(a) ORR must have a written policy mandating zero tolerance toward all forms of sexual abuse and sexual harassment and outlining ORR's approach to preventing, detecting, and responding to such conduct. ORR must ensure that all policies and services related to this rule are implemented in a culturally-sensitive and knowledgeable manner that is tailored for a diverse population.

(b) ORR must employ or designate an upper-level, ORR-wide Prevention of Sexual Abuse Coordinator (PSA Coordinator) with sufficient time and authority to develop, implement, and oversee ORR efforts to comply with these standards in all of its care provider facilities.

(c) Care provider facilities must have a written policy mandating zero tolerance toward all forms of sexual abuse and sexual harassment and outlining the care provider facility's approach to preventing, detecting, and responding to such conduct. The care provider facility also must ensure that all policies and services related to this rule are implemented in a culturally-sensitive and knowledgeable manner that is tailored for a diverse population. ORR will review and approve each care provider facility's written policy.

(d) Care provider facilities must employ or designate a Prevention of Sexual Abuse Compliance Manager (PSA Compliance Manager) with sufficient time and authority to develop, implement, and oversee the care provider facility's efforts to comply with the provisions set forth in this part and serve as a point of contact for ORR's PSA Coordinator.

(a) When contracting with or providing a grant to a care provider facility, ORR must include in any new contracts, contract renewals, cooperative agreements, or cooperative agreement renewals the entity's obligation to adopt and comply with these standards.

(b) For organizations that contract, grant, or have a sub-grant with a care provider facility to provide residential services to UCs, the organization must, as part of the contract or cooperative agreement, adopt and comply with the provisions set forth in this part.

(c) All new contracts, contract renewals, and grants must include provisions for monitoring and evaluation to ensure that the contractor, grantee, or sub-grantee is complying with these provisions.

(a) Care provider facilities must develop, document, and make their best effort to comply with a staffing plan that provides for adequate levels of staffing, and, where applicable under State and local licensing standards, video monitoring, to protect UCs from sexual abuse and sexual harassment.

(b) In determining adequate levels of UC supervision and determining the need for video monitoring, the care provider facility must take into consideration the physical layout of the facility, the composition of the UC population, the prevalence of substantiated and unsubstantiated incidents of sexual abuse and sexual harassment, and any other relevant factors. Video monitoring equipment may not be placed in any bathroom, shower or bathing area, or other area where UCs routinely undress.

(c) Care provider facilities must conduct frequent unannounced rounds to identify and deter sexual abuse and sexual harassment. Such rounds must be implemented during night as well as day shifts. Care provider facilities must prohibit staff from alerting others that rounds are occurring, unless such announcement is related to the legitimate operational functions of the care provider facility.

(a) Cross-gender pat-down searches of UCs must not be conducted except in exigent circumstances. For a UC that identifies as transgender or intersex, the ORR care provider facility must ask the UC to identify the gender of staff with whom he/she would feel most comfortable conducting the search.

(b) All pat-down searches must be conducted in the presence of one additional care provider facility staff member unless there are exigent circumstances and must be documented and reported to ORR.

(c) Strip searches and visual body cavity searches of UCs are prohibited.

(d) Care provider facilities must permit UCs to shower, perform bodily functions, and change clothing without being viewed by staff, except: In exigent circumstances; when such viewing is incidental to routine room checks; is otherwise appropriate in connection with a medical examination or monitored bowel movement; if a UC is under age 6 and needs assistance with such activities; a UC with special needs is in need of assistance with such activities; or the UC requests and requires assistance. If the UC has special needs and requires assistance with such activities, the care provider facility staff member must be of the same gender as the UC when assisting with such activities.

(e) Care provider facilities must not search or physically examine a UC for the sole purpose of determining the UC's sex. If the UC's sex is unknown, it may be determined during conversations with the UC, by reviewing medical records, or, if necessary, learning that information as part of a broader medical examination conducted in private by a medical practitioner.

(f) Care provider facilities must train youth care worker staff in proper procedures for conducting pat-down searches, including cross-gender pat-down searches and searches of transgender and intersex UCs. All pat-down searches must be conducted in a professional and respectful manner, and in the least intrusive manner possible, consistent with security needs and existing ORR policy, including consideration of youth care worker staff safety.

(a) Care provider facilities must take appropriate steps to ensure that UCs with disabilities (including, for example, UCs who are deaf or hard of hearing, those who are blind or have low vision, or those who have intellectual, psychiatric, or speech disabilities) have an equal opportunity to participate in or benefit from all aspects of the care provider facility's efforts to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse and sexual harassment. Such steps must include, when necessary to ensure effective communication with UCs who are deaf or hard of hearing, providing access to in-person, telephonic, or video interpretive services that enable effective, accurate, and impartial interpretation, both receptively and expressively, using any necessary specialized vocabulary. In addition, the care provider facility must ensure that any written materials related to sexual abuse and sexual harassment are translated and provided in formats or through methods that ensure effective communication with UCs with disabilities, including UCs who have intellectual disabilities, limited reading skills, or who are blind or have low vision.

(b) Care provider facilities must take appropriate steps to ensure that UCs who are limited English proficient have an equal opportunity to participate in or benefit from all aspects of the care provider facility's efforts to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse and sexual harassment, including steps to provide quality in-person or telephonic interpretive services and quality translation services that enable effective, accurate, and impartial interpretation and translation, both receptively and expressively, using any necessary specialized vocabulary.

(c) In matters relating to allegations of sexual abuse or sexual harassment, the care provider facility must provide quality in-person or telephonic interpretation services that enable effective, accurate, and impartial interpretation by someone other than another UC. Care provider facilities also must ensure that any written materials related to sexual abuse and sexual harassment, including notification, orientation, and instruction not provided by ORR, are translated either verbally or in written form into the preferred languages of UCs.

(a) Care provider facilities are prohibited from hiring or promoting any individual who may have contact with UCs and must not enlist the services of any contractor or volunteer who may have contact with UCs and who engaged in: Sexual abuse in a prison, jail, holding facility, community confinement facility, juvenile facility, other institution (as defined in 42 U.S.C. 1997), or care provider facility; who was convicted of engaging or attempting to engage in sexual activity facilitated by force, overt or implied threats of force, or coercion, or if the victim did not consent or was unable to consent or refuse; or who was civilly or administratively adjudicated to have engaged in such activity.

(b) Care provider facilities considering hiring or promoting staff must ask all applicants who may have direct contact with UCs about previous misconduct described in paragraph (a) of this section in written applications or interviews for hiring or promotions and in any interviews or written self-evaluations conducted as part of performance evaluations of current employees. Care provider facilities also must impose upon employees a continuing affirmative duty to disclose any such misconduct, whether the conduct occurs on or off duty. Care provider facilities, consistent with law, must make their best efforts to contact all prior institutional employers of an applicant for employment to obtain information on substantiated allegations of sexual abuse or sexual harassment or any resignation during a pending investigation of alleged sexual abuse or sexual harassment.

(c) Prior to hiring new staff who may have contact with UCs, the care provider facility must conduct a background investigation to determine whether the candidate for hire is suitable for employment with minors in a residential setting. Upon ORR request, the care provider facility must submit all background investigation documentation for each staff member and the care provider facility's conclusions.

(d) Care provider facilities also must perform a background investigation before enlisting the services of any contractor or volunteer who may have contact with UCs. Upon ORR request, the care provider facility must submit all background investigation documentation for each contractor or volunteer and the care provider facility's conclusions.

(e) Care provider facilities must either conduct a criminal background records check at least every five years for current employees, contractors, and volunteers who may have contact with UCs or have in place a system for capturing the information contained in a criminal background records check for current employees.

(f) Material omissions regarding such misconduct or the provision of materially false information by the applicant or staff will be grounds for termination or withdrawal of an offer of employment, as appropriate.

(g) Unless prohibited by law, the care provider facility must provide information on substantiated allegations of sexual abuse or sexual harassment involving a former employee upon receiving a request from another care provider facility or institutional employer for whom such employee has applied to work.

(h) In the event the care provider facility contracts with an organization to provide residential services and/or other services to UCs, the requirements of this section also apply to the organization and its staff.

(a) When designing or acquiring any new facility and in planning any substantial expansion or modification of existing facilities, the care provider facility, as appropriate, must consider the effect of the design, acquisition, expansion, or modification upon their ability to protect UCs from sexual abuse and sexual harassment.

(b) When installing or updating a video monitoring system, electronic surveillance system, or other monitoring technology in a care provider facility, the care provider facility, as appropriate, must consider how such technology may enhance its ability to protect UCs from sexual abuse and sexual harassment while maintaining UC privacy and dignity.