(a) The facility administrator, and where applicable, in cooperation with the responsible physician, shall develop and implement written policies and procedures governing the use of safety rooms, as described in Title 24, Part 2, Section 1230.1.13. The room shall be used to hold only those youth who present an immediate danger to themselves or others, who exhibit behavior which results in the destruction of property, or reveals the intent to cause self-inflicted physical harm. A safety room shall not be used for punishment or discipline, or as a substitute for treatment. Policies and procedures shall:
(1) include provisions for administration of necessary nutrition and fluids, access to a toilet, and suitable clothing to provide for privacy;
(2) provide for approval of the facility manager, or designee, before a youth is placed into a safety room;
(3) provide for continuous direct visual supervision and documentation of the youth's behavior and any staff interventions every 15 minutes, with actual time recorded;
(4) provide that the youth shall be evaluated by the facility manager, or designee, every four hours;
(5) provide for immediate medical assessment, where appropriate, or an assessment at the next daily sick call; and,
(6) provide a process for documenting the reason for placement, including attempts to use less restrictive means of control, and decisions to continue and end placement.
(b) The placement of a youth in the safety room shall be accomplished in accordance with the following:
(1) safety room shall not be used before other less restrictive options have been attempted and exhausted, unless attempting those options poses a threat to the safety or security of any youth or staff.
(2) safety room shall not be used for the purposes of punishment, coercion, convenience, or retaliation by staff.
(3) safety room shall not be used to the extent that it compromises the mental and physical health of the youth.
(c) A youth may be held up to four hours in the safety room. After the youth has been held in the safety room for a period of four hours, staff shall do one or more of the following:
(1) return the youth to general population.
(2) consult with mental health or medical staff,
(3) develop an individualized plan that includes the goals and objectives to be met in order to reintegrate the youth to general population.
(d) If confinement in the safety room must be extended beyond four hours, staff shall develop an individualized plan that includes the requirements of Section 1354.5 and the goals and objectives to be met in order to integrate the youth to general population.
Credits
Note: Authority cited: Sections 210 and 885, Welfare and Institutions Code. Reference: Section 209, Welfare and Institutions Code.
