Missouri Code of State Regulations
Title 13 - DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES
Division 35 - Children's Division
Chapter 71 - Rules for Residential Care Facilities for Children
Section 13 CSR 35-71.045 - Personnel

Universal Citation: 13 MO Code of State Regs 35-71.045

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 18, September 16, 2024

PURPOSE: This amendment implements new requirements for background checks of officers, managers, contractors, volunteers with access to children, employees, other support staff, and owners of Licensed Residential Care Facilities (LRCF); License-Exempt Residential Care Facilities (LERCFs); and Licensed Child Placing Agencies (CPAs). It adds the requirement that the Department conduct background checks on any person who has unsupervised contact with children and any adult who resides at a LERCF.

(1) General Requirements.

(A) The Licensed Residential Care Facility (LRCF) shall have a written statement of personnel practices which are approved by the governing body and provided to all staff at the time of employment.

(B) The LRCF shall evaluate and investigate application information carefully to determine whether employment or service of an applicant with the LRCF is in the best interests of the children in care.

(C) All officers, managers, contractors, volunteers with access to children, employees, other support staff and owners of such LRCF who will have access to the facilities of the LRCF shall submit to a background check and shall be found eligible for employment or presence at the LRCF as provided in section 210.493, RSMo, and 13 CSR 35-71.015 before commencing service or being afforded access to the facilities of the LRCF. These individuals shall notify the LRCF and the division of any change in circumstances which would render them ineligible for employment or presence at the LRCF. After the individual completes the background check, the LRCF shall further require all officers, managers, contractors, volunteers with access to children, employees, other support staff, and owners of the LRCF who will have access to the facilities of the LRCF to successfully complete an annual check of the Family Care Safety Registry. The LRCF shall maintain documentation of the Family Care Safety Registry checks in its personnel records.

(D) After the individual completes the background check, the LRCF shall require all officers, managers, contractors, volunteers with access to children, employees, other support staff, and owners of the LRCF who will have access to the facilities of the LRCF, and who reside outside of the state of Missouri, to successfully complete an annual background screening which shall consist of a check of the child abuse and neglect registry and a criminal background check of the state or jurisdiction in which the individual resides. LRCFs shall further implement and apply policies which require all personnel who are otherwise required to submit to a background check pursuant to section 210.493, RSMo, to immediately notify the LRCF if they are listed in a state or local government registry as a perpetrator of child abuse or neglect, or if they were arrested or charged with any crime listed in section 210.493, RSMo.

(E) Any person who makes a materially false statement in connection with an application for licensure or relicensure as a LRCF shall be ineligible for employment or presence at the LRCF.

(F) Prior to the employment of any person for a position requiring credit hours, a degree, or both from an accredited college or university, a resume and an official college transcript, or a copy of the diploma, shall be on file at the LRCF. Any person employed in a position requiring general educational development certificate or high school diploma shall provide documentation of such within thirty (30) days of employment.

(G) An LRCF shall require the names of at least three (3) persons for each employee, volunteer, or staff person, who are unrelated to the individual, who can provide character references. At least two (2) of the three (3) persons shall be professional references from a previous employer, internship, or volunteer position. If the individual is a student then this requirement may be satisfied by providing the references from the individual's professor, guidance counselor, teacher, or academic advisor.

(H) The LRCF shall contact all references and maintain documentation of the reference checks in the LRCF's employee records. Documentation of the contact shall include the date, person making the contact, and the content of the contact.

(I) The LRCF shall require an annual driver record check for any staff, employee, intern, volunteer, or contract personnel who transport residents. No individual with a suspended or revoked driver's license or record of driving while under the influence of alcohol or any other intoxicating substance within the last five (5) years shall transport residents.

(2) Health Verification.

(A) All staff, employees, interns, volunteers, and contracted personnel shall be free of symptoms of communicable disease or other evidence of ill health which poses a threat to children.

(B) Staff, interns, volunteers, and contracted personnel shall be free of any conditions which would adversely affect their ability to care for or pose a threat to children.

(C) If the division has reason to question the capabilities of any individual working directly with children served by the LRCF, the division may require the individual to submit to a medical examination and obtain a report of an appropriate medical professional that the individual is medically fit to perform the services for the LRCF without reasonable risk to the children.

(3) Personnel Records. The LRCF shall maintain personnel records for each staff member, employee, intern, volunteer, and contracted employee as indicated below. The LRCF shall maintain the records on site and shall keep the records for at least five (5) years following the date of separation from the LRCF.

(A) For staff members and employees, the personnel record shall include-
1. Verification of education and experience, and a copy of professional license, if applicable;

2. Verification of the names of three (3) persons, unrelated to the staff member, who can provide character or professional references;

3. copy of the job description signed and dated by the employee;

4. Results of annual checks of the family care safety registry;

5. Documentation that the individual has completed the background checks and that the division has found the individual eligible for employment or presence at the LRCF pursuant to section 210.493, RSMo, and 13 CSR 35-71.015;

6. Documentation of annual background checks for individual staff members who reside outside of Missouri that are subject to the background check requirements provided for in section 210.493, RSMo, which shall include a check of the child abuse and neglect registry and a criminal background check of the state or jurisdiction in which the individual resides. LRCFs shall further implement and apply policies which require all personnel who are otherwise required to submit to a background check pursuant to section 210.493, RSMo, to immediately notify the LRCF if they are listed in a state or local government registry as a perpetrator of child abuse or neglect, or if they were arrested or charged with any crime listed in section 210.493, RSMo;

7. The date of employment, date of separation, reason(s) for separation;

8. Copies of annual performance evaluations;

9. Results of an annual driver record check for any employee, intern, volunteer, and any contracted personnel who transport residents;

10. A signed and dated copy of the confidentiality statement;

11. A signed and dated copy of the discipline policy;

12. A signed and dated copy of the mandated child abuse/neglect reporting and critical incident reporting policies;

13. A signed and dated copy of an acknowledgement of receipt of program and personnel policies and manuals;

14. A signed and dated copy of the acknowledgment of completed agency orientation;

15. Documentation that the staff member has successfully completed all training required for the successful performance of the individual's duties;

16. Documentation of current first aid/cardiopulmonary resuscitation training and certification; and

17. Documentation of current medical aid certification, when applicable.

(B) For interns, volunteers, and contracted employees who have direct contact with children, the personnel record shall include-
1. Copy of professional credentials, if applicable;

2. Results of annual checks of the family care safety registry and documentation that the individual has completed the background check process and been found eligible for service as provided in section 210.493, RSMo, and 13 CSR 35-71.015;

3. Documentation of annual background checks for interns, volunteers, and contracted employees who have direct contact with children who reside outside of Missouri that are subject to the background check requirements provided for in section 210.493, RSMo, which shall include a check of the child abuse and neglect registry and a criminal background check of the state or jurisdiction in which the individual resides. LRCFs shall further implement and apply policies which require all personnel who are otherwise required to submit to a background check pursuant to section 210.493, RSMo, to immediately notify the LRCF if they are listed in a state or local government registry as a perpetrator of child abuse or neglect, or if they were arrested or charged with any crime listed in section 210.493, RSMo;

4. A signed and dated copy of the contract or any agreement outlining purpose of presence on site;

5. A signed and dated copy of the confidentiality policy;

6. A signed and dated copy of the discipline policy;

7. A signed and dated copy of the mandated child abuse/neglect and critical incident reporting policies;

8. A signed and dated copy of the acknowledgement of receipt of manuals and policies related to the agreement/contract; and

9. Documentation of staff orientation participation.

(4) Job Descriptions. An agency shall establish a written job description for each position, which shall be made available to staff at the time of employment. Each description shall describe the duties and responsibilities of the position; address supervision, required knowledge, skills and abilities, minimum experience, educational requirements; and shall include examples of work performed. Each employee shall be given a copy of the job description for his/her position. A copy of the job description shall be signed and dated by the employee and placed in his/her file.

(5) Staff Orientation. Immediately before or within one (1) week following appointment, an employee, intern, volunteer, and any contracted personnel shall be oriented to the agency's programs, practices, and the duties and expectations of his/her position. The orientation program shall include, but not be limited to:

(A) Agency philosophy and history;

(B) Agency policies;

(C) Agency staff roles;

(D) The family's role in the child's care and the worker's role and responsibilities in relation to the family;

(E) Complete description of the agency's program model;

(F) Health and safety procedures, including the use of universal health care precautions;

(G) Crisis intervention procedures;

(H) Record keeping requirements;

(I) Cultural diversity;

(J) Separation and attachment issues;

(K) Confidentiality;

(L) Substance abuse;

(M) Recognition of suicidal tendencies and appropriate intervention;

(N) The procedure for identifying and reporting child abuse or neglect, or both, in accordance with sections 210.110-210.165, RSMo;

(O) Agency recreation program philosophy, policy, procedures, rules, and expectations;

(P) Legal rights of children and their families, including basic information on the constitutional rights of children and their families while children are in care and basic information on the Missouri juvenile justice system; and

(Q) Procedures to follow in an emergency.

(6) Staff Training.

(A) An agency shall establish and submit to the licensing unit an annual written plan of training each year for all employees and contracted personnel.
1. Employees and contracted personnel shall have forty (40) hours of training during the first year of employment and forty (40) hours annually each subsequent year; and

2. Direct care staff and immediate supervisors must maintain certification in a certified medication training program, crisis management, a current recognized and approved physical restraint program (where applicable), first aid, and cardio pulmonary resuscitation.

(B) All training must be documented on a training database/training log with the dates, location, subject, number of hours earned and person(s) who conducted the training.

(C) The training may include, but not be limited to, short-term courses, seminars, institutes, workshops, and in-service training provided on site by qualified professionals. Activities related to supervision of the staff member's routine tasks shall not be considered training activities for the purpose of this rule.

(D) The training plan shall include, but not be limited to:
1. Developmental needs of children;

2. Child management techniques;

3. Basic group dynamics;

4. Appropriate discipline, crisis intervention, de-escalation techniques, and behavior management techniques;

5. The direct care and professional staff roles in the operating site;

6. Interpersonal communication;

7. Proper, safe methods, and techniques of physical restraint;

8. First aid and cardio pulmonary resuscitation training;

9. Medication training and/or certification;

10. Suicide prevention;

11. Legal rights of children and their families, including basic information on the constitutional rights of children and their families while children are in care and basic information on the Missouri juvenile justice system; and

12. Water safety for those agencies allowing water activities.

*Original authority: 210.506, RSMo 1982, amended 1993, 1995.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Missouri may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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