WAC 388-148-0010   What definitions do I need to know to understand this chapter?  The following definitions are for the purpose of this chapter and are important to understand these rules:

     "Abuse or neglect" means the injury, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, negligent treatment or mistreatment of a child where the child's health, welfare and safety are harmed.

     "Agency" is defined in RCW 74.15.020(1).

     "Assessment" means the appraisal or evaluation of a child's physical, mental, social and/or emotional condition.

     "Capacity" means the maximum number of children that a home or facility is licensed to care for at a given time.

     "Care provider" means any licensed or certified person or organization or staff member of a licensed organization that provides twenty-four-hour care for children.

     "Case manager" means the private agency employee who coordinates the planning efforts of all the persons working on behalf of a child. Case managers are responsible for implementing the child's case plan, assisting in achieving those goals, and assisting with day-to-day problem solving.

     "Certification" means:

     (1) Department approval of a person, home, or facility that does not legally need to be licensed, but wishes to have evidence that it meets the minimum licensing requirements; or

     (2) Department licensing of a child-placing agency to certify that a foster home meets licensing requirements.

     "Children" or "youth," for this chapter, means individuals who are:

     (1) Under eighteen years old, including expectant mothers under eighteen years old; or

     (2) Up to twenty-one years of age and pursuing a high school, equivalent course of study (GED), or vocational program;

     (3) Up to twenty-one years of age with developmental disabilities; or

     (4) Up to twenty-one years of age if under the custody of the Washington state juvenile rehabilitation administration.

     "Child-placing agency" means an agency licensed to place children for temporary care, continued care or adoption.

     "Crisis residential center (CRC)" means an agency under contract with DSHS that provides temporary, protective care to children in a foster home, regular (semi-secure) or secure group setting.

     "Compliance agreement" means a written licensing improvement plan to address deficiencies in specific skills, abilities or other issues of a fully licensed home or facility in order to maintain and/or increase the safety and well-being of children in their care.

     "DCFS" means the division of children and family services.

     "DDD" means division of developmental disabilities.

     "Department" means the department of social and health services (DSHS).

     "Developmental disability" is a disability as defined in RCW 71A.10.020.

     "DLR" means the division of licensed resources.

     "Firearms" means guns or weapons, including but not limited to the following: BB guns, pellet guns, air rifles, stun guns, antique guns, bows and arrows, handguns, rifles, and shotguns.

     "Foster-adopt" means placement of a child with a foster parent(s) who intends to adopt the child, if possible.

     "Foster home or foster family home" means person(s) licensed to regularly provide care on a twenty-four-hour basis to one or more children in the person's home.

     "Full licensure" means an entity meets the requirements established by the state for licensing or approved as meeting state minimum licensing requirements.

     "Group care facility for children" means a location maintained and operated for a group of children on a twenty-four-hour basis.

     "Group receiving center" or "GRC" means a facility providing the basic needs of food, shelter, and supervision for more than six children placed by the department, generally for thirty or fewer days. A group receiving center is considered a group care program and must comply with the group care facility licensing requirements.

     "Hearing" means the administrative review process.

     "I" refers to anyone who operates or owns a foster home, staffed residential home, and group facilities, including group homes, child-placing agencies, maternity homes, day treatment centers, and crisis residential centers.

     "Infant" means a child under one year of age.

     "License" means a permit issued by the department affirming that a home or facility meets the minimum licensing requirements.

     "Licensor" means:

     (1) A division of licensed resources (DLR) employee at DSHS who:

     (a) Approves licenses or certifications for foster homes, group facilities, and child-placing agencies; and

     (b) Monitors homes and facilities to ensure that they continue to meet minimum health and safety requirements.

     (2) An employee of a child-placing agency who:

     (a) Attests that foster homes supervised by the child-placing agency meets licensing requirements; and

     (b) Monitors those foster homes to ensure they continue to meet the minimum licensing standards.

     "Maternity service" as defined in RCW 74.15.020.

     "Medically fragile" means the condition of a child who has a chronic illness or severe medical disabilities requiring regular nursing visits, extraordinary medical monitoring, or on-going (other than routine) physician's care.

     "Missing child" means:

     (1) Any child up to eighteen years of age for whom Children's Administration (CA) has custody and control (not including children in dependency guardianship) and:

     (a) The child's whereabouts are unknown; and/or

     (b) The child has left care without the permission of the child's caregiver or CA.

     (2) Children who are missing are categorized under one of the following definitions:

     (a) "Taken from placement" means that a child's whereabouts are unknown, and it is believed that the child is being or has been concealed, detained or removed by another person from a court-ordered placement and the removal, concealment or detainment is in violation of the court order;

     (b) "Absence not authorized, whereabouts unknown" means the child is not believed to have been taken from placement, did not have permission to leave the placement, and there has been no contact with the child and the whereabouts of the child is unknown; or

     (c) "Absence not authorized, whereabouts known" means that a child has left his or her placement without permission and the social worker has some contact with the child or may periodically have information as to the whereabouts of the child.

     "Multidisciplinary teams (MDT)" means groups formed to assist children who are considered at-risk youth or children in need of services, and their parents.

     "Nonambulatory" means not able to walk or traverse a normal path to safety without the physical assistance of another individual.

     "Out-of-home placement" means a child's placement in a home or facility other than the child's parent, guardian, or legal custodian.

     "Premises" means a facility's buildings and adjoining grounds that are managed by a person or agency in charge.

     "Probationary license" means a license issued as part of a disciplinary action to an individual or agency that has previously been issued a full license but is out of compliance with minimum licensing requirements and has entered into an agreement aimed at correcting deficiencies to minimum licensing requirements.

     "Psychotropic medication" means a type of medicine that is prescribed to affect or alter thought processes, mood, sleep, or behavior. These include anti-psychotic, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications.

     "Relative" means a person who is related to the child as defined in RCW 74.15.020 (4)(a)(i), (ii), (iii), and (iv) only.

     "Respite" means brief, temporary relief care provided to a child and his or her parents, legal guardians, or foster parents with the respite provider fulfilling some or all of the functions of the care-taking responsibilities of the parent, legal guardian, or foster parent.

     "Secure facilities" means a crisis residential center that has locking doors and windows, or secured perimeters intended to prevent children from leaving without permission.

     "Service plan" means a description of the services to be provided or performed and who has responsibility to provide or perform the activities for a child or child's family.

     "Severe developmental disabilities" means significant disabling, physical and/or mental condition(s) that cause a child to need external support for self-direction, self-support and social participation.

     "Social service staff" means a clinician, program manager, case manager, consultant, or other staff person who is an employee of the agency or hired to develop and implement the child's individual service and treatment plans.

     "Staffed residential home" means a licensed home providing twenty-four-hour care for six or fewer children or expectant mothers. The home may employ staff to care for children or expectant mothers. It may or may not be a family residence.

     "Standard precautions" is a term relating to procedures designed to prevent transmission of bloodborne pathogens in health care and other settings. Under standard precautions, blood or other potentially infectious materials of all people should always be considered potentially infectious for HIV and other pathogens. Individuals should take appropriate precautions using personal protective equipment like gloves to prevent contact with blood or other bodily fluids.

     "Washington state patrol fire protection bureau" or "WSP/FPB" means the state fire marshal.

     "We" or "our" refers to the department of social and health services, including DLR licensors and DCFS social workers.

     "You" refers to anyone who operates a foster home, staffed residential home, and group facilities, including group homes, maternity programs, day treatment programs, crisis residential centers, group receiving centers, and child-placing agencies.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.15.030, 74.08.090, and chapters 74.13 and 74.15 RCW. 06-22-030, § 388-148-0010, filed 10/25/06, effective 11/25/06. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.15.030 and chapter 74.15 RCW. 04-08-073, § 388-148-0010, filed 4/5/04, effective 5/6/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.15.030. 01-18-037, § 388-148-0010, filed 8/28/01, effective 9/28/01.]