Training of direct care staff: Generally; submission of curriculum to licensing authority for approval; format for presentation; exception.

1. Within 90 days after beginning his or her employment and annually thereafter, each member of the direct care staff of: (a) A specialized foster home must complete training which meets the requirements of NRS 424.0365 . (b) A foster care agency must, in accordance with NRS 424.135 , complete training which meets the requirements of NRS 424.0365 and 424.235 . Ê Such training must include, without limitation, techniques for managing behavior and information concerning the type of discipline that is recommended and prohibited by NAC 424.525 and 424.530 . 2. Each member of the direct care staff of a specialized foster home or a foster care agency must complete not less than 40 hours of training before providing supervision or direct care of a child or beginning any other responsibilities related to the supervision or direct care of children. 3. The training required by subsection 2 must include instruction concerning: (a) Reporting requirements and information on the manner in which to identify and report child abuse or neglect; (b) Policies, procedures and practices of the specialized foster home or foster care agency to ensure privacy and confidentiality of information about any child in the specialized foster home or a foster home with which the foster care agency has entered into a contract and the family of such a child; (c) The relevant laws on the licensing of a specialized foster home or any other type of foster home with which the foster care agency has entered into a contract; (d) The impact on the caregiver of providing care to a foster child; (e) The stages of child development and the potential behaviors of a child who has suffered abuse, neglect or trauma, with emphasis on these behaviors during each stage of child development; (f) Management of symptomatic behaviors associated with various mental health diagnoses; (g) The manner in which to address the unique needs or issues of children who are accepted by the specialized foster home or a foster home with which the foster care agency has entered into a contract, if applicable, which may include, without limitation, the manner in which to address issues relating to gender identity or expression, pregnancy, sexual abuse, sexually aggressive behavior, developmental disabilities, the juvenile justice system or complex medical problems; (h) Appropriate methods for documenting activity within the specialized foster home or a foster home with which the foster care agency has entered into a contract, including, without limitation, progress notes or reports, treatment plans, medication logs and incident reports; (i) Issues relating to separation, loss and attachment; (j) Techniques for talking down or defusing a potentially violent situation or crisis; and (k) The use and application of the reasonable and prudent parent standard to provide normalcy for foster children when making decisions authorized by NAC 424.573 . The training required by this paragraph must be provided or approved by the agency which provides child welfare services. 4. In addition to the training required by subsections 1 and 2, each member of the direct care staff of a specialized foster home or a foster care agency must complete training within 90 days after beginning employment concerning: (a) Additional factors that may impact the life of a child, including, without limitation, child welfare services, juvenile justice and the role of staff in relation to those factors; (b) Resources available to a child within the educational system and the role of staff in collaborating with and advocating for the child within the educational system; (c) The importance of establishing permanency for a child; (d) Identifying and responding to the diversity and cultural background of a child; and (e) Working appropriately with families. 5. Before providing training pursuant to this section, a specialized foster home or a foster home with which a foster care agency has entered into a contract must submit the curriculum for the training to the licensing authority for approval. The training program may be presented using any appropriate format, including, without limitation, treatment-specific training, presentations made by or to a group, external training or training provided by staff in the specialized foster home or a foster home with which the foster care agency has entered into a contract, as applicable. 6. Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, a specialized foster home and a foster care agency shall ensure that any member of their direct care staff who has transferred from another specialized foster home or a foster home with which the foster care agency has entered into a contract completes the training required by this section, except that the member of the direct care staff is not required to complete the training if he or she provides evidence of having previously completed such training within the relevant period. A member of the direct care staff who provides such evidence must receive training on the policies, procedures and practices of the specialized foster home or foster care agency, as applicable.