Section 10. Defining words and phrases

The following words and terms when used in this regulation shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Agent" means a person who is empowered to act on behalf of the applicant that is an association, partnership, limited liability company, business trust, public agency, or corporation in matters relating to a child welfare agency.

"Applicant" means the person or persons applying for approval as a (i) licensed family day home; (ii) licensed family day system; (iii) licensed child-placing agency; (iv) licensed independent foster home; (v) voluntarily registered family day home; (vi) family day home approved by a licensed family day system; (vii) foster and adoptive home approved by a licensed child-placing agency; (viii) religious exempt child day center or (ix) licensed child day center. In the case of a sole proprietorship, the applicant is the individual owner. In the case of a partnership, the applicants are all the partners. If the applicant is a corporation, association, or business trust, the applicants are officers. If the applicant is a limited liability company, the applicants are the members or managers. If the applicant is a public agency, the applicant is the person responsible for the overall operation of the public agency.

"Approved" means having obtained the status of approval through the process required in Minimum Standards for Licensed Family Day-Care Systems (22VAC40-120) or Standards for Licensed Child-Placing Agencies (22VAC40-131). Approved facilities are family day homes approved by licensed family day systems. Approved foster and adoptive parents include resource, foster, adoptive, treatment foster, and short-term foster parents and families approved by child-placing agencies.

"Background checks" means a sworn statement or affirmation, a criminal history record report, and a child protective services central registry check.

"Barrier crime" means a conviction identified at § 63.2-1719 in the Code of Virginia. The convictions, and Code of Virginia references, are: a felony violation of a protective order as set out in § 16.1-253.2, murder or manslaughter as set out in Article 1 (§ 18.2-30 et seq.), malicious wounding by mob as set out in § 18.2-41, abduction as set out in subsection A or B of § 18.2-47, abduction for immoral purposes as set out in § 18.2-48, assault and bodily woundings as set out in Article 4 (§ 18.2-51 et seq.), robbery as set out in § 18.2-58, carjacking as set out in § 18.2-58.1, extortion by threat as set out in § 18.2-59, felony stalking as set out in § 18.2-60.3, a felony violation of a protective order as set out in § 18.2-60.4, sexual assault as set out in Article 7 (§ 18.2-61 et seq.) of Chapter 4 of Title 18.2, arson as set out in Article 1 (§ 18.2-77 et seq.) of Chapter 5 of Title 18.2, burglary as set out in Article 2 (§ 18.2-89 et seq.) of Chapter 5 of Title 18.2, any felony violation relating to possession or distribution of drugs as set out in Article 1 (§ 18.2-247 et seq.) of Chapter 7 of Title 18.2, drive-by shooting as set out in § 18.2-286.1, use of a machine gun in a crime of violence as set out in § 18.2-289, aggressive use of a machine gun as set out in § 18.2-290, use of a sawed-off shotgun in a crime of violence as set out in subsection A of § 18.2-300, failure to secure medical attention for an injured child as set out in § 18.2-314, pandering as set out in § 18.2-355, crimes against nature involving children as set out in § 18.2-361, incest as set out in § 18.2-366, taking indecent liberties with children as set out in § 18.2-370 or § 18.2-370.1, abuse and neglect of children as set out in § 18.2-371.1, obscenity offenses as set out in § 18.2-374.1, possession of child pornography as set out in § 18.2-374.1:1, electronic facilitation of pornography as set out in § 18.2-374.3, abuse and neglect of incapacitated adults as set out in § 18.2-369, employing or permitting a minor to assist in an act constituting an offense under Article 5 (§ 18.2-372 et seq.) of Chapter 8 of Title 18.2 as set out in § 18.2-379, delivery of drugs to prisoners as set out in § 18.2-474.1, escape from jail as set out in § 18.2-477, felonies by prisoners as set out in § 53.1-203; or an equivalent offense in another state.

"Board" means State Board of Social Services.

"Central registry" means the record of founded complaints of child abuse and neglect maintained by the Department of Social Services.

"Central registry finding" means the record of founded complaints of child abuse and neglect for an individual.

"Central Criminal Records Exchange" or "CCRE" means the information system containing conviction data of crimes committed in Virginia. The system is maintained by the Department of State Police.

"Child day program" means a regularly operating service arrangement for children where, during the absence of a parent or guardian, a person or organization has agreed to assume responsibility for the supervision, protection, and well-being of a child under the age of 13 for less than a 24-hour period.

"Child-placing agency" means any person or agency licensed to place children in foster homes, adoptive homes or independent living arrangements pursuant to § 63.2-1819 of the Code of Virginia or a local board that places children in foster homes or adoptive homes pursuant to §§ 63.2-900, 63.2-903 and 63.2-1221 of the Code of Virginia. Officers, employees, or agents of the Commonwealth, or any locality acting within the scope of its authority as such, who serve as or maintain a child-placing agency, are not required to be licensed.

"Child welfare agency" means a child day center, child-placing agency, children's residential facility, family day home, family day system, or independent foster home. For purposes of this chapter, the requirements for child welfare agencies also apply to foster or adoptive homes requesting approval or with approval by child-placing agencies and family day homes requesting approval or with approval by family day systems.

"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of the Department of Social Services or his designee.

"Contract agency" means an entity with which the facility or a parent has an agreement to provide services to a child or children while attending the facility.

"Contract employee" means a person with whom the facility or a parent has an agreement to provide services to a child or children while attending the facility.

"Contracting organization" means an agency that has been designated by the Department of Social Services to administer the voluntary registration program for family day homes.

"Criminal history record check" means the process the Department of State Police uses to generate a criminal record report on a person. The check may be a state check generated solely through the Central Criminal Records Exchange or a check forwarded through the Central Criminal Records Exchange to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the purpose of obtaining national criminal history record information.

"Criminal history record report" means either the criminal record clearance or the criminal history record issued by the Central Criminal Records Exchange, Department of State Police. The report identifies convictions within the Commonwealth.

"Department" means the Department of Social Services.

"Department representative" means an employee of the department who carries out regulatory duties or an agency acting as an authorized agent of the department carrying out approval functions. Licensed family day systems have authority to approve family day homes. Licensed child-placing agencies have authority to approve foster and adoptive parents.

"Disqualifying background" means having an offense, as defined in § 63.2-1719 of the Code of Virginia. For the purpose of this chapter, having been the subject of a founded abuse or neglect complaint as described in "offense" includes records that have been purged from the child abuse and neglect central registry. However, no person is considered to be the subject of a founded complaint of child abuse or neglect until a decision upholding the finding has been rendered by the hearing officer after the administrative hearing, provided the person complies with the requirements for requesting an administrative hearing. No person is considered to be the subject of a founded complaint of child abuse or neglect if the child abuse or neglect finding is overturned by an administrative hearing or a subsequent court decision.

"Employee" means a person hired by a facility or with whom the facility has an employment agreement. A provider assistant in a family day home is considered an employee in this chapter.

"Facility" means (i) a licensed family day home; (ii) a licensed family day system; (iii) a licensed child-placing agency; (iv) a licensed independent foster home; (v) a voluntarily registered family day home; (vi) a family day home approved by a licensed family day system; (vii) a licensed child day center; (viii) a religious exempt child day center; and (ix) an applicant seeking a waiver in order to establish one of the above listed entities.

"Family day home" means a child day program offered in the residence of the provider or the home of any of the children in care for one through 12 children under the age of 13 years, exclusive of the provider's own children and any children who reside in the home, when at least one child receives care for compensation. The provider of a licensed or registered family day home must disclose to the parents or guardians of children in his care the percentage of time per week that persons other than the provider will care for the children. Family day homes serving five through 12 children, exclusive of the provider's own children and any children who reside in the home, must be licensed. No family day home shall care for more than four children under the age of two years, including the provider's own children and any children who reside in the home, unless the family day home is licensed or voluntarily registered. However, a family day home where the children in care are all related to the provider by blood or marriage is not required to be licensed.

"Family day system" means any person that approves family day homes as members of its system; that refers children to available family day homes in that system; and that, through contractual arrangement, may provide central administrative functions including, but not limited to, training of operators of member homes; technical assistance and consultation to operators of member homes; inspection, supervision, monitoring, and evaluation of member homes; and referral of children to available health and social services.

"Good character and reputation" means that the person (i) maintains business, professional, family, and community relationships that are characterized by honesty, fairness, truthfulness and dependability and (ii) has a history or pattern of behavior that demonstrates that the person is suitable and able to care for, guide, supervise, and protect children.

"Independent foster home" means a private family home in which any child, other than a child by birth or adoption of such person, resides as a member of the household and has been placed there independently of a child-placing agency except (i) a home that receives only children related by birth or adoption of the person who maintains such home and children of personal friends of such person and (ii) a home that receives a child or children committed under the provisions of subdivision A 4 of § 16.1-278.2, subdivision 6 of § 16.1-278.4, or subdivision A 13 of § 16.1-278.8 of the Code of Virginia.

"Involved in the day-to-day operations" means:

1. In a supervisory or management position, making daily decisions regarding the operation of the facility;

2. Counted by the facility for purposes of staff-to-children ratios;

3. Providing casework services for a child-placing agency;

4. Employed by a licensed family day system as a home visitor; or

5. Having access to child-related and client-related records or to facility personnel records.

"Licensed" means having met the requirements of and obtained licensure as a licensed family day-care system, licensed independent foster home, licensed private child-placing agency, or licensed family day home.

"Living in" means to reside in a place for an extended or permanent period of time.

"Local agency" means local department of social services.

"May" means has permission.

"Must" means the action is a requirement.

"Must not" means the action is prohibited.

"National criminal background check" means criminal history record information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

"Offense" means a (i) conviction of a barrier crime, (ii) conviction of any other felony not included in the definition of barrier crime unless five years have elapsed since conviction, (iii) founded complaint of child abuse or neglect within or outside the Commonwealth, or (iv) a conviction of an offense set forth in § 9.1-902 of the Code of Virginia or a finding that a person is not guilty by reason of insanity in accordance with Chapter 11.1 (§ 19.2-182.2 et seq.) of Title 19.2 of the Code of Virginia of an offense set forth in § 9.1-902 that results in the person's requirement to register with the Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry pursuant to § 9.1-901 of the Code of Virginia, or any similar registry in any other state. Convictions include prior adult convictions and juvenile convictions or adjudications of delinquency based on a crime that would be a felony if committed by an adult within or outside the Commonwealth.

"Other felony" means conviction for any felony in the last five years that is not a barrier crime felony.

"Parent-volunteer" means someone supervising, without pay, a group of children that includes the parent-volunteer's own child in a program that operates no more than four hours per day, provided that the parent-volunteer works under the direct supervision of a person who has received a clearance pursuant to § 63.2-1720 or 63.2-1724 of the Code of Virginia.

"Registered" means having obtained the status of registration through the process required in Voluntary Registration of Family Day Homes - Requirements for Providers (22VAC40-180).

"Registered family day home" means any family day home that has met the standards for voluntary registration for such homes and obtained a certificate of registration from the commissioner.

"Religious exempt center" means an unlicensed child day center operated or conducted under the auspices of a religious institution that has filed with the commissioner a satisfactory annual statement of intent to operate a child day center and other information as specified in § 63.2-1716 of the Code of Virginia and has a letter of exemption from the commissioner.

"Search of central registry" means the process the Virginia Department of Social Services' Child Protective Services Unit uses to generate a central registry report on a person.

"Sworn statement or affirmation" means a statement completed by a person attesting to whether he has ever been (i) convicted of or the subject of pending charges of any crime within or outside the Commonwealth or an equivalent offense outside the Commonwealth or (ii) the subject of a founded complaint of child abuse or neglect within or outside the Commonwealth. Additionally for family day homes, the provider affirms if he, or any person known to the provider who resides in the home, has a sex offense conviction or is the subject of a founded complaint of child abuse or neglect within or outside the Commonwealth. Any person making a false statement regarding any such offense shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor pursuant to §§ 63.2-1720 and 63.2-1721 of the Code of Virginia.

"22VAC" means Title 22 of the Virginia Administrative Code. This is the social services title.

"Visit" means a stay or sojourn as a quest for no longer than 30 calendar days.

"Volunteer" means a person who provides services without pay and who is alone with a child or children in performance of his duties.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 20, Issue 11, eff. April 1, 2004; Errata, 20:12 VA.R. 1526 February 23, 2004; amended, Virginia Register Volume 22, Issue 22, eff. September 1, 2006; Volume 30, Issue 03, eff. December 1, 2013; Volume 33, Issue 02, eff. October 19, 2016.

Statutory Authority

§§ 63.2-217 and 63.2-901.1 of the Code of Virginia.