Family Services, Dept. of

Providers of Substitute Care Services, Certification of

Chapter 7: Group Home

Effective Date: 09/03/2021 to Current

Rule Type: Current Rules & Regulations

Reference Number: 049.0029.7.09032021

CHAPTER 7

GROUP HOME

Section 1. Program Specific Certification Standards.

(a) All Group Homes shall comply with all sections of this Chapter and the following Chapters and Sections:

1. (i) Chapter 1: All
2. (ii) Chapter 2: All
3. (iii) Chapter 3: Sections 1-30 and 32-33.

Section 2. Program Description.

A Group Home offers a home-like environment where staff may be live-in parents with their own children. Therapeutic services may be provided.

Section 3. Maximum Capacity.

Group Homes shall provide services for no more than ten (10) children, including the staff's own children.

Section 4. Specialized Training (Chapter 3, Section 11).

Group Home staff shall complete a twenty (20) hour orientation program and twenty (20) hours of annual training.

Section 5. Admissions Criteria.

1. (a) The Group Home is designed to maintain:
2. (i) Children who may enter independent living upon discharge;
3. (ii) Children awaiting placement; and
4. (iii) Children who may attend public school.
5. (b) Behaviors appropriate for placement may include:
6. (i) Difficulty following directions;

7. (ii) Frequent arguments with persons;

8. (iii) Mild self-injurious behavior, risk taking and/or sexual promiscuity;

9. (iv) Suicidal thoughts;
10. (v) Frequent fights at home, school or community;
11. (vi) Frequent verbally aggressive outbursts;
12. (vii) Frequent property damage;
13. (viii) Inability to engage in age appropriate activities without constant supervision (e.g., little league, scouts); and
14. (ix) Possible involvement with the juvenile justice system.(c) Age Range. The age range at the time of admission is ten (10) through seventeen (17) years unless ordered by the court for placement at the facility.(d) Voluntary Placements.- (i) Parents or legal guardians shall arrange placement with the facility's executive director or designee;
15. (ii) Voluntary placements by parents or legal guardians shall not require a court order; and shall include:
16. (A) Written consent for placement; and
17. (B) Written consent for emergency psychological, medical, and dental care signed by the parent or legal guardian at the time of admission.(e) The following are required within fourteen (14) days of admission to a Group Home:- (i) Medical, psychiatric and substance use history;
18. (ii) Assess family and social interactions;
19. (iii) Assess child's assets and strengths;
20. (iv) Developmental history and current developmental functioning with respect to physical, psychological and social areas, including age appropriate adaptive functioning and social problem-solving;

(v) Assess the need for evaluations and document subsequent referrals based on assessment; and

(vi) A problem list, related to the reasons why the child was admitted to this level of care.

Section 6. Staffing Ratios.

(a) Daytime and evening hours. The minimum ratio of staff to children is 1:6.

(b) Nighttime Sleeping Hours.

(i) There must be a direct care staff/child ratio of 1:10;

(ii) If night staff are sleeping, the facility must have an operative alarm system to provide security. The purpose of the alarm system will be to monitor the movement of children within the facility. This alarm system must either be self-monitoring or must be monitored and checked daily by staff to prevent tampering;

(iii) If night staff are awake, bedroom checks of children shall be conducted at a minimum of three (3) times per hour, on a random, unscheduled basis and the exact time of the check shall be documented in an overnight log;

(iv) One (1) or more staff members shall be available on-call to provide direct care to any child in crisis or in need of supervision twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week; and

(v) Direct supervision of individual youth shall be adjusted to meet his/her specific needs (ie. runaway risk, youth on room restriction, risk to self or others).

(c) Any time a group home is combined with a crisis shelter in one building, the group home shall follow the staff:child ratios as described in Chapter 4, Section 7.