	If travel in a §1120 approval category occurred without the required approval: notify the CPMS the same day it is discovered; the CPMS notifies the CPS Caseworker in writing, documents the event in the child's record, and evaluates whether any serious-incident reporting duty applies (FC-SIR-01).	RCC §1120; FC-SIR-01
14	CPMS	Review any denial or exception at the next supervisory review for pattern issues (repeat unapproved travel by a home is addressed through FC-WCM corrective follow-up).	RCC §1120; FC-WCM-01.1

IMPLEMENTATION GUIDANCE:

Being built into Pulse: a travel-request record type that computes the §1120 classification from destination, duration, and accompanying-adult fields; blocks the "approved" status until the matching approval document is attached; and flags departures with outstanding approvals. Until this is live, steps 1–14 are tracked manually by the Case Manager with CPMS review.

REFERENCES:

Same as Policy FC-TRV-01 — principally RCC §1120 (CPS Approval Requirements for Travel and Visits, incl. CPS Handbook 6471.1/6471.2 and the When a Child or Youth in CPS Conservatorship Travels Resource Guide); RCC Appendix I (Caseworker; Chain of Command); FC17-06 / FC17-06.1 for day-to-day transportation.

FORMS/ATTACHMENTS:

Form 2069 — Caregiver Declaration Regarding Out-of-Country Travel (DFPS)
Written travel-approval request (to CPS Caseworker/supervisor)
Contact Log (Radius)

This procedure operationalizes the principles established in FC-TRV-01 Child Travel and Overnight Visits Policy. While policies require Board approval and remain relatively stable, procedures may be updated by the Executive Director to adapt to regulatory changes or operational improvements without requiring Board approval, provided such changes maintain alignment with the policy's intent.

Child Travel and Overnight Visits Procedure