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B. Definitions. (1) ‘‘Adoptive Parent’’ means a person who is seeking or has adoptive placement of a child in foster care. (2) ‘‘Agency’’ means the South Carolina Department Social Services (SCDSS). (3) ‘‘Applicant’’ means a person who has submitted an application and is seeking a license to operate a family foster home or who is seeking approval to adopt a child from the State’s foster care system. (4) ‘‘Assessment Study’’ means documentation of the assessment of an applicant, completed by designated SCDSS staff, a certified investigator, designated staff of a child placing agency, or other persons approved by SCDSS. (5) ‘‘Board Payment’’ means funds appropriated for the care and maintenance of children in foster care. (6) ‘‘Child Placing Agency’’ means a person or entity who holds legal or physical custody of a child for the purpose of placement for foster care or adoption or a private placement, or a person or entity who facilitates the placement of children for the purpose of foster care or adoption or a private placement and which retains its own system of foster homes. Homes assessed by child placing agencies are licensed in accordance with SCDSS licensing regulations and are issued a license by SCDSS. (7) ‘‘Community standards’’ means local norms bounding acceptable conduct. For housing, the term means acceptable building standards based on the neighborhood and similar homes. (8) ‘‘Corporal punishment’’ means physical punishment inflicted directly upon the body. (9) ‘‘Family foster care’’ means continuous 24-hour care and support services provided for a child in a family foster home. (10) ‘‘Family foster home’’ means the private home of an individual or family that is licensed by the department and in which a child in foster care has been placed in the care of an individual; who resides with the child; who has been licensed by the department to be a foster parent that the department deems capable of adhering to the reasonable and prudent parent standard as defined in Section 63–7–20(24); that provides 24-hour substitute care for children placed away from their parents or other caretakers; and that provides care for children subject to capacity limitations set forth in Section 63–7–2400. This term includes a kinship, relative, and child-specific home. (11) ‘‘Foster parent’’ means an individual who provides family foster care with a license from the department. (12) ‘‘Home study’’ means the screening of the home, life, and parental fitness of a prospective foster or adoptive parent by a certified investigator through face-to-face encounters (13) ‘‘Household member’’ means any relative or nonrelative who regularly lives, shares common areas, and sleeps in a home. (14) ‘‘Kin’’ means an adult who is related to a child by blood, marriage, or adoption and means, an adult who is not related to a child by blood, marriage, or adoption, but who has a relationship with the child or the child’s family (fictive kin). (15) ‘‘License’’ means the approval, verification, or certification of a home and applicant to provide family foster care or adoptive placement. C. Applications. (1) An application form shall be completed by all applicants desiring to be licensed or relicensed to provide foster care or approved as an adoptive home. Foster home licensure by more than one agency or division within an agency is not permitted. Adoptive home approval by more than one agency or division within an agency is not permitted. (2) Applicants must supply thorough, complete, and accurate information. Incomplete or errone- ous information or violation of regulations shall be grounds for denial of an application, revocation of a current license, and denial of a renewal to provide foster care and denial or termination of approval to become an adoptive parent. (3) SCDSS or a licensed child placing agency reserves the right to request and consider additional information if needed during the foster care licensing or renewal process and the adoptive home