Current through Register Vol. 63, No. 9, September 1, 2024
An outdoor youth program must comply with all of the following
requirements:
(1) Staff ratio policy.
The outdoor youth program must have written policy and maintain documentation
of program compliance on staff ratios.
(2) Group size. For a field group, the number
of participants may not exceed 12 children in care.
(3) Staffing ratio. Each group of two or more
children in care must be staffed as follows:
(a) By at least two staff members, one of
whom must be a senior field staff member;
(b) There must be at least one staff member
to every three children in care;
(c) Where the gender of a group of children
in care is mixed, there must be at least one female staff and one male staff
member;
(d) There must be a minimum
of five years difference in age between a direct care staff member and the
child in care for whom the staff member has sole supervision; and
(e) Volunteers and interns may not be
included in the staff ratio unless they meet the qualifications required of
staff.
(4) Wilderness
first responder (WFR). At least one staff member per group of children in care
must have a current Wilderness First Responder (WFR) Certificate or
equivalent.
(5) Nonviolent crisis
intervention training. At least one staff per group of children in care must be
trained in nonviolent crisis intervention.
(6) Field staff training.
(a) There may not at any time be more than
one staff member who has not completed all field training.
(b) Where there are four or more children in
care, at least two staff members must have completed all field
training.
(7) Stationary
Outdoor Youth Program staffing ratios.
(a)
There must be at least one staff member to every three children in care while a
stationary outdoor youth program is engaging in an outdoor youth program
activity, whether at or away from the stationary camp.
(b) A stationary outdoor youth program when
not engaged in an outdoor youth program activity at the stationary camp is
exempt from the one staff member to every three children in care staffing
ratio. Staff ratios must be established to provide supervision and protection
for children in care and must be adequate in relationship to the type of
program, location of program, age and type of children in care served, physical
plant design, location and ability of supervisor to respond, backup systems, or
any other means to assure a high standard of supervision and protection:
(A) There must be at least one staff member
to every 10 children in care during the time children in care are awake and
present in the program.
(B) There
must be at least one staff member on duty to every 14 children in care during
sleeping hours. If staff is sleeping, there must be at least one staff member
on duty to every seven children in care during sleeping hours.
Statutory/Other Authority: ORS
418.005 & ORS
418.240
Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS
418.990 - 418.998 & ORS
418.205 -
418.325
