N.J. Admin. Code § 3A:55-9.20 - Special requirements for communication and visiting
(a) The
requirements in this section shall apply only to facilities providing or
contracting for adventure activities that:
1.
Are located in areas that are remote or away from ordinary means of
communication; or
2. Use travel,
including, but not limited to, backpacking, sailing or a wagon train.
(b) The facility shall permit
family members and the placing agency to visit the child where he or she is
currently living and shall provide a comfortable inside space when the weather
prohibits outside visitation.
1. The facility
shall provide privacy for all visits between the child and the placing
agency.
2. The facility shall
provide privacy for family visits unless the facility documents in the child's
record that the child would be at risk during a private family visit.
(c) The facility shall develop and
maintain on file, in the administrative office, plans and procedures to ensure
that each child:
1. Can receive an emergency
message from his or her family and from the placing agency within 24 hours of
the family member or the placing agency contacting the facility's
administrative office;
2. Is given
necessary postage to send mail to family members and the placing agency;
and
3. Can receive mail from his or
her family and the placing agency on a weekly basis.
(d) The facility shall permit each child to
make private telephone calls to the placing agency, upon reasonable
request.
(e) The facility shall
permit each child to make a telephone call at the facility's expense to a
family member at least every other week.
1.
The facility may impose a time limit of 15 minutes on telephone calls made by
children to family members.
2. The
facility may require children to telephone family members at off-peak
times.
3. The facility shall not
use electronic devices to monitor children's telephone calls to family members,
but may observe their reaction during the telephone call.
4. The facility shall maintain documentation
that children were permitted to make telephone calls at the facility's expense
to family members. Such documentation may include, but is not limited to,
copies of telephone bills or notes in logs.
(f) The facility shall not prohibit a child
from receiving messages or mail or from making bi-weekly telephone calls as a
consequence for misbehavior.
(g)
The facility shall explain its policies and procedures to all families and
children upon admission and give parents a written explanation of the policy
for visiting and communication. This explanation shall include the procedures
for sending emergency messages and mail.
Notes
State regulations are updated quarterly; we currently have two versions available. Below is a comparison between our most recent version and the prior quarterly release. More comparison features will be added as we have more versions to compare.
No prior version found.