441—114.8 (237) Staff.
	 114.8(1) Qualifications of staff.
	  a.   	 A caseworker shall have a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree in social work, psychology or a related behavioral science, plus two years of supervised experience; or a bachelor’s degree in social work with one year of supervised experience; or six years of supervised child welfare experience in residential care or a combination of advanced education in the behavioral sciences and experience equal to six years.
	  b.   	 A casework supervisor shall have either a master’s degree in social work with one year of supervised experience after the master’s degree or a master’s degree in psychology or counseling with two years of experience beyond the master’s degree, one of which was under supervision. The experience shall be in the area of child welfare services.
	  c.   	 Child care workers shall be at least 18 years of age.
	  d.   	 Any licensed facility having persons in employment in positions for which present rules require higher qualifications will be considered to meet rules with the present staff. New staff will need to meet the requirements of these rules.
	  e.   	 A person who has a record of a criminal conviction or founded child abuse report shall not be employed, unless an evaluation of the crime or founded child abuse has been made by the department which concludes that the crime or founded child abuse does not merit prohibition of employment. If a record of criminal conviction or founded child abuse exists, the person shall be offered the opportunity to complete and submit Form 470-2310, “Record Check Evaluation.” In its evaluation, the department shall consider the nature and seriousness of the crime or founded abuse in relation to the position sought, the time elapsed since the commission of the crime or founded abuse, the circumstances under which the crime or founded abuse was committed, the degree of rehabilitation, and the number of crimes or founded abuses committed by the person involved.
	 114.8(2) Number of staff.
	  a.   	 Children shall be provided with 24-hour awake supervision. There shall be at least one awake and readily accessible staff person on duty for each currently occupied living unit. The staff person shall make regular visual checks at least every hour throughout the night. A log shall be kept of all checks, including the time of the check and any significant observations. Policies for nighttime checks shall be in writing.
	  b.   	 Each facility shall have the services of a casework supervisor and a caseworker adequate to fulfill the staff duties.
	  c.   	 There shall be an on-call system operational 24 hours a day to provide supervisory consultation. There shall be a written plan documenting this system.
	  d.   	 The number and qualifications of the staff will vary depending on the needs of the children. There shall be at least a one to eight staff to client ratio during prime programming time.
	 114.8(3) Staff duties.
	  a.   	 The casework supervisor shall provide in-person case specific supervision at the site of the facility for one hour per month per caseworker and be available for consultation in case of emergency.
	  b.   	 Caseworkers shall:
	 (1) 	 Develop a care plan for each child containing goals and objectives with projected dates of accomplishment and shall involve the client, referral agency, and family whenever possible.
	 (2) 	 Develop a specific plan relating to the involvement of the child’s parents unless documented by the caseworker that their involvement would be counterproductive.
	  c.   	 The facility shall define in writing who shall be responsible for the following staff duties:
	 (1) 	 Documenting case reassessments quarterly, involving the same personnel as previously involved in care plan development.
	 (2) 	 Documenting the implementation of the care plan.
	 (3) 	 Providing for scheduled in-person conferences with each resident.
	 (4) 	 Providing a supportive atmosphere for the child.
	 (5) 	 Providing for coordination of internal and external activities of the child.
	 (6) 	 Providing for liaison with the referring agency.
	 (7) 	 Providing leadership and guidance to the children.
	 (8) 	 Providing a mechanism for dealing with day-to-day program operations.
	 (9) 	 Being responsible for overseeing and maintaining general health and well-being of children.
	 (10) 	 Supervising the living activities of the children.
	 (11) 	 Monitoring and recording behavior on a daily basis.
	 (12) 	 At all times, knowing where the children are supposed to be.
	 114.8(4) Staff development. Staff development shall be appropriate to the size and nature of the facility. There shall be a written format for staff training that includes:
	  a.   	 Orientation for all new employees to acquaint them with the philosophy, organization, program practices, and goals of the facility.
	  b.   	 Training of new employees in areas related to their job assignments.
	  c.   	 Provisions for all staff members to improve their competency. This may be accomplished through such means as:
	 (1) 	 Attending staff meetings.
	 (2) 	 Attending seminars, conferences, workshops and institutes.
	 (3) 	 Visiting other facilities.
	 (4) 	 Access to consultants.
	 (5) 	 Access to current literature, including books, monographs, and journals relevant to the facility’s services.
	  d.   	 An individual designated responsible for staff development and training, who will complete a written staff development plan which shall be updated annually.
This rule is intended to implement Iowa Code section 237.3.
[ARC 9488B, IAB 5/4/11, effective 7/1/11]