Rule 37.93.110 - CHILD PLACING AGENCY: PERSONNEL(1) Personnel policy. Each child placing agency must have a written personnel policy covering at least the following items: job qualifications, job descriptions, supervisory structure, salary schedules, fringe benefits, insurance, hours of work, and performance evaluations.(2) Personnel records. Each child placing agency must maintain a personnel file for each employee. The personnel file must contain: application for employment, reports from references, record of in-service training or other training acquired after the date of hiring, and periodic performance evaluations for each employee.(3) General personnel qualifications. All child placing agency personnel responsible for providing services to children and/or conducting a licensing study must meet the following general qualifications: (a) be at least 18 years of age;(b) be of good character;(c) be emotionally mature and stable;(d) like and understand children;(e) be in good mental and physical health;(f) understand the purpose of the agency and be willing to carry out its policies and programs;(g) have experience in working with children; and(h) meet any additional qualifications for the position established by these rules.(4) Executive director. The agency must have an executive director who shall be responsible for the administration and management of the agency, including the supervision of the placement services provided to children. (a) The executive director shall have demonstrated knowledge of and experience in the provision of child welfare services, including administrative and supervisory experience.(b) Any executive director appointed after the adoption of these rules shall have the following qualifications: (i) a bachelors degree from an accredited college or university, with a minimum of 30 semester credits, or equivalent quarter credits, in social science courses;(ii) at least 2 years' experience in an administrative or supervisory capacity;(iii) three letters of recommendation from individuals unrelated to the applicant, one of whom should be a former employer or supervisor of the applicant, which describe the executive director's character, reliability, knowledge of child welfare services, and general ability to perform the tasks of the executive director as set forth in the job description for that position;(iv) if the executive director is also to act as a placement supervisor, she/he must also meet the qualifications of a placement supervisor.(5) Placement supervisor. The agency must have a placement supervisor who is responsible for supervising the selection, matching, placement of and provision of services to children. (a) Any placement supervisor appointed after the adoption of these rules shall have the following qualifications: (i) a masters degree in a behavioral or social science, with an emphasis in child development or family relations;(ii) at least 2 years' experience of full time or equivalent part time employment in social work, with demonstrated experience in child placement; and(iii) two letters of recommendation which describe the person's character, knowledge of child welfare services and child placement, and ability to perform the tasks of a placement supervisor as set forth in the person's job description.(6) Social workers. The agency shall employ an adequate number of social workers to provide selection, matching, placement and supportive services to the children and families and to the youth care facilities utilized by the agency. (a) The social worker(s) must meet the following qualifications: (i) bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in social work, social science or related field;(ii) Persons employed as social workers who do not meet the qualifications for placement supervisor must be supervised by a person qualified to be a placement supervisor.(7) Paraprofessionals and trainees. The agency may employ persons not qualified to act as social workers to assist the social worker, but such persons may not assume primary responsibility for providing placement-related services. Qualifications for such persons shall be contained in the job descriptions prepared by the agency for such persons.(8) The child placing agency is responsible for assuring that no persons hired by the agency shall pose any potential threat to health, welfare and safety of the children placed.Mont. Admin. r. 37.93.110
NEW, 1985 MAR p. 278, Eff. 3/29/85; TRANS, from Dept. of SRS, 1987 MAR p. 1492, Eff. 7/1/87; TRANS, from DFS, 1998 MAR p. 661.Sec. 53-4-111 and 53-4-403, MCA; IMP, Sec. 53-4-113 and 53-4-403, MCA;