During the debriefing, the caseworker indicated that the agency's expectation is that a family must try a number of interventions prior to considering out-of-home placement.  Additionally, there is a process within the agency that is typically followed when out-of-home placement is requested.  Specifically, when a family calls and requests out-of-home placement for a child, the agency wants to know the reason for the placement request (what happened) and what other interventions the family has tried.  After the agency has learned what interventions have or have not been tried, the worker will then work with the family to engage them in least restrictive interventions.  Once the family has exhausted all least restrictive interventions, the agency then utilizes a preplacement screening team to request approval for out-of-home placement.  Once approval for the out-of-home placement is granted, the caseworker can move forward with coordinating the placement.  In the event a child is hospitalized and/or a hospital is recommending out-of-home placement, and the agency can immediately consider placement.  

The agency expectation for a family to exhaust least restrictive interventions and the process the agency typically follows when an out-of-home placement is requested by a family supported the caseworkers decision to not place the subject child in residential treatment and talk with the mother about other options prior to moving towards placement. This decision was further influenced by the fact that the child was not currently hospitalized and a hospital was not recommending out-of-home placement for the child.