1. (1) The certifier must undertake all of the following activities:

   1. (a) Discuss with the relative resource parent the plan for providing care to a child in the care or custody of the Department placed in the home when the relative resource parent may be unavailable to provide care.
   2. (b) For any prospective informal respite care provider or child care provider, ensure completion of a criminal records check as outlined in OAR 413-208-0010 to 413-208-0035 unless the provider is a child care facility.
   3. (c) Document the information considered and the results of any fitness determination on a form approved by the Department.
   4. (d) For any prospective informal respite care provider or child care provider, conduct child abuse history background checks unless the provider is a child care facility.
   5. (e) Initiate out of state child abuse history background checks if the prospective informal respite care or child care provider has lived outside the state of Oregon in the previous five years.

   6. (f) When a prospective informal respite provider or child care provider has been identified as the perpetrator or alleged perpetrator, or respondent of abuse in a child protective services assessment in a founded disposition, substantiated disposition, unable to determine disposition, or inconclusive disposition for abuse to a child, or a similar disposition from another Department division, agency, or state, consult with the certification supervisor about whether to seek approval from the Child Welfare Program Manager to continue with the certification assessment.

      1. (A) If the decision is to seek approval, the Child Welfare Program Manager must consider the information and safety concerns and may approve or deny continuing the determination of the informal respite care or child care provider;
      2. (B) The decision, and the information assessed, must be documented on a form approved by the Department.
   7. (g) When informal respite care or child care will be provided in the home of the informal respite care or child care provider, assure the activities described in subsections (b) through (f) of this section are complete for all adults living in the home of the informal respite care or child care provider.
   8. (h) An informal respite care provider or child care provider may be conditionally approved by a Child Welfare Program Manager or designee prior to the results from the fingerprint-based criminal offender records check of national crime information databases. The approval must be documented on form approved by the Department.
   9. (i) Analyze information gathered under subsections (a) to (f) of this section prior to determining the individual is safe and appropriate to provide informal respite care or child care and approving the individual to provide informal respite care or child care.
   10. (j) Document the analysis required under subsection (g) of this section in the Department’s electronic information system.
   11. (k) Notify the relative resource parent of the determination of whether the individual is authorized to provide informal respite care or child care.
   12. (l) Verify that any relative resource parent identified to provide certified respite care or child care for another resource parent has a current certification.
   13. (m) The Department may disapprove a prospective informal respite care provider or child care provider even if the provider has a positive fitness determination.
2. (2) If the informal respite care provider or child care provider has a disqualifying conviction under OAR 413-208-0015 or the authorized designee makes a negative fitness determination with respect to the informal respite care or child care provider, the provider may not provide care.
3. (3) A relative resource parent must receive Department approval to provide certified respite care for another child in the care or custody of the Department.

Statutory/Other Authority

ORS 418.005 & ORS 409.050

Statutes/Other Implemented

ORS 409.050

History

CWP 15-2026, minor correction filed 02/25/2026, effective 02/25/2026
CWP 20-2025, amend filed 12/23/2025, effective 01/01/2026
CWP 12-2025, adopt filed 08/07/2025, effective 08/11/2025
CWP 3-2025, temporary adopt filed 02/14/2025, effective 02/17/2025 through 08/15/2025