CHAPTER 170-E CHILD DAY CARE, RESIDENTIAL CARE, AND CHILD-PLACING AGENCIES
Residential Care and Child-Placing Agency Licensing
Section 170-E:27-a
170-E:27-a Homeless Youth Programs; Special Provisions. –
Any child care agency which receives children for the purpose of providing a homeless youth program, as defined in RSA 170-E:25, II(d), shall be subject to the following provisions:
I. When a child 16 or 17 years of age contacts a homeless youth program requesting emergency shelter or homeless services, the program shall:
(a) Assess the child's essential needs, physical and mental health condition, and the circumstances that led the child to seek services.
(b) Upon completion of the assessment, but in no case later than 72 hours from the child's initial request for services, attempt to notify the child's parent or legal guardian that such child is present at the agency's facility. If compelling circumstances become evident during assessment which justify not notifying the parent or legal guardian, the program shall instead notify the department according to RSA 169-C:29. In this paragraph, the term "compelling circumstances" means circumstances which indicate that notifying the parent or legal guardian would subject the child to risk of abuse or neglect as defined in RSA 169-C:3.
(c) Notify the department no later than 30 days after the child's initial request for services if the program is unable to make contact with either of the child's parents or the legal guardian after reasonable attempts to do so.
II. Nothing in this section shall alter the legal relationship between parent or legal guardian and child, and in the absence of a court order directing otherwise, the program shall release the child to the custody of his or her parent or legal guardian upon request by the parent or guardian.
III. If the child is discharged from the program or voluntarily terminates participation in the program, the program shall immediately notify the parents or legal guardian; or the department if the parent or legal guardian has never consented to the child's placement in the program.
IV. A parent or legal guardian who consents in writing to the child's participation in a licensed homeless youth program shall not be deemed neglectful under RSA 169-C:3, XIX.
V. The agency may charge the child a reasonable fee for the services provided the child is working and/or has other regular income and such fee is within his or her ability to pay.