Although this ACIN is about a form (SOC 158A) it has information critical to ensuring continuity of Foster Care when children move between dependency and delinquency.  The SOC 158A has a section to enter “Removed from Home Date,”  “Petition Date, Detention Order Date, and Disposition Order Date.”  When a child transitions from dependency status to delinquency status, the Child Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS) will not carry over the original removal date information, which makes the placement appear to result from a new removal, potentially affecting federal foster care eligibility. It is imperative that the staff manually adjust the “Removed from Home Date” and associated hearing dates on the form SOC 158A to reflect the original removal information as a dependent in order to identify the continuation of the original out-of-home episode, as well as if the case goes from dependency to delinquency status, and back to dependency. [Download]