5101:2-5-33. Foster caregiver preplacement and continuing training

(A) A recommending agency shall document that each person seeking certification successfully completes all preplacement training required by this rule according to the type of foster home for which certification is sought.

(B) A recommending agency shall document that each foster caregiver for whom recertification is recommended successfully completes all continuing training required by this rule for the type of foster home operated by the foster caregiver, unless a waiver is approved by the recommending agency pursuant to paragraph (J) of this rule and appropriately documented according to paragraph (K) of this rule.

(C) A foster caregiver or applicant is to meet the following preplacement or continuing training requirements, as applicable to the type of home for which an applicant is seeking certification or for which a foster caregiver is certified.

(1) Pre-adoptive infant foster home:

(a) A person seeking certification to operate a pre-adoptive infant foster home shall complete a minimum of twelve hours of preplacement training prior to the agency recommending the home for certification. The required training courses are to address at least all of the following:

(i) The legal rights and responsibilities of foster caregivers.

(ii) The policies and procedures of the recommending agency regarding foster caregivers.

(iii) The Ohio department of job and family services' (ODJFS) requirements for certifying pre-adoptive infant foster homes.

(iv) Infant care.

(v) Early childhood development.

(vi) At least one hour of cultural issues in placement training including cultural diversity training.

(vii) The reasonable and prudent parent standard as described in division (C) of section 5103.162 of the Revised Code.

(viii) A first aid and a child and adult cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training program such as those training programs offered by the American red cross, the American heart association, or the equivalent.

(ix) Medication administration.

(x) Procedures for reporting suspected child abuse or neglect pursuant to section 2151.421 of the Revised Code.

(b) A foster caregiver certified to operate a pre-adoptive infant foster home shall complete a minimum of twenty-four hours of continuing training during each certification period. As of the effective date of this rule, if a currently certified foster caregiver has not completed first aid and CPR training, the caregiver is to complete the training by their subsequent recertification.

(2) Family foster home:

(a) A person seeking certification to operate a family foster home shall complete a minimum of thirty-six hours of preplacement training prior to the agency recommending the home for certification. No preplacement training shall be counted towards the completion of continuing training required by paragraph (C)(2)(c) of this rule. The preplacement training program shall consist of courses in the role of foster caregivers as a part of the care and treatment of foster children. A foster caregiver shall complete all of the courses, which are to, at least, address all of the following:

(i) The legal rights and responsibilities of foster caregivers.

(ii) The recommending agency's policies and procedures regarding foster caregivers.

(iii) ODJFS requirements for certifying foster homes.

(iv) The effects placement, separation, and attachment issues have on children, their families, and foster caregivers.

(v) The importance of maintaining meaningful connections between the child and parents, including regular visitation.

(vi) Foster caregivers' involvement in permanency planning for children and their families.

(vii) The effects of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and substance abuse on normal human growth and development.

(viii) Behavior management techniques.

(ix) Effects of caregiving on children's families.

(x) At least two hours of training on cultural issues in placement training including cultural diversity training.

(xi) Prevention, recognition, and management of communicable diseases.

(xii) Community health and social services available to children and their families.

(xiii) The substance of section 2152.72 of the Revised Code which deals with the information required to be shared with a foster caregiver when a child who has been adjudicated a delinquent child for the commission of certain violent crimes is placed in a foster home. A course addressing section 2152.72 of the Revised Code shall be not less than one hour long.

(xiv) The reasonable and prudent parent standard as described in division (C) of section 5103.162 of the Revised Code.

(xv) A first aid and a child and adult CPR training program such as those training programs offered by the American red cross, the American heart association, or the equivalent.

(xvi) Medication administration.

(xvii) Procedures for reporting suspected child abuse or neglect pursuant to section 2151.421 of the Revised Code.

(b) In addition to the preplacement training requirements of paragraph (C)(2)(a) of this rule, a prospective family foster caregiver who will be providing care for a youth expected to remain in foster care until the youth's eighteenth birthday shall be prepared adequately with the appropriate knowledge and skills to understand and address the issues confronting adolescents preparing for independent living, and provide, under the instruction of the recommending agency, such services to the youth as are needed and appropriate and, to the extent possible, coordinate such services with the life skill services required to be provided by rule 5101:2-42-19 of the Administrative Code.

(c) A foster caregiver certified to operate a family foster home shall complete a minimum of forty hours of continuing training during each certification period. A continuing training program shall consist of courses that a foster caregiver must complete in accordance with the caregiver's written needs assessment and continuing training plan. As of the effective date of this rule, if a currently certified foster caregiver has not completed first aid and CPR training, the caregiver is to complete the training by their subsequent recertification.

(d) No preplacement training received under paragraph (C)(2)(a) of this rule shall be counted towards the completion of continuing training required by this paragraph.

(e) In addition to the continuing training requirements of paragraph (C)(2)(c) of this rule, a family foster caregiver who is or will be providing care for a youth expected to remain in foster care until the youth's eighteenth birthday shall be prepared adequately with the appropriate knowledge and skills to understand and address the issues confronting adolescents preparing for independent living, and provide, under the instruction of the recommending agency, such services to the youth as are needed and appropriate and, to the extent possible, coordinate such services with the life skills services required to be provided by rule 5101:2-42-19 of the Administrative Code.

(3) Specialized foster home:

(a) A person seeking certification to operate a specialized foster home shall complete a minimum of thirty-six hours of preplacement training prior to the agency recommending the home for certification. The preplacement training program shall consist of all the courses listed in paragraph (C)(2) (a) of this rule except that the cultural issues in placement training shall be at least three hours in length, and, if applicable, paragraph (C)(2)(b) of this rule, and additional issues specific to the types of children placed in the type of specialized foster home the person seeks to operate. Such courses shall include:

(i) Issues concerning appropriate behavioral intervention techniques, such as de-escalation, self-defense and physical restraint techniques and the appropriate use of such techniques.

(ii) Education advocacy training.

(iii) Training that may be considered as meeting either a requirement for preplacement training for a specialized foster caregiver or a requirement for continuing training for a foster caregiver, may be counted as meeting either requirement, even though the caregiver may be certified to operate only one type of foster home at a time.

(b) A foster caregiver certified to operate a specialized foster home shall complete a minimum of sixty hours of continuing training during each certification period. The continuing training program shall be in accordance with the caregiver's written needs assessment and continuing training plan and shall include, if applicable, the training listed in paragraph (C)(2)(e) of this rule, and additional issues specific to the types of children placed in the type of specialized foster home for which the caregiver is certified. Such training shall also include completion of a first aid training program and a child and adult CPR certification training program such as those training programs offered by the American red cross, the American heart association, or the equivalent.

(D) A foster caregiver may complete up to twenty per cent of his or her continuing training requirement by teaching one or more training classes to other foster caregivers or by providing mentoring services to other foster caregivers. To qualify for teaching or mentoring services a foster caregiver shall:

(1) Have at least two years experience as a certified foster caregiver.

(2) Have had at least two child placements in their foster home.

(3) Be a currently certified foster home.

(4) Not be under a corrective action plan by a recommending agency.

(5) Not be under investigation for a violation of state statute or rule by a recommending agency or ODJFS.

(E) As used in this rule, mentoring services means, at a minimum:

(1) Assisting foster caregivers with information that will encourage communication between the new foster caregivers and human service agencies.

(2) Offering foster caregivers possible solutions to problems that may occur while caring for a child in placement.

(3) Assisting and guiding recently certified foster caregivers in day to day activities while caring for a child in placement.

(4) Offering to assist foster caregivers in utilizing resources within their community.

(5) Encouraging recently certified foster caregivers to attend training sessions in order to maintain their current certification.

(F) Video presentations and training completed outside of a classroom shall be accepted under the following conditions:

(1) Video presentations may be used as a tool to meet preplacement or continuing foster caregiver training requirements if any of the following requirements are met:

(a) A qualified trainer is present during the training session to respond to questions.

(b) The video presentation is part of a self-directed learning program approved by ODJFS.

(c) ODJFS has approved the video presentation as part of an agency's training proposal as set forth in rule 5101:2-5-40 of the Administrative Code.

(2) Video presentations prepared for entertainment purposes shall not be considered as meeting training requirements unless transfer of learning components are included prior to or following the video presentation. Transfer of learning components may include a pretest, a posttest, or a discussion following the video presentation. Video presentations prepared for entertainment purposes shall not be used for preplacement training or to meet more than one-forth of a foster caregiver's continuing training requirements.

(3) The acceptance of training that is completed outside a classroom where a trainer is not present, shall be considered by the recommending agency on an individual basis and shall not be used for more than six hours of preplacement training or to meet more than one-fourth of a foster caregiver's continuing training requirements. To be accepted by a recommending agency to meet a foster caregiver's continuing training requirements, the training must include a transfer of learning component prior to or following the training. Such training shall be consistent with the recommending agency's written needs assessment and continuing training plan developed for the foster caregiver pursuant to paragraph (G) of this rule. If a private child placing agency (PCPA) or private noncustodial agency (PNA) intends to accept such continuing training on a regular basis, it shall be included in the agency's training proposal developed pursuant to rule 5101:2-5-40 of the Administrative Code. If a public children services agency (PCSA) intends to accept such continuing training on a regular basis, it shall provide written notification to the regional training center of the Ohio child welfare training program (OCWTP) responsible for providing foster caregiver training for the county so the training center can make appropriate plans for training.

(a) Continuing training completed outside a classroom may include training offered through the following methods:

(i) Video presentations.

(ii) Books or magazines.

(iii) Computer programs.

(iv) Internet sites.

(v) Interactive video presentations.

(b) Transfer of learning components may include the following:

(i) A pretest.

(ii) A posttest.

(iii) A discussion following the training.

(4) Continuing training where a foster caregiver is teaching one or more training classes to other foster caregivers or providing mentoring services to other foster caregivers may be used in combination with training completed outside a classroom to meet no more than one-fourth of the foster caregiver's continuing training requirements.

(5) Live synchronous distance learning, where the trainer or facilitator is available real time to deliver the training, may be used to meet up to fifty per cent of pre-placement and continuing training.

(6) Fifty per cent of either pre-placement training or continuing training is to be completed in the classroom with an instructor present.

(7) Pursuant to rule 5101:2-5-38 of the Administrative Code, neither a foster caregiver training stipend nor an agency training allowance payment shall be made for training completed outside a classroom where a person in the role of a trainer is not present.

(8) Continuing training hours obtained by a foster caregiver by teaching one or more training classes to other foster caregivers are eligible for stipend and training allowance reimbursement in the amount of hours as specified in the foster caregiver's written needs assessment and continuing training plan. Any continuing training hours obtained by a foster caregiver by teaching one or more training classes to other foster caregivers in excess of the specified amount in the written needs assessment and continuing training plan shall not be reimbursable.

(G) Not later than the first thirty days of a foster caregiver's certification period, a recommending agency shall develop and implement a written needs assessment and continuing training plan for each foster caregiver affiliated with the agency. Each needs assessment and continuing training plan shall satisfy all of the following requirements:

(1) Be effective for the two-year period the foster caregiver's certificate is in effect.

(2) Be appropriate for the type of foster home the foster caregiver operates, and include training for the caregiver that relates to providing independent living services, as defined in section 2151.81 of the Revised Code, to a child placed as provided in division (B)(2) of section 2151.353 of the Revised Code.

(3) Require the foster caregiver to successfully complete the courses the agency considers appropriate;

(4) Include criteria the agency is to use to determine whether the foster caregiver has successfully completed the courses.

(5) Guarantee that the courses the foster caregiver is required to complete are available to the foster caregiver at reasonable times and places.

(6) Specify the number of hours of continuing training, if any, the foster caregiver may complete by teaching one or more training classes to other foster caregivers or by providing mentoring services to other foster caregivers as referenced in this rule.

(7) For a family foster caregiver or a specialized foster caregiver, specify whether the agency will waive any of the hours of continuing training the foster caregiver is required by paragraph (C) of this rule to complete during each certification period if the foster caregiver satisfies the conditions for the agency to issue a waiver. If the agency will issue a waiver, the agency shall state in the needs assessment and continuing training plan the number of hours of continuing training, not to exceed eight during each certification period, that the agency will waive.

(H) For the purpose of determining whether a foster caregiver has satisfied the requirements of paragraph (C) of this rule, a recommending agency shall accept training for foster caregivers obtained from a regional training center of the OCWTP or an approved preplacement training program or continuing training program operated by a PCPA or PNA under rule 5101:2-5-40 of the Administrative Code regardless of whether the recommending agency operated the preplacement training program or continuing training program. The recommending agency may require that the applicant or foster caregiver successfully complete additional training as a condition of certification or recertification.

(I) The recommending agency shall maintain a record for each foster caregiver showing the date, location, course name and length of each preplacement and continuing training course each foster caregiver attended, and the name of the trainer.

(J) At the beginning of a foster caregiver's second certification period or a subsequent certification period, a recommending agency may include within the foster caregiver's written needs assessment and continuing training plan, a waiver of up to eight hours of continuing training that a foster caregiver holding a certificate for a family foster home or specialized foster home is otherwise required by paragraph (C) of this rule to complete during the certification period, if all of the following apply:

(1) The foster caregiver has had or maintained a foster home certificate for at least two years.

(2) The foster caregiver has provided care for a foster child for at least ninety days of the twelve months preceding the date the agency issues the waiver.

(3) The foster caregiver has not violated any statute or rule governing certification of foster homes during the twelve months preceding the date the agency issues the waiver.

(4) The foster caregiver has complied in full with the needs assessment and continuing training plan developed for the foster caregiver under paragraph (G) of this rule for the preceding certification period.

(K) For each continuing training waiver approved by a recommending agency for a family foster home or a specialized foster home pursuant to paragraph (J) of this rule the following documentation shall be maintained in the foster caregiver's record:

(1) The date of the waiver.

(2) The number of hours of training waived.

(3) A statement that each of the requirements of paragraph (J) of this rule have been met.

(4) The name and signature of the authorized agency representative who approved the waiver.

(L) A foster caregiver to whom either paragraph (L)(1) or (L)(2) of this rule applies shall be given an additional amount of time within which to complete the continuing training required under paragraph (C)(1)(b), (C)(2)(c) or (C)(3)(b) of this rule, as applicable to the type of foster home the caregiver is certified to operate. The additional time shall be one month for each month the caregiver was on active duty. Any required training that is not met at the end of a foster caregiver's certification period applying the preceding sentence shall be waived by the agency. When a waiver of training is approved by an agency under this paragraph, the required training for the next certification period shall be the same as for any other caregiver operating a foster home of the type for which the foster caregiver is certified. The agency shall document any such extension of time in the foster caregiver's record.

(1) The foster caregiver has served in active duty outside Ohio with a branch of the armed forces of the United States for more than thirty days in the preceding two-year period.

(2) The foster caregiver has served in active duty as a member of the Ohio organized militia, as defined in section 5923.01 of the Revised Code, which includes the Ohio national guard, the Ohio naval militia and the Ohio military reserve, for more than thirty days in the preceding two-year period and that active duty relates to either an emergency in or outside of Ohio or to military duty in or outside of Ohio.

Effective: 6/15/2020
Five Year Review (FYR) Dates: 3/19/2020 and 06/15/2025
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 5103.03, 5103.0316
Rule Amplifies: 5101.14, 5153.16, 5103.031 , 5103.032, 5103.033, 5103.034, 5103.035, 5103.036, 5103.038, 5103.039, 5103.0311
Prior Effective Dates: 12/30/1966, 10/01/1986, 02/01/1988, 07/02/1990 (Emer.), 10/01/1990, 01/01/1991, 03/17/1994, 10/01/1997 (Emer.), 12/30/1997, 09/01/2000, 01/01/2003, 08/22/2005, 05/22/2008, 03/01/2010, 09/01/2015