Ariz. Admin. Code § 21-7-132

Current through Register Vol. 31, No. 2, January 10, 2025

Section R21-7-132 - Orientation and Training for Staff

A. The licensee shall have a written policy approved by the Department for orientation and training of all staff in accordance with R21-7-107.

B. All staff shall receive initial orientation and training before independently performing the essential functions of their job and before direct care staff may supervise children alone.

C. The licensee's policy shall require staff to complete the initial orientation and training to include:

1. Training all staff on the following:

a. The licensee's philosophy;

b. The licensee's organization;

c. The licensee's program;

d. The licensee's practices;

e. The licensee's goals;

f. The licensee's policies and procedures;

g. Identification and reporting children suspected to be victims of child exploitation, including sex trafficking;

h. Mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect under A.R.S. § 13-3620;

i. Any specific child care responsibilities outlined in the staff's job description; and

j. Any new training required by the federal or state governments.

2. Training direct care staff on the following:

a. Confidentiality,

b. Client and family rights,

c. Grievances,

d. Emergencies and evacuations,

e. Behavior management,

f. Preventing and reporting child abuse or neglect,

g. Recordkeeping,

h. Medications,

i. Infection control,

j. Treatment philosophy,

k. Adult and pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid according to American Red Cross guidelines as prescribed in R21-7-130,

l. Initial wellness screening for identified direct care staff,

m. Trauma-informed care of children,

n. De-escalation and any physical restraint practices used by the Agency and taught by an instructor certified, approved by the Department, and qualified under this subsection. An instructor is certified and qualified to train staff in de-escalation and physical restraint practices if:

i. The instructor's curriculum conforms to the requirements of this Chapter, state law, and who have experience in the actual use of interventions as opposed to administrative responsibility for such use; and

ii. The classroom instruction provided conforms to the requirements of this Chapter and state law. The training shall cover at a minimum intervention techniques, particularly addressing the risks and side effects that may adversely affect a child. The use of intervention includes hands-on or practical experience to be conducted by instructors;

o. Recognizing expected responses to and side effects of medications commonly prescribed for children in care,

p. Recognizing the signs and effects of:

i. Substance use and abuse,

ii. Common childhood illness, and

iii. Communicable disease,

q. Emergency admissions process if applicable to the licensee's services,

r. Writing and submitting incident reports, and

s. Creating normalcy for children in their care. The training shall address best practices for meeting the diverse needs for each individual child.

D. The licensee's ongoing training plan shall require that:

1. All staff receive annual training to include the following topics:

a. Mandatory reporting,

b. Relevant portions of Arizona Administrative Code,

c. Agency and Department policies and procedures,

d. Responsibilities appropriate to the staff's duties with the Agency, and

e. Any updates to topics covered in prior trainings the staff has received.

2. All direct care staff shall receive annual training which shall include the following topics:

a. Child management techniques;

b. Positive discipline, crisis intervention, and behavior management techniques;

c. De-escalation, physical restraint techniques refresher to maintain currency in knowledge and recent technical trends;

d. Health care issues and procedures, including mental health;

e. Attachment and separation issues for a child and family;

f. Sensitivity towards and skills related to cultural and ethnic differences;

g. Sensitivity towards and skills related to children who identify as part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning community;

h. Strategies for addressing safety concerns and challenges faced by children who identify as part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning community;

i. Self-awareness, values, and professional ethics;

j. A child's need for permanency and how the Agency works to fulfill this need;

k. Trauma informed care; and

l. How to promote normalcy for children in their care.

Ariz. Admin. Code § R21-7-132

New Section made by final rulemaking at 29 A.A.R. 2231, effective 11/6/2023.