Rule 290-2-5-.03 - DefinitionsIn these rules, unless the context otherwise requires, the words, phrases and symbols set forth herein shall mean the following:
(a) "Adult" means a person eighteen (18) years of age or older.(b) "Applicant" means the following:1. When the institution is owned by a sole proprietorship, the individual proprietor shall be the applicant for the license, complete the statement of responsibility and serve as the licensee;2. When the institution is owned by a partnership, the general partners shall be the applicant for the license, complete the statement of responsibility and serve as the licensee;3. When the institution is owned by an association, the governing body of the association shall authorize the application for the license and complete the statement of responsibility and the association shall serve as the licensee; and4. When the institution is owned by a corporation, the governing body of the corporation shall authorize the application for the license and complete the statement of responsibility and the corporation shall serve as the licensee.(c) "Behavior management" means those principles and techniques used by a facility to assist a resident in facilitating self-control, addressing inappropriate behavior, and achieving positive outcomes in a constructive and safe manner. Behavior management principles and techniques shall be used in accordance with the individual service plan, written policies and procedures governing service expectations, service plan goals, safety, security, and these rules and regulations.(d) "Chemical restraint" means drugs that are administered to manage a resident's behavior in a way that reduces the safety risk to the resident or others; that have the temporary effect of restricting the resident's freedom of movement; and that are not being used as part of a standard regimen, as specified in the child's service plan, to treat current symptoms of a medical or psychiatric condition.(e) "Child caring institution" means a child-welfare agency that is any institution, society, agency, or facility, whether incorporated or not, which either primarily or incidentally provides full-time care for children through 18 years of age outside of their own homes, subject to such exceptions as may be provided in rules and regulations of the Board of Human Services. This full-time care is referred to as room, board and watchful oversight. For purposes of these rules, a child caring institution means any institution, society, agency, or facility that provides such care to six or more children.(f) "Child-placing agency" means a child welfare agency that is any institution, society, agency, or facility, whether incorporated or not, that places children in foster homes for temporary care or in prospective adoptive homes for adoption. For purposes of this definition, agencies that engage in placement activities are required to be licensed as Child-Placing Agencies. This term does not apply to a licensed professional providing only home study preparation services as an evaluator.(g) "Criminal history background check" means a search as required by law of the criminal records maintained by law enforcement authorities to determine whether the applicant has a criminal record as defined in these rules.(h) "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of the Department of Human Services.(i) "Criminal record" means: 1. Conviction of a crime; or2. Arrest, charge, and sentencing for a crime where:(i) A plea of nolo contendere was entered to the charge; or(ii) First offender treatment without adjudication of guilt pursuant to the charge was granted; or(iii) Adjudication or sentence was otherwise withheld or not entered on the charge; or(iv) Arrest and being charged for a crime if the charge is pending, unless the time for prosecuting such crime has expired pursuant to O.C.G.A. Sec. 17-3-1et seq.(j) "Department" means the Georgia Department of Human Services.(k) "Director" means the chief administrative or executive officer of the institution.(l) "Emergency safety interventions" mean those behavioral intervention techniques that are authorized under an approved emergency safety intervention plan and are utilized by properly trained staff in an urgent situation to prevent a child from doing immediate harm to self or others.(m) "Emergency safety intervention plan" means the plan developed by the facility utilizing a nationally recognized, evidence-based, training program for emergency safety intervention, approved by the Department. The plan shall clearly identify the emergency safety interventions staff may utilize and those that may never be used.(n) "Employee" means any person, other than a director, employed by an institution to perform any duties at any of the institution's facilities which involve personal contact between that person and any child being cared for at the institution and also includes any adult person who resides at the institution or who, with or without compensation, performs duties for the institution which involve personal contact between that person and any child cared for by the institution. For purposes of these rules, an employee does not mean a child that resides at the facility and performs duties for the institution.
(o) "Fingerprint records check determination" means a satisfactory or unsatisfactory determination by the department based upon a records check comparison of Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) information with fingerprints and other information in a records check application.(p) "Foster Care" means supervised care in a substitute home on a 24 hour full-time basis for a temporary period of time.(q) "Foster Home" or "foster care home" means a private home where the foster parent(s) live which has been approved by a child-placing agency to provide 24 hour care, lodging, supervision and maintenance for no more than six children under the age of 19.(r) "Foster Parent" means an adult person approved by a child-placing agency who has a satisfactory criminal history background check determination and provides care, lodging, supervision, and maintenance on a 24 hour basis for a child who must receive care out of his own home.(s) "Human Services Professional" means the person(s) employed by the facility who is (are) responsible for providing oversight of services to children and their families in the home setting. The HSP is responsible for monitoring the residents' needs and ensuring that appropriate services are being provided and arranged for in order to meet those needs. Duties include, but are not limited to: the coordination of the facility's admission evaluation; the development of the service and Room, Board, Watchful Oversight plans; case work services as provided in the resident's service plans; and monitoring of the resident's educational and/or vocational needs.(t) "Living unit" means the physical location where residents live within the institution.(u) "Manual hold" means the application of physical force, without the use of any device, for the purpose of restricting the free movement of a child's body and is considered a form of restraint. A manual hold does not include briefly holding a child without undue force to calm or comfort the child, holding a child by the hand or by the shoulders or back to walk the child safely from one area to another where the child is not forcefully resisting the assistance, or assisting the child in voluntarily participating in activities of daily living.(v) "Mechanical restraint" means a device attached or adjacent to the child's body that is not a prescribed and approved medical protection device and that he or she cannot easily remove that restricts freedom of movement or normal access to his or her body. A mechanical restraint does not include devices used to assist a child with appropriate positioning or posture secondary to physical impairments or disabilities.(w) "Medicaid Rehabilitation Option Provider (MRO)" means that category of behavioral health services designed for the maximum reduction of impairments related to mental illness or addiction and restoration of a Medicaid recipient to his/her best possible functional level.(x) "Owner" means any individual or any person affiliated with a corporation, partnership, or association with 10 percent or greater ownership interest in the business or agency licensed as a child caring institution and who: 1. Purports to or exercises authority of the owner in a caring institution;2. Applies to operate or operates a child caring institution;3. Enters into a contract to acquire ownership of a child caring institution.(y) "Preliminary records check application" means an application for a preliminary records check determination on forms provided by the department.(z) "Preliminary records check determination" means a satisfactory or unsatisfactory determination by the department based only upon a comparison of Georgia Crime Information Center (GCIC) information with other than fingerprint information regarding the person upon whom the records check is being performed.(aa) "Records check application" means two sets of classifiable fingerprints, a records search fee to be established by the department by rule and regulation, payable in such form as the department may direct to cover the cost of a fingerprint records check, and an affidavit by the applicant disclosing the nature and date of any arrest, charge, or conviction of the applicant for the violation of any law; except for motor vehicle parking violations, whether or not the violation occurred in this state, and such additional information as the department may require.(bb) "Room, Board and Watchful Oversight" means providing a safe, comfortable room, adequately nutritious meals and oversight to ensure a child's basic safety needs are met.(cc) "Satisfactory criminal history background check determination" means a written determination that a person for whom a records check was performed was found to have no criminal record.(dd) "Seclusion" means the involuntary confinement of a child away from other children, due to imminent risk of harm to self or others, in a room or an area from which the child is physically prevented from leaving.(ee) "Supervision" means the continued responsibility of the licensee to take reasonable action to provide for the health, safety, and well-being of a resident while under the supervision of the licensee or the agent or employee of the licensee, including protection from physical, emotional, social, moral, financial harm and personal exploitation while in care. The licensee is responsible for providing the degree of supervision indicated by a child's age, developmental level, physical, emotional, and social needs.(ff) "Time-out" means a behavior management technique that involves the brief separation of a child from the group, not to exceed twenty (20) minutes, designed to de-escalate the child. During "time-out" a child's freedom of movement is not physically restricted.(gg) "Unsatisfactory criminal history background check determination" means a written determination that a person for whom a records check was performed has a criminal record.(hh) "Variance" means a decision by the department to grant a modification to all or part of the literal requirements of a rule.(ii) "Waiver" means a decision by the department not to apply all or part of a rule.Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 290-2-5-.03
O.C.G.A. §§ 49-5-3, 49-5-8, 49-5-12.
Original Rule entitled "Need" adopted. F. Oct. 1, 1974; eff. Oct. 21, 1974.Repealed: New Rule entitled "Social Services" adopted. F. Aug. 26, 1975; eff. Sept. 15, 1975.Repealed: New Rule entitled "Definitions" adopted. F. June 30, 1994; eff. August 1, 1994, as specified by the Agency.Repealed: New Rule of same title adopted. F. Aug. 22, 2006; eff. Sept. 11, 2006.Repealed: New Rule of same title adopted. F. June 5, 2007; eff. June 25, 2007.Repealed: New Rule of same title adopted. F. Jan. 24, 2008; eff. Feb. 13, 2008.Amended: F. Dec. 7, 2020; eff. Jan. 1, 2021, as specified by the Agency.