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Council and may also be obtained from the State Department of Social Services and local clerks of court offices. HISTORY: Amended by State Register Volume 18, Issue No. 5, eff May 27, 1994; State Register Volume 23, Issue No. 3, eff March 26, 1999; State Register Volume 30, Issue No. 6, eff June 23, 2006; State Register Volume 38, Issue No. 3, eff March 28, 2014; SCSR 48–2 Doc. No. 5145, eff February 23, 2024. ARTICLE 49 CHILD PLACING AGENCIES REGULATIONS (Statutory Authority: 1976 Code § 63–11–30) 114–4910. Child Placing Agencies; Definitions and Application Procedures. A. Definitions As used in this article unless the context requires otherwise: (1) ‘‘Adoptive home’’ means a household of one or more persons which has been approved by a child placing agency licensed to provide adoption services or by the Department to accept a child for the purpose of adoption. (2) ‘‘Adoptive parent’’ means a person who is seeking or has adoptive placement of a child. (3) ‘‘Adoption preservation services’’ means services provided to help meet the individualized therapeutic or support needs of families, preserve the family unit, enhance stability, prevent dissolution of adoption, and elevate overall family well-being. (4) ‘‘Agency’’ means a child placing agency. (5) ‘‘Assessment study or home study’’ means documentation of the assessment of the applicant in a narrative format, completed by a certified investigator, or other person approved by the department. (6) ‘‘Case plan’’ means a written document that is developed by the Department or Agency, in cooperation with the family, based upon an assessment of the circumstances which required child welfare intervention, and that identifies goals to be achieved and the specific services to be provided. The child’s case plan is the portion of the plan that identifies a child’s specific needs and services and includes the permanency and visitation plan. (7) ‘‘Caseworker’’ means a person employed by the Agency or Department who has a minimum of a Baccalaureate or an Associate degree and related human services experience. (8) ‘‘Casework Supervisor’’ means a person who has a a Baccalaureate in a related human services field approved by the Agency or Department with a minimum of two years of directly related child welfare experience. (9) ‘‘Certified adoption investigator’’ means an individual, self-employed or employed by an agency, corporation, or association who prepares a document addressing issues of concern and information necessary for a court to make a decision in adoption matters and is certified pursuant to applicable statutes and regulations. (10) ‘‘Child’’ means a person under eighteen years of age or under twenty-one years of age if the person meets requirements of Title 63, Chapter 7, Article 8. (11) ‘‘Child placing agency’’ means any person or entity who holds legal or physical custody of a child for the purpose of placement of children for adoption. A person or entity who offers services for compensation where the intent of those services is to arrange or secure adoptions must be considered ‘‘facilitating the placement of children for adoption,’’ whether those services constitute counseling, referrals, searches, or any other form of adoption services. However, an attorney engaged in the practice of law who represents a client in an adoption or who otherwise facilitates an adoption in the course of that practice is exempt from this definition. A child placing agency is also any person or entity engaged in the business of certifying foster family homes for licensure in accordance with the Department’s standards and receiving such children for care and maintenance.