OAR 419-490-0170: Therapeutic Boarding Schools: Information about Children in Care with the Therapeutic Boarding School

(1) Case files of children in care. For each child in care a therapeutic boarding school accepts for placement, the therapeutic boarding school must maintain an individual record that includes a summary sheet containing all of the following information: (a) The name, gender, date of birth, religious preference, and previous address of the child in care. (b) The name and location of the child in care's previous school. (c) The date of admission to the program. (d) The status of the child in care's legal custody, including the name of each person responsible for consents and authorizations. (e) The name, address, and telephone number of: (A) The child in care's parents. (B) The child in care's legal guardian, if different than parents, and his or her legal relationship to the child in care. (C) Other family members or other persons identified by the family as significant to the child in care. (D) Other professionals to be involved in service planning, if applicable. (f) Any required signed consents and authorizations. (2) Service planning. (a) All documentation, including, but not limited to service plans, daily notes, assessments, progress reports, medication records, and incident reports, must be written in terms that are easily understood by all persons involved in service planning. (b) Intake documentation. A therapeutic boarding school must complete a written intake document containing screening information on the date the therapeutic boarding school accepts a child in care, except in the case of an emergency placement when the intake document must be completed within 48 hours of admission. (c) Each child in care must be served according to an individual written service plan developed by staff of the therapeutic boarding school and including, whenever possible, the child in care, the child in care's family, and other professionals involved with the child in care or family. This document must outline goals for services and care coordination. (d) Assessment. A comprehensive assessment must be completed within the first 45 days of placement by a Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP). This assessment must include all of the following: (A) Relevant historical information, current behavioral observations, any identified needs for services, and a description of how the therapeutic boarding school will provide or coordinate services. (B) Suicide potential must be assessed and the record must contain follow-up actions and referrals when an individual reports symptoms indicating risk of suicide. (C) Screening for the presence of co-occurring disorders and chronic medical conditions. When the assessment determines the presence of co-occurring disorders, the therapeutic boarding school must document referral for further assessment, planning, and intervention from an appropriate professional. (D) Screening for the presence of symptoms related to physical or psychological trauma. (e) Service plan and review. (A) Within 60 days of placement, a formal service plan that meets the identified needs of the child in care must be developed by staff of the therapeutic boarding school in conjunction with the child in care and his or her parents or legal guardians, and any other persons who are actively involved with the family, as appropriate. (B) The service plan must reflect how the therapeutic boarding school will address the child in care's issues, describe the anticipated outcomes of the placement, and be reviewed and approved by the child in care and the legal guardian or parent, unless contraindicated. (C) The service plan must be reviewed by a QMHP at least quarterly. (D) Service plans must be revised at any time additional information becomes available indicating that other services should be provided. (3) Case management. (a) The therapeutic boarding school must document services provided, as necessary, to track and monitor progress toward the achievement of service plan goals. (b) Discharge. The therapeutic boarding school must identify how a child in care's progress will be evaluated, and how the determination is made of readiness for discharge or unsuitability for continued stay. (c) Discharge planning. Discharge planning for children in care must be a participatory decision-making process between the child in care, therapeutic boarding school staff, the parent or legal guardian, and significant others. As used in this rule, "significant others" mean relatives, friends, or interested members of the community. (d) Discharge instructions. The therapeutic boarding school must provide the child in care and the child in care's guardian with discharge instructions on or before the discharge date, including current medications, name of the doctor who prescribed each medication, any outstanding medical or other appointments, and other follow-up instructions as needed. The therapeutic boarding school must obtain a forwarding address for any discharge instructions received by the therapeutic boarding school after discharge of the child in care. (e) Follow-up services. The therapeutic boarding school must identify any transitional or aftercare services or service coordination that will be offered by the program. (f) Incident reporting. A written description of any injury, accident, or unusual incident involving a child in care must be placed in the individual child in care's record. (4) Financial records. A therapeutic boarding school must keep a written record for each child in care, itemizing all money received or disbursed on behalf of the child in care. The record must include all of the following: (a) The date of each receipt and disbursement and the amount of each. (b) The source of income. (c) The purpose of each disbursement. (d) The signature of the person making each entry. (e) The signature of the child in care for each entry. (5) The therapeutic boarding school will ensure, in policy, that: (a) Disallowable items are either stored, or returned to the parent or legal guardian; and (b) All money and personal belongings are returned to the child in care at the time of discharge.