Welcome to the TACFS guide to GRO Training Requirements!
Reminder: This tool was put together to provide general information on the various, and sometimes overlapping, training requirements set out in Minimum Standards (MS) and DFPS Residential Child-Care Contracts (RCC). This tool currently addresses ONLY REQUIREMENTS FOR GROS. CPAs may be addressed at a later date but are not currently covered.
We hope that you will find it useful and remind you that it is current only as of the date of the most recent update and should never replace guidance from your own representatives (licensing, contracts, legal, or otherwise).
Updated: April 2024
Here's how to use the guide:
Choose a category below to jump or scroll to explore four kinds of guides. Each guide includes details about whether the trainings listed are required in the Minimum Standards, how many hours might be required, the deadline by which it must be provided, a link to a fact sheet, and so much more!
Key to Our Guides:
REQUIRED
Trainings with this icon are specifically required by the oversight agency listed.
MIGHT BE MONITORED
Trainings with this icon may not be specifically required (by the agency listed) but could be monitored if there are other issues being investigated.
NOT REQUIRED
Trainings with this icon are not specifically required or tracked by the listed agency.
Pre-Service Training Requirements for GRO Caregivers
Some requirements are not strictly pre-service in terms of being able to complete some hours after beginning job duties or being counted in ratio. However, for ease of classification have been grouped into pre-service and annual.
| Type of Training | Minimum Standards | Residential Child Care Contracts | Hours | Deadline | Details | Fact Sheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orientation | ü | ¡ | N/A | Prior to beginning job duties or having contact with children in care | N/A | Learn More |
| General Pre-Service | ü | ü | 8 | 4 hours prior to being counted in ratio (must also have fully qualified caregiver in ratio as well until fully trained); 4 hours within 30 days of “becoming a caregiver," i.e. being counted in ratio. | MS training requirements should cover RCC hourly training requirements (but note RCC requirements blend hours, competencies, and other subject matter together--see specific tab). | Learn More |
| Normalcy | X | X | N/A | N/A | N/A | Learn More |
| EBI | ü | ¡ | 8 if providing only child-care or programmatic services; or treatment svcs but EBI not allowed; 16 if EBI allowed and providing treatment services. | Half of applicable hours must be completed prior to being counted in ratio; remaining half must be completed within 90 days of being counted in ratio. | - If EBI not allowed and only PMN, caregiver exempt- If one caregiver only has ½ hours, should have fully trained caregiver in ratio- A caregiver may not administer any form of EBI before completing all required training hours for EBI, except for administering a short personal restraint. | Learn More |
| Safe Sleep | ü | ¡ | N/A | For caregiver of children under to 2, prior to being counted in ratio | N/A | Learn More |
| Psychotropic meds | ü | ü | N/A | Pre-service if administering meds. | DFPS online training satisfies MS requirements as long as there is additional operation-specific training as outlined in applicable tab. | Learn More |
| First Aid | ü | ¡ | N/A | Must be certified within 90 days of employment | Each caregiver must have current certificate of training with expiration or renewal date. | Learn More |
| CPR | ü | ¡ | N/A | Must have current certificate and be able to respond to emergencies prior to being only caregiver in ratio. | Requires:- Caregiver certified for pediatric CPR if serving only under 12;- Caregiver certified for adult CPR if serving children 12 and over;- Pediatric and adult CPR if operation serves children between 0-17:-- one caregiver certified for pedi & and adult OR-- one caregiver certified in pedi AND one caregiver certified in adult. | Learn More |
| Recognizing & Reporting A/N/E (including SXAB) | ü | ¡ | N/A | Pre-service (not further specified) | MS—no specific duration; required component of pre-service. DFPS contract does not separately require. However, the online DFPS training on recognizing & reporting a/n/e meets MS. | Learn More |
| Preventing and Recognizing SXAB and Victimization of Youth in Foster Care | X | ü | N/A | Prior to serving as caregiver | For DFPS, this specific training must be completed in the DFPS Caregiver Training Hub. DFPS defines caregiver as having direct contact or providing care. DFPS contracts will generally look to who is treated as a caregiver by the operation for this definition but it diverges from standards. | Learn More |
| Trauma Informed Care | X | ü | 8 | Prior to being only caregiver responsible for child. | DFPS training would meet MS. Must include at least one of the DFPS-approved Trauma-Informed Care trainings, a component on adverse child experiences (ACEs), and training and resources related to prevention and management of secondary traumatic stress (compassion fatigue). | Learn More |
| Medical Consent | X | ü | N/A | Pre-service | Note: very few GRO caregivers will be permitted to serve as medical consenter (shift staff prohibited). As a consequence, few if any in GROs are required to take the training. | Learn More |
| Disaster & Emergency Response Preparedness Plan | X | ü | N/A | Pre-service | Disaster and emergency response plan & procedures (DERPPP) must include disaster planning training for all staff and caregivers. | Learn More |
Pre-Service Training Requirements for GRO Employees
Some requirements are not strictly pre-service in terms of being able to complete some hours after beginning job duties or being counted in ratio. However, for ease of classification have been grouped into pre-service and annual.
| Type of Training | Minimum Standards | Residential Child Care Contracts | Hours | Deadline | Details | Fact Sheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orientation | ü | ¡ | N/A | Prior to beginning job duties or having contact with children in care. | N/A | Learn More |
| General Pre-Service | ü | X | N/A | 748.813(2) indicates training must be within 90 days of beginning job duties but note that for staff, normalcy training, may be due earlier than 90 days. | There are not general pre-service requirements; however, there are specific requirements for normalcy and EBI training for certain staff, as noted below. | Learn More |
| Normalcy | ü | ¡ | 2 | Prior to being the designated decisionmaker re: childhood activities or within 90 days of “beginning job duties,” whichever is earlier. | Designated staff are child care administrators, professional level service providers, treatment directors, and case managers. | Learn More |
| EBI | ü | ¡ | 8 | Within 90 days of beginning job duties. | Requirements and hours vary. Applies to Designated staff (unless assigned exclusively to care of children receiving PMN—which is exemption from overall requirement). | Learn More |
| Safe Sleep | X | X | N/A | N/A | Learn More | |
| Psychotropic meds | X | ü | N/A | Pre-service only if administering meds. | DFPS online training satisfies MS requirements as long as there is additional operation-specific training as outlined in applicable tab. | Learn More |
| First Aid | X | X | N/A | N/A | ||
| CPR | X | X | N/A | N/A | Learn More | |
| Recognizing & Reporting A/N/E (including SXAB) | ¡ | ¡ | N/A | N/A | Although this is listed as an appropriate topic for general pre-service or annual training, general pre-service is not required for employees and inclusion in annual training is discretionary. Given importance, however, noting that this is very likely an appropriate topic for employees and operations may wish to require. | Learn More |
| Preventing and Recognizing SXAB and Victimization of Youth in Foster Care | X | ü | N/A | Prior to serving as caregiver. | Should generally never be required for an employee who is not a caregiver but including in abundance of caution as DFPS definition is broader. | Learn More |
| Trauma Informed Care | ü | ü | 8 | Prior to being only caregiver responsible for the direct care of child. | DFPS training would meet MS. Contract requires pre-service and annual, but only if provide direct care (unclear if this would ever occur without person meeting definition of caregiver). | Learn More |
| Medical Consent | N/A | N/A | Contract references employees and caregivers who are medical consenters. Employees who are not caregivers should not be serving as consenter. | Learn More | ||
| Disaster & Emergency Response Preparedness Plan | X | ü | N/A | Prior to service. | It is unclear if enforced as a separate training requirement. | Learn More |
Annual Training Requirements for GRO Caregivers
There is not a separate listing for timeframe. Presume the requirement must be completed no later than 365 days from prior training unless otherwise noted.
| Type of Training | Minimum Standards | Residential Child Care Contracts | Hours | Details | Fact Sheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual (general) | ü | ü | MS requires 20 or 50 hours. Contracts requires, 20, 30, or 50 depending on service level. | Hours do not precisely line up. For MS, annual training must include EBI (unless PMN-only), TIC and Normalcy. Must also include transportation safety and psychotropic medication as applicable. Additional specifics under those training types. | Learn More |
| Recognizing & Reporting A/N/E (including SXAB) | ¡ | ¡ | N/A | No specific duration or requirement but is an appropriate topic for annual training. | Learn More |
| Preventing and Recognizing SXAB and Victimization of Youth in Foster Care | X | ü | N/A | - For DFPS, his specific training must be completed in the DFPS Caregiver Training Hub. - While this material may be an appropriate topic for annual training in MS, and while helpful to meet the component of Recognizing & Reporting A/N/E that pertains to sexual abuse, there is not a separate requirement in MS for this training. | Learn More |
| EBI | ü | ¡ | - 4 hours every 6 months (unless cottage home or PMN only)- 4 hours annually for cottage home- No required hours for PMN only | Learn More | |
| First Aid & CPR | ü | ¡ | N/A | Not an annual requirement per se but must have current certification | |
| Psychotropic meds | ü | ü | N/A | DFPS online training satisfies MS requirements (operation-specific policies not explicitly mentioned but caution would suggest including). For RCC, only required for those administering meds. | Learn More |
| Trauma Informed Care | ü | ü | 2 (minimum) | DFPS training would meet MS. | Learn More |
| Normalcy | ü | ¡ | 1 | Learn More | |
| Suicide Prevention | ü | ¡ | 1 | May be included as part of pre-service. Required Within 12 months of hire date. | Learn More |
| Medical Consent | X | ü | N/A | Note: For Residential, this training is only required for those who serve as Medical Consenters. Very few GRO caregivers will be permitted to serve as medical consenters (only live-in parents/staff; shift staff prohibited). As a consequence, few if any in GROs are required to take the training. | Learn More |
| Runaway Prevention | X | ü | N/A | Note: it is unclear if enforced as a separate training requirement or reviewed as part of runaway prevention plan. | Learn More |
| Transportation Safety | ü | ¡ | 2 (if transport child with chron/dev age under 9) | N/A | Learn More |
| Disaster & Emergency Response Preparedness Plan | X | ü | N/A | Disaster and emergency response plan & procedures (DERPPP) must include disaster planning training for all staff and caregivers. | Learn More |
| Cultural Competency | X | ü | N/A | Note: it is unclear if enforced as a separate training requirement | Learn More |
| Cost Reporting | X | X | N/A | N/A |
Annual Training Requirements for GRO Employees
There is not a separate listing for timeframe. Presume the requirement must be completed no later than 365 days from prior training unless otherwise noted.
| Type of Training | Minimum Standards | Residential Child Care Contracts | Hours | Details | Fact Sheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual (general) | ü | ¡ | 15 or 20 | Designated staff. Hours vary based on whether licensed:- If no relevant professional license, 20 hours which must include: 2 hours TIC, 1 hour normalcy, and 2 hours of transportation safety if the employee transports children whose chronological or developmental age is under 9.- If have relevant license, 15 hours which must include: 1 hour normalcy if charged with decision making around childhood activities, and 2 hours of transportation safety if the employee transports children whose chronological or developmental age is under 9. | Learn More |
| Recognizing & Reporting A/N/E (including SXAB) | ¡ | ¡ | Although this is listed as an appropriate topic for general pre-service or annual training, general pre-service is not required for employees and inclusion in annual training is discretionary. Given importance, however, noting that this is very likely an appropriate topic for employees and operations may wish to require. | Learn More | |
| Preventing and Recognizing SXAB and Victimization of Youth in Foster Care | X | ü | Pre-Service and Annual. For Residential Child Care Contracts, this training is only required if the employee meets the DFPS caregiver definition. | Learn More | |
| EBI | ¡ | ¡ | Not required in MS unless there has been a substantial change in techniques, intervention types, or agency EBI policies. | Learn More | |
| First Aid & CPR | X | X | |||
| Psychotropic meds | ü | ü | N/A | DFPS online training satisfies MS requirements (operation-specific policies not explicitly mentioned but caution would suggest including). | Learn More |
| Trauma Informed Care | ü | ü | 2 (minimum) | DFPS training would meet MS. MS: annual training only required for designated staff w/o license. Contract requires pre-service and annual, but only if provide direct care (unclear if this would ever occur without person meeting definition of caregiver). | Learn More |
| Normalcy | ü | ¡ | Applies to Designated staff** who do not hold professional license and anyone making decisions regarding child's participation in activities. | Learn More | |
| Suicide Prevention | ü | ¡ | 1 | CCR has indicated this requirement applies to ALL employees--though those with no possibility of direct contact may be excluded--check with rep. | Learn More |
| Medical Consent | N/A | N/A | N/A | Contract references employees and caregivers who are medical consenters. Shift staff cannot be consenters; employees who are not caregivers should not be serving as consenter. | Learn More |
| Runaway Prevention | X | ü | Note: it is unclear if enforced as a separate training requirement or reviewed as part of runaway prevention plan. | Learn More | |
| Transportation Safety | ü | ¡ | 2 (If transport child with chron/dev age under 9) | Applies to designated staff. | Learn More |
| Disaster & Emergency Response Preparedness Plan | X | ü | N/A | Note: it is unclear if enforced as a separate training requirement | Learn More |
| Cultural Competency | X | ü | Note: it is unclear if enforced as a separate training requirement | Learn More | |
| Cost Reporting | ¡ | ü | 2 | Required for individuals responsible for preparing an organization's cost reports (prior to submitting report STC 2.F.) |