CDSS will issue additional guidance as needed. The candidacy determination is based on information gathered in a social worker or case manager’s professional assessment of each child and family’s unique circumstances and needs. The social worker or case manager’s assessment may result in learning information about the family that indicate that the child may be at imminent risk for foster care. The criteria for the child welfare or probation agency to determine candidacy should demonstrate that:
1. There are existing or ongoing risk factors impacting child or family well- being, and
2. Current circumstances of the family include factors of instability or safety threats that place them at imminent risk of foster care, and
3. The child(ren) can remain safely at home if prevention services (as designated in the state’s five-year Title IV-E prevention plan) are provided.