N.J. Admin. Code § 3A:56-5.2

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 23, December 2, 2024

Section 3A:56-5.2 - Staff qualifications

(a) Group homes, supervised transitional living homes and treatment homes shall have a full-time agency administrator or home director, social service workers and house parents or child care staff members, who shall meet the requirements in (d) through (f) below.

(b) Teaching family home and alternative care home programs shall have a full-time program administrator, teaching family consultants and teaching family parents, who shall meet the requirements in (h) through (k) below.

(c) Psychiatric community homes for children shall have the following staff persons:

1. A full-time program director who shall meet the qualifications specified in (d)2ii below;

2. A full-time clinical social worker-therapist who shall have, at minimum:

i. A master's degree in social work, psychology, counseling, family therapy or other related field; and

ii. One year experience in the provision of child mental health services;

3. A nurse-health educator who possesses a current New Jersey registered nursing license and one year direct care nursing experience with children. The responsibilities of the nurse-health educator shall include, but need not be limited to, the following:

i. Assess the physical condition of the children in the program under the direction of the medical director or psychiatrist and integrate findings into the child's treatment plan;

ii. Provide education and support to direct care staff on the administering of medications and possible side effects, under the direction of the medical director or other physician;

iii. Implement the quality assurance program;

iv. Provide injections of medication, as needed and directed by the medical director or other physician; and

v. Conduct individual and group guidance for clients and staff on health-related issues;

4. A psychiatrist who shall possess a valid New Jersey license to practice medicine and five years of clinical practice in psychiatry. The responsibilities of the psychiatrist shall include, but need not be limited to, the following:

i. Serving as the medical director, as assigned;

ii. Supervising the nurse-health educator;

iii. Developing and monitoring the implementation of the agency's medical policies and procedures;

iv. Providing related in-service training to staff;

v. Providing direct client services, such as diagnosis, evaluation, medication management, crisis intervention, and therapy, when appropriate. However, the child's treatment may be under the supervision of an advanced practice nurse (APN) as specified in N.J.S.A. 45:11-45 et seq., certified in the category of psychiatric/mental health and as supported by a collaborative agreement with the facility psychiatrist and joint protocol document as specified in N.J.A.C. 13:37-8.1; and

vi. Maintaining medical and legal responsibility for the overall treatment provided to the residence's clients; and

5. Child care staff who shall meet the qualifications specified in (f) below.

(d) The full-time agency administrator or home director shall:

1. Be at least 21 years of age;

2. Have one of the following qualifications:

i. A bachelor's degree in social work, psychology or a related field from an accredited college or university and four years of professional experience in the human services field, two of which shall have been in a supervisory or administrative position;

ii. A master's degree from an accredited graduate school in social work, psychology, or a related field and three years of professional experience in the human services field;

iii. For publicly operated homes, meet the requirements of the State Department of Personnel for the position, if applicable;

iv. Meet the requirements for a licensed clinical social worker or a licensed social worker as specified in 13:44G-4.1 and 4.2 and have three years of professional experience in the human services field; or

v. Meet the requirements for a certified social worker as specified in 13:44G-4.3, have a bachelor's degree in social work, psychology or related field from an accredited college or university and have three years of professional experience in the human services field, one of which shall have been in a supervisory or administrative position.

3. Be responsible for implementing the overall planning, operation, and management of the home, including the home's recreational and food programs;

4. Designate staff members to be in charge at all times during his or her absence;

5. Be on call to assist the staff in admissions, emergencies, and personnel or other responsibilities;

6. Be responsible for maintaining aggregate statistical information on children served, including the date of each admission, date of each discharge, and reason for each discharge; and

7. If qualified under (d)2i, ii or v above, not supervise a licensed clinical social worker, licensed social worker or certified social worker.

(e) A social worker or staff member who provides social services shall:

1. Be at least 21 years of age;

2. Provide at least two hours of service per week to each child, including, but not limited to, casework services, intake, treatment planning, family contacts, group work services, and maintenance of each child's record; and

3. Have one of the following qualifications:

i. Meet the requirements for a licensed clinical social worker, licensed social worker or certified social worker as specified in 13:44G-4.1 and 4.2 and have a minimum of one year professional experience in the human services field;

ii. A bachelor's degree in social work, psychology or a related field from an accredited college or university and one year of professional experience in the human services field, and meet one of the exemptions from social work certification or licensure as specified in N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-5. Staff members who do not meet the qualifications in (e)3i above and provide services as specified in (e)2 above, shall:

(1) Only provide social work services in the course of employment with the home;

(2) Not provide psychotherapeutic counseling to residents;

(3) Not advertise or represent themselves as a licensed clinical social worker, licensed social worker or certified social worker; and

(4) Not use any title or name, the use of which is restricted by N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-4 of the Social Worker's Licensing Act; or

iii. A master's degree from an accredited graduate school in social work, psychology or a related field, and meet one of the exemptions from social work certification or licensure as specified in N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-5. Staff members who do not meet the qualifications in (e)3i above and provide services as specified in (e)2 above, shall:

(1) Only provide psychotherapeutic counseling under the supervision of a licensed clinical social worker or other State-licensed mental health professional;

(2) Not advertise or represent themselves as a licensed clinical social worker, licensed social worker or certified social worker; and

(3) Not use any title or name, the use of which is restricted by N.J.S.A. 45:15BB-4 of the Social Worker's Licensing Act; or

iv. Meet the requirements of the State Department of Personnel for the position, if applicable.

(f) The house parents or child care staff members shall:

1. Be at least 21 years of age;

2. Provide daily care and supervision of the children;

3. Inform the social service staff members or director of any incidents that may impact on the child's treatment planning, as specified in 3A:56-6.1, 6.2 and 6.3; and

4. Have one of the following qualifications:

i. A high school or high school equivalency diploma and one year of experience working with children in a group setting;

ii. An associate's or bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in a field that is unrelated to social work or psychology and six months experience working with children in a group setting;

iii. An associate's or bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in social work, psychology or a related field; or

iv. Meet the requirements of the State Department of Personnel for the position, if applicable.

(g) Group homes, treatment homes, psychiatric community homes for children, and supervised transitional living homes may hire persons who do not meet the qualifications specified in (f)4 above, but who offer a background or life experience that demonstrate characteristics, skills, and attributes that would enable them to work with children in a positive manner. The home or agency shall develop and maintain on file a policy that delineates the criteria for hiring staff members who do not meet the qualifications specified in (f)4 above. Such criteria shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. The person shall have life experiences that deal with raising a child, providing foster care, participating in volunteer activities with a child or adopting a child;

2. The person shall exhibit characteristics, skills and attributes that would enable him or her to work effectively and sensitively with emotionally disturbed or handicapped children in a group setting; and

3. The person, after he or she is hired, shall work together with an experienced staff member for an initial probationary period of at least six months unless terminated for cause prior to completing the six-month probationary period. After this initial six month period has ended, the home or agency shall review the person's work performance, document his or her ability to continue work without being supervised by an experienced staff member and may either:

i. Appoint the probationary staff member to fill the position as a child care staff member;

ii. Extend the initial six-month period to further evaluate the performance of the probationary staff member and continue to have the probationary staff member supervised by an experienced staff member; or

iii. Terminate the probationary staff member after the initial six-month period or any extension of the initial six-month period for failing to perform the job duties and responsibilities of the position.

(h) The teaching family home or alternative care home program administrator shall:

1. Meet the qualifications specified in (d)1 and 2 above;

2. Provide the Office of Licensing with current listings of teaching family consultants and the homes to which they are assigned;

3. Ensure that the teaching family or alternative care homes comply with all applicable provisions of this manual;

4. Designate a staff member to be in charge at all times during his or her absence;

5. Be on call to assist the teaching family consultants in admissions, emergencies and personnel or other problems;

6. Be responsible for ensuring that all teaching family consultants receive an annual performance evaluation; and

7. Assist in the recruitment and training of teaching family parents.

(i) The teaching family consultants shall:

1. Be at least 21 years of age;

2. Meet the requirements of the State Department of Personnel for the position; and

3. Be responsible for ensuring that the teaching family parents perform the duties specified in (j) below.

(j) The teaching family parents and relief staff shall:

1. Be at least 21 years of age;

2. Implement the overall planning, operation and management of the home;

3. Maintain all staff members' work schedules, time sheets, and/or payment vouchers for relief staff;

4. Maintain a daily log book, separate log book or record in the child's case record of all visits to children;

5. Complete entries in the daily log book that reflect the activities and events of each day;

6. Maintain aggregate statistical information on children served, including the date of each admission, date of each discharge, and reason for each discharge; and

7. Meet all the requirements specified in (f) above.

(k) Teaching family home staff members shall meet staff training and certification requirements of the National Teaching Family Association.

N.J. Admin. Code § 3A:56-5.2

Administrative Change, 49 N.J.R. 98a.

Amended by 50 N.J.R. 135(a), effective 1/2/2018