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REFERENCE TITLE: group foster homes; staffing requirement |
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State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-sixth Legislature Second Regular Session 2024
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HB 2543 |
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Introduced by Representatives Jones: Marshall, McGarr, Parker B, Smith; Senators Gonzales, Wadsack
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An Act
amending section 8-501, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to group foster homes.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 8-501, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
8-501. Definitions
A. In this article, unless the context otherwise requires:
1. "Child developmental certified home" means a regular foster home that is licensed pursuant to section 8-509 and that is certified by the department of economic security pursuant to section 36-593.01.
2. "Child welfare agency" or "agency":
(a) Means:
(i) Any agency or institution that is maintained by a person, firm, corporation, association or organization to receive children for care and maintenance or for twenty-four hour social, emotional or educational supervised care or who have been adjudicated as a delinquent or dependent child.
(ii) Any institution that provides care for unmarried mothers and their children.
(iii) Any agency that is maintained by this state, a political subdivision of this state or a person, firm, corporation, association or organization to place children or unmarried mothers in a foster home.
(b) Does not include state operated institutions or facilities, detention facilities for children established by law, health care institutions that are licensed by the department of health services pursuant to title 36, chapter 4 or private agencies that exclusively provide children with social enrichment or recreational opportunities and that do not use restrictive behavior management techniques.
3. "Division" or "department" means the department of child safety.
4. "Former dependent child" means a person who was previously adjudicated a dependent child in a dependency proceeding that has been dismissed by order of the juvenile court.
5. "Foster child" means a child placed in a foster home or child welfare agency.
6. "Foster home" means a home that is maintained by any individual or individuals having the care or control of minor children, other than those related to each other by blood or marriage, or related to such individuals, or who are legal wards of such individuals.
7. "Foster parent" means any individual or individuals maintaining a foster home.
8. "Group foster home" means a licensed regular or special foster home that is suitable for placement of more than five minor children but not more than ten minor children and that has at least two adult employees on the premises at all times.
9. "Out-of-home placement" means the placing of a child in the custody of an individual or agency other than with the child's parent or legal guardian and includes placement in temporary custody pursuant to section 8-821, voluntary placement pursuant to section 8-806 or placement due to dependency actions.
10. "Parent" means the natural or adoptive mother or father of a child.
11. "Reason for leaving care" means one of the following:
(a) Reunification with a parent or primary caretaker.
(b) Living with another relative.
(c) Adoption by a relative.
(d) Adoption by a foster parent.
(e) Adoption by another person.
(f) Age of majority.
(g) Guardianship by a relative.
(h) Guardianship by another person.
(i) Transfer to another agency.
(j) Runaway.
(k) Death.
12. "Receiving foster home" means a licensed foster home that is suitable for immediate placement of children when taken into custody or pending medical examination and court disposition.
13. "Regular foster home" means a licensed foster home that is suitable for placement of not more than five minor children.
14. "Relative" means a grandparent, great-grandparent, brother or sister of whole or half blood, aunt, uncle or first cousin.
15. "Restrictive behavior management" means an intervention or procedure that attempts to guide, redirect, modify or manage behavior through the use of any of the following:
(a) Physical force to cause a child to comply with a directive. Physical force does not include physical escort. For the purposes of this subdivision, "physical escort" means temporarily touching or holding a child's hand, wrist, arm, shoulder or back to induce the child to walk to a safe location.
(b) A device, action or medication to restrict the movement or normal function of a child in order to control or change the child's behavior and that includes:
(i) Chemical restraint. For the purposes of this item, "chemical restraint" means the use of any psychoactive medication as a restraint to control the child's behavior or to restrict the child's freedom of movement and that is not a standard treatment for the child's medical or psychiatric condition.
(ii) Mechanical restraint. For the purposes of this item, "mechanical restraint" means the use of any physical device to limit a child's movement and to prevent the child from causing harm to self or to others. Mechanical restraint does not include devices such as orthopedically prescribed devices, surgical dressings or bandages, protective helmets or any other method that involves the physical holding of a child to conduct a routine physical examination or test or to protect the child from falling out of bed or to permit allow the child to participate in activities in order to reduce the risk of physical harm to the child.
(iii) Physical restraint. For the purposes of this item, "physical restraint" means applying physical force to reduce or restrict a child's ability to freely move the child's arms, legs or head. Physical restraint does not include temporarily holding a child to permit allow the child to participate in activities of daily living if this holding does not involve the risk of physical harm to the child.
(iv) Seclusion. For the purposes of this item, "seclusion" means placing a child against the child's will in a room in which the child is unable to open the door in order to prevent the child from doing harm to self or others.
16. "Special foster home" means a licensed foster home that is capable of handling not more than five minor children who require special care for physical, mental or emotional reasons or who have been adjudicated delinquent. Special foster home includes any home handling foster children aged twelve through seventeen.
B. A foster home or any classification of foster home defined in subsection A of this section includes a home having the care of persons who are under twenty-one years of age and the cost of whose care is provided pursuant to section 8-521.01.