1. (a) A foster parent shall demonstrate the ability to develop and use appropriate discipline strategies to address the challenging behaviors of a child in care that may be the result of the child's trauma, grief, or past experiences.
2. (b) A foster parent shall provide for positive reinforcement, redirection, the setting of realistic expectations, and clear and consistent limits.

3. (c) A foster parent is responsible for behavior modification practices for a child in care, as follows:

   1. (1) this responsibility may not be delegated to a child;
   2. (2) behavior modification must be based on an understanding of the child's needs and stage of development;
   3. (3) behavior modification must be fair, reasonable, consistent, and related to the child's behavior;

   4. (4) a child in care may not be

      1. (A) spanked with a hand or object, or be subjected to any form of corporal or physical punishment, including biting, jerking, kicking, hitting, pulling the child's hair, or shaking or throwing the child;
      2. (B) assigned strenuous exercise or work as a form of punishment; this excludes age and developmentally appropriate chores or exercise;
      3. (C) threatened with physical harm;
      4. (D) threatened to be expelled from the foster home or intimidated;
      5. (E) subjected to verbal abuse and derogatory remarks about the child or the child's family characteristics, physical traits, culture, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, or traditions;
      6. (F) placed in a locked room;
      7. (G) placed under a cold water shower;
      8. (H) forced to eat or have hot sauce, soap, or other burning or foul tasting substances placed in a child's mouth;
      9. (I) subject to the use of a physical restraint, except when necessary to protect a child from injury, or to protect property from serious damage; a physical restraint permitted under this subparagraph may be passive physical restraint only; the foster parent shall report the use of any physical restraint to the department;
      10. (J) subject to the use of a mechanical restraint, except for a protective device such as a seatbelt;
      11. (K) subject to the use of a chemical restraint; or
      12. (L) disciplined in a manner that is cruel, humiliating, or otherwise damaging to the child.

4. (d) A foster parent may not use methods of behavior modification that interfere with a child's basic needs, including

   1. (1) depriving the child of sleep;
   2. (2) providing inadequate food, clothing, living space, or shelter;
   3. (3) withholding food or other items essential to the protection, safety, or well-being of a child in care;
   4. (4) restricting a child's breathing;
   5. (5) forcing a child to shower or bathe as a form of punishment;
   6. (6) interfering with the child's ability to take care of their own hygiene and toilet needs; or
   7. (7) providing inadequate medical or dental care.

5. (e) A foster parent may not deprive or deny a child of necessary services or contacts, including

   1. (1) the child's caseworker or assigned legal representative;
   2. (2) the child's parents or other family members who are identified in the family contact plan; or
   3. (3) individuals providing the child with therapeutic activities as part of the child's case plan.

(Eff. 7/1/2022, Register 242)

Authority: AS 44.30.020, AS 47.14.120, AS 47.32.030