West Virginia Code of State Rules
Agency 78 - Human Services
Title 78 - LEGISLATIVE RULE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES BUREAU FOR SOCIAL SERVICES
Series 78-02 - Child Placing Agencies Licensure
Section 78-2-8 - Employee Requirements

Universal Citation: 78 WV Code of State Rules 78-2-8

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 38, September 20, 2024

8.1. Qualifications. An agency shall outline in .j.ob descriptions minimum requirements for each position with regard to education, experience, and essential qualifications.

8.1.1. Administrative and Supervisory employees, including the Assistant Director, Program Director, and Case Management Supervisor shall possess:
8.1.1.a. An advanced degree in a human service field and two years of direct practice experience; or,

8.1.1.b. An advanced degree in a human service field and be licensed within the scope of their professional practice; or,

8.1.1.c. A Bachelor's degree in social work or a comparable human service field and two years of experience in a human services related field, at least one year of which is in child welfare services.

8.1.2. Clinical employees, including Physicians, Therapists, Clinical or Certified Social Workers, and Psychologists shall have valid West Virginia professional licenses in their fields and shall operate within the scope of their practice.

8.1.4. Case Managers shall have a bachelor's or master's degree in social work or a related human service field, or a Board of Regents degree with human service concentration, or a bachelor's degree and have completed department-approved training provided by the child placing agency.

8.1.5. Para-Professional employees shall possess a high school diploma or GED and be at least 21 years of age.

8.2. Training and Development. An agency shall develop and implement a comprehensive plan for employee orientation, ongoing training and development, and supervisory review, including performance and program evaluations.

8.2.1. Orientation Training. An agency shall require that direct care service employees included in child placing services, within three months of employment, complete a minimum of 40 hours of orientation training in areas including:
8.2.1.a. Licensing rules and the legal aspects of foster care;

8.2.1.b. The service planning process;

8.2.1.c. A crisis intervention model that includes interviewing techniques, conflict de-escalation and conflict resolution, and crisis intervention;

8.2.1.d. Mandatory reporting requirements for child abuse and neglect;

8.2.1.e. Normalcy for foster children;

8.2.1.f. Reasonable Prudent Parent Standard;

8.2.1.g. Human Trafficking Prevention for foster children and National Runaway Youth Prevention;

8.2.1.h. Trauma-informed care;

8.2.1.i. Runaway youth procedures

8.2.1.j. Absent from supervision procedures; and

8.2.1.k. First Aid and CPR Training appropriate to the age of the children they serve.

8.2.2. OngoingTraining.
8.2.2.a. An agency shall require that all employees providing direct care services to clients receive at least 20 hours of additional training in the areas of values and cultural diversity, ethics, child abuse and neglect issues, trauma, the Adoption and Safe Families Act and behavior management, within the first six months of employment.

8.2.2.b. An agency shall require that after the first year of employment, all employees providing direct care services to clients, complete a minimum of 25 hours of ongoing training per year.

8.3. Contracted Professional Services.

8.3.1. An agency shall verify that all contracted professional services are certified or licensed in the service they are providing.

8.3.2. An agency shall require that a contracted professional providing direct care services to a child in placement provide documentation of services.

8.4. Volunteers.

8.4.1. An agency that uses volunteer services, including student field placements and internships, shall develop and implement a plan for their specific use, shall provide that an agency employee oversee their service, and shall provide training, prior to their beginning service, on:
8.4.1.a. The program and agency orientation;

8.4.1.b. The services offered and the volunteer's role on the team;

8.4.1.c. The policies regarding confidentiality;

8.4.1.d. The policies regarding mandatory reporting requirements for child abuse or neglect;

8.4.1.e. The code of conduct for the volunteer; and

8.4.1.f. The emergency procedure.

8.4.2. An agency shall require volunteers who are working directly with youth to complete background checks in accordance with the provisions of the WV CARES act and rules and complete a "Authorization and Release for Protective Service and Provider Record Checks" form.

8.4.3. An agency shall require that volunteers who are working directly with youth have a medical screening by a qualified medical practitioner and a tuberculosis risk assessment or test with negative risk assessment or test results prior to providing services to children and every five years thereafter.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. West Virginia 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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