New Jersey Administrative Code
Title 3A - CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Chapter 56 - MANUAL OF REQUIREMENTS FOR CHILDREN'S GROUP HOMES
Subchapter 6 - PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
Section 3A:56-6.1 - Treatment plan for children in group homes, psychiatric community homes for children, teaching family homes, treatment homes, and alternative care homes

Universal Citation: NJ Admin Code 3A:56-6.1

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024

(a) Group homes, psychiatric community homes for children, teaching family homes, alternative care homes, and treatment homes shall develop, implement and maintain on file a written individual treatment plan for each child. The plan shall delineate how to meet that child's needs and to remediate the problems and behavior that led to the child's placement.

(b) Group homes, psychiatric community homes for children, teaching family homes, alternative care homes, and treatment homes shall form a treatment team that is responsible for the development of a treatment plan for each child. The treatment team shall consist of each of the following:

1. For group homes, psychiatric community homes for children and treatment homes:
i. Staff members representing the clinical component;

ii. Staff members representing the social work component;

iii. Staff members representing the child care component;

iv. Staff members representing the administration of the home, if necessary;

v. Representatives from the child's responsible school district and/or current school district, if necessary;

vi. The Division's worker or other placing agency;

vii. The child's parents, if appropriate; and

viii. The child, for the purpose of providing input.

2. For teaching family homes:
i. Staff members representing the clinical component, if applicable;

ii. Teaching parents and any alternate teaching family staff members;

iii. The teaching family consultant who shall attend the initial treatment planning meeting and shall attend at least one subsequent meeting every year;

iv. Representatives from the child's responsible school district and/or current school district, if necessary;

v. The Division's worker or other placing agency; and

vi. The child's parents, if appropriate.

(c) Group homes, psychiatric community homes for children, teaching family homes, alternative care homes, and treatment homes shall document in the child's record that the Division's worker or other placing agency, the child's therapist, parents or legal guardian and the child's responsible and/or current school district, if appropriate, were invited to participate as members of the treatment team and assist in the development of the treatment plan and all subsequent revisions.

(d) Group homes, teaching family homes, alternative care homes, and treatment homes shall develop the initial treatment plan within 30 calendar days following a child's admission, implement the treatment plan for three months and review or revise the treatment plan at least every three months thereafter.

(e) Psychiatric community homes for children shall develop and implement the treatment plan within 10 working days following a child's admission and review or revise the treatment plan at least every month thereafter.

(f) The treatment plan shall include the following information:

1. The name of the child;

2. The date of the child's admission;

3. Updated medical and dental examinations, as specified in 3A:56-7.2;

4. The date when the plan is developed or revised;

5. The names and titles of all persons having input and/or attending the development or review meeting;

6. The child's social, familial, emotional, medical, behavioral, and academic strengths and weaknesses;

7. Family or friends' visiting schedule and level of compliance or reasons for not scheduling visits;

8. Specific treatment goals in each program area and projected time frame for completing each goal;

9. Persons responsible for the implementation of techniques to be used to achieve treatment goals and objectives;

10. Techniques to be used to achieve each treatment goal;

11. Criteria to be used to determine whether each treatment goal is achieved;

12. A notation of progress made from the previous plan and any identified obstacles to goal achievement;

13. Documentation of efforts to achieve timely discharge and ongoing discharge planning, including, but not limited to, outcome criteria required for discharge and services needed by parents or other persons to whom the child will be discharged; and

14. For children who are 14 years of age and over, how the child is being prepared for self-sufficiency. This documentation shall include, but not be limited to, instruction in:
i. Food preparation;

ii. Budgeting and money management; and

iii. Vocational planning and, if applicable, employment search efforts.

15. Documentation, as specified at N.J.A.C. 3A:56-5.3(d) 3 and 4 and (e)3 and 4, when the treatment team has determined the child appropriate for unsupervised time in the home or community.

(g) Group homes, psychiatric community homes for children, teaching family homes, alternative care homes, and treatment homes shall send to the Division's worker or other placing agency a copy of the treatment plan and revisions to it within 30 calendar days after the treatment planning meeting and retain a copy of the plan in the child's record for at least four years after the child's discharge.

(h) Group homes, psychiatric community homes for children, teaching family homes, alternative care homes, and treatment homes shall ensure that the child's treatment plan and any revisions to it are explained to the child, his or her parents and all staff members responsible for the plan's implementation. If the home does not explain the child's treatment plan to the child's parents, the home shall document in the child's case record the reasons why the plan was not explained to the parents.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. New Jersey 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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