OAR 411-346-0200
Environmental Standards

(1) GENERAL CONDITIONS.
(a) The buildings and furnishings must be clean and in good repair and grounds must be maintained and accessible according to the needs of the children residing in the home.
(b) Walls, ceilings, windows, and floors must be of such character to permit frequent washing, cleaning, or painting.
(c) There must be no accumulation of garbage, debris, or rubbish.
(d) The home must have a safe, properly installed, maintained, and operational heating system. Areas of the home used by the child in foster care must be maintained at normal comfort range during the day and during sleeping hours. During times of extreme summer heat, the foster provider must make reasonable effort to make the child comfortable using available ventilation, fans, or air-conditioning.
(2) EXTERIOR ENVIRONMENT.
(a) The premises must be free from objects, materials, and conditions that constitute a danger to the occupants.
(b) Swimming pools, wading pools, ponds, hot tubs, and trampolines must be maintained to assure safety, kept in clean condition, equipped with sufficient safety barriers or devices to prevent injury, and used by a child in foster care only under direct supervision by the foster provider or approved alternate caregiver.
(c) The home must have a safe outdoor play area on the property or within reasonable walking distance.
(3) INTERIOR ENVIRONMENT.
(a) KITCHEN.
(A) Equipment necessary for the safe preparation, storage, serving, and cleanup of meals must be available and kept in working and sanitary condition.
(B) Meals must be prepared in a safe and sanitary manner that minimizes the possibility of food poisoning or food-borne illness.
(C) If the washer and dryer are located in the kitchen or dining room area, soiled linens and clothing must be stored in containers in an area separate from food and food storage prior to laundering.
(b) DINING AREA. The home must have a dining area so the child in foster care may eat together with the foster family.
(c) LIVING OR FAMILY ROOM. The home must have sufficient living or family room space that is furnished and accessible to all members of the household, including the child in foster care.
(d) BEDROOMS. Bedrooms used by the child in foster care must:
(A) Have adequate space for the age, size, and specific needs of each child;
(B) Be finished and attached to the house, have walls or partitions of standard construction that go from floor to ceiling;
(C) Have an entrance door that:
(i) Opens directly to a hallway or common use room without passage through another bedroom or common bathroom; and
(ii) Meets the following requirements for the use of locks:
(I) Locks must be single action release; and
(II) For a child under the age of 18, a lock is only permitted when the ISP team has determined that a lock is a safe and appropriate means to support the privacy and independence of the child; or
(III) For a child age 18 or older, a lock is required unless there is a health or safety risk and an individually-based limitation has been implemented in accordance with OAR 411-004-0040 (Individually-Based Limitations).
(D) Have windows that open, provide sufficient natural light, and ventilation with window coverings that take into consideration the safety, care needs, and privacy of the child;
(E) Have no more than four children to a bedroom;
(F) Have safe, age appropriate furnishings that are in good repair provided for each child, including:
(i) A bed or crib with a frame unless otherwise documented by an ISP team decision, a clean comfortable mattress, and a water proof mattress cover if the child is incontinent;
(ii) A private dresser or similar storage area for personal belongings that is readily accessible to the child;
(iii) A closet or similar storage area for clothing that is readily accessible to the child; and
(iv) An adequate supply of clean bed linens, blankets, and pillows. Bed linens are to be properly fitting and provided for each child’s bed.
(G) Be on the ground level for a child who is non-ambulatory or has impaired mobility;
(H) Provide flexibility in the decoration for the personal tastes and expressions of the child;
(I) Be in close enough proximity to the foster provider to alert the foster provider to nighttime needs or emergencies or be equipped with a working audio monitor;
(J) Have no three-tier bunk beds in bedrooms occupied by a child in foster care; and
(K) Not be located on the third floor or higher from the ground level.
(e) A child of the foster provider may not be required to sleep in a room also used for another purpose in order to accommodate a child in foster care.
(f) The foster provider may not permit the following sleeping arrangements for a child placed in their home:
(A) Children of different sexes in the same room when either child is over five years of age; and
(B) Children over the age of 12 months sharing a room with an adult.
(g) BATHROOMS.
(A) Bathrooms must have:
(i) Bathtubs or showers, toilets, and sinks operable and in good repair;
(ii) Bathtubs, showers, and sinks with hot and cold water;
(iii) A sink located near each toilet;
(iv) At least one toilet, one sink, and one bathtub or shower for each six household occupants, including the foster provider and family;
(v) Hot and cold water in sufficient supply to meet the needs of the child for personal hygiene. Hot water temperature sources for bathing and cleaning areas that are accessible by the child in foster care may not exceed 120 degrees F;
(vi) Grab bars and non-slip floor surfaces for toilets, bathtubs, or showers for the child’s safety as necessary for the child’s care needs; and
(vii) Barrier-free access to toilet and bathing facilities with appropriate fixtures for a child who uses a wheel chair or other mechanical equipment for ambulation. Barrier free must be appropriate for the non-ambulatory child’s needs for maintaining good personal hygiene.
(B) The foster provider must provide each child with the appropriate personal hygiene and grooming items that meet each child’s specific needs and minimize the spread of communicable disease.
(C) Window coverings in bathrooms must take into consideration the safety, care needs, and privacy of the child.
(4) GENERAL SAFETY.
(a) The foster provider must protect the child from safety hazards.
(b) Stairways must be equipped with handrails.
(c) A functioning light must be provided in each room and stairway.
(d) Stairways must be protected with a gate or door if a child in foster care is three years of age or less or has impaired mobility.
(e) Hot water heaters must be equipped with a safety release valve and an overflow pipe that directs water to the floor or to another approved location.
(f) Adequate safeguards must be taken to protect a child who may be at risk for injury from electrical outlets, extension cords, and heat-producing devices.
(g) The child foster home must have operable phone service at all times that is available to all persons in the child foster home, including when there are power outages. The home must have emergency phone numbers readily accessible and in close proximity to the phone.
(h) The foster provider must store all medications, poisonous chemicals, and cleaning materials in a way that prevents access by a child.
(i) The foster provider must restrict a child’s access to potentially dangerous animals. Only domestic animals may be kept as pets. Pets must be properly cared for and supervised.
(j) Sanitation for household pets and other domestic animals must be adequate to prevent health hazards. Proof of rabies or other vaccinations as required by local ordinances must be made available to the Department upon request.
(k) The foster provider must take appropriate measures to keep the house and premises free of rodents and insects.
(l) To protect the safety of a child in foster care, the foster provider must store hunting equipment and weapons in a safe and secure manner inaccessible to the child.
(m) The foster provider must have first aid supplies in the home in a designated place easily accessible to adults.
(n) There must be emergency access to any room that has a lock.
(o) An operable flashlight, at least one per floor, must be readily available in case of emergency.
(p) House or mailbox numbers must be clearly visible and easy to read for easy identification by emergency vehicles.
(5) FIRE SAFETY.
(a) Smoke alarms must be installed in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions, equipped with a device that warns of low battery, and maintained to function properly.
(A) A smoke alarm must be installed in each bedroom, adjacent hallways leading to the bedrooms, common living areas, basements, and at the top of every stairway in multi-story homes.
(B) Ceiling placement of smoke alarms is recommended. If wall-mounted, smoke alarms must be mounted as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
(b) At least one fire extinguisher, minimally rated 2:A:10:B:C, must be visible and readily accessible on each floor, including basements. A qualified professional who is well versed in fire extinguisher maintenance must inspect every fire extinguisher at least once per year. All recharging and hydrostatic testing must be completed by a qualified entity properly trained and equipped for this purpose.
(c) Use of space heaters must be limited to only electric space heaters equipped with tip-over protection. Space heaters must be plugged directly into the wall. Extension cords may not be used with space heaters. Freestanding kerosene, propane, or liquid fuel space heaters may not be used in a child foster home.
(d) An Emergency Evacuation Plan must be developed, posted, and rehearsed at least once every 90 calendar days with at least one drill practice per year occurring during sleeping hours. Alternate caregivers and other employees must be familiar with the Emergency Evacuation Plan and a new child placed in foster care must be familiar with the Emergency Evacuation Plan within 24 hours. Fire drill records must be retained for one year.
(A) Fire drill evacuation rehearsal must document the date, time for full evacuation, location of proposed fire, and names of all persons participating in the evacuation rehearsal.
(B) The foster provider must be able to demonstrate the ability to evacuate all children in foster care from the home within three minutes.
(e) A child foster home must have two unrestricted exits in case of fire. A sliding door or window that may be used to evacuate a child may be considered a usable exit.
(f) Barred windows or doors used for possible exit in case of fire must be fitted with operable quick release mechanisms.
(g) Every bedroom used by a child in foster care must have at least one operable window, of a size that allows safe rescue, with safe and direct exit to the ground, or a door for secondary means of escape or rescue.
(h) All external and inside doors must have simple hardware with an obvious method of operation that allows for safe evacuation from the home. A home with a child that is known to leave their place of residence without permission must have a functional and activated alarm system to alert the foster provider.
(i) Fireplaces and wood stoves must include secure barriers to keep a child safe from potential injury and away from exposed heat sources.
(j) Solid or other fuel-burning appliances, stoves, or fireplaces must be installed according to manufacturer’s specifications and under permit, where applicable. All applicants applying for a new certificate after July 1, 2007 must have at least one carbon monoxide sensor installed in the child foster home in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions if the child foster home has solid or other fuel-burning appliances, stoves, or fireplaces. All foster providers certified prior to July 1, 2007 and moving to a new location that uses solid or other fuel-burning appliances, stoves, or fireplaces, must install a carbon monoxide sensor in the child foster home in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions prior to being certified at the new location.
(k) Chimneys must be inspected at the time of initial certification and if necessary, the chimney must be cleaned. Chimneys must be inspected annually unless the fireplace and or solid fuel-burning appliance was not used through the certification period and may not be used in the future. Required annual chimney inspections must be made available to the certifying agency during the certification renewal process.
(l) A signed statement by the foster provider and certifying agency assuring that the fireplace, or solid fuel-burning appliance, or both may not be in use must be submitted to the Department with the renewal application if a chimney inspection is not completed.
(m) Flammable and combustible materials must be stored away from any heat source.
(6) SANITATION AND HEALTH.
(a) A public water supply must be used if available. If a non-municipal water source is used, the water source must be tested for coliform bacteria by a certified agent yearly and records must be retained for two years. Corrective action must be taken to ensure potability.
(b) All plumbing must be kept in good working order. If a septic tank or other non-municipal sewage disposal system is used, it must be in good working order.
(c) Garbage and refuse must be suitably stored in readily cleanable, rodent proof, covered containers, and removed weekly.
(d) SMOKING.
(A) A foster provider may not provide tobacco products in any form to a child under the age of 21.
(B) A child in foster care may not be exposed to second hand smoke in the child foster home or when being transported.
(7) TRANSPORTATION SAFETY.
(a) The foster provider must ensure that safe transportation is available for children to access schools, recreation, churches, scheduled medical care, community facilities, and urgent care.
(b) If there is not a licensed driver and vehicle at all times there must be a plan for urgent and routine transportation.
(c) The foster provider must maintain all vehicles used to transport a child in a safe operating condition and must ensure that a first aid kit is in each vehicle.
(d) All motor vehicles owned by the foster provider and used for transporting a child must be insured to include liability.
(e) Only licensed adult drivers may transport a child in foster care in a motor vehicle. The motor vehicle must be insured to include liability.
(f) When transporting a child in foster care, the driver must ensure that the child uses seat belts or appropriate safety seats. Car seats or seat belts must be used for transporting a child in accordance with the Department of Transportation according to ORS 815.055 (Rules establishing standards for safety belts, harnesses and child safety systems).

Source: Rule 411-346-0200 — Environmental Standards, https://secure.­sos.­state.­or.­us/oard/view.­action?ruleNumber=411-346-0200.

Last Updated

Jun. 8, 2021

Rule 411-346-0200’s source at or​.us