Regulations last checked for updates: Nov 22, 2024

Title 45 - Public Welfare last revised: Nov 19, 2024
§ 411.41 - Assessment for risk of sexual victimization and abusiveness.

(a) Within 72 hours of a UC's arrival at a care provider facility and periodically throughout a UC's stay, the care provider facility must obtain and use information about each UC's personal history and behavior using a standardized screening instrument to reduce the risk of sexual abuse or sexual harassment by or upon a UC.

(b) The care provider facility must consider, at a minimum and to the extent that the information is available, the following criteria to assess UCs for risk of sexual victimization:

(1) Prior sexual victimization or abusiveness;

(2) Any gender nonconforming appearance or manner or Self-identification as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, or intersex and whether the resident may therefore be vulnerable to sexual abuse or sexual harassment;

(3) Any current charges and offense history;

(4) Age;

(5) Any mental, physical, or developmental disability or illness;

(6) Level of emotional and cognitive development;

(7) Physical size and stature;

(8) The UC's own perception of vulnerability; and

(9) Any other specific information about an individual UC that may indicate heightened needs for supervision, additional safety precautions, or separation from certain other UCs.

(c) This information must be ascertained through conversations with the UC during the intake process and medical and mental health screenings; during classification assessments; and by reviewing court records, case files, care provider facility behavioral records, and other relevant documentation from the UC's files. Only trained staff are permitted to talk with UCs to gather information about their sexual orientation or gender identity, prior sexual victimization, history of engaging in sexual abuse, mental health status, and mental disabilities for the purposes of the assessment required under paragraph (a) of this section. Care provider facilities must provide UCs an opportunity to discuss any safety concerns or sensitive issues privately.

(d) The care provider facility must implement appropriate controls on the dissemination within the care provider facility of responses to questions asked pursuant to this standard in order to ensure that sensitive information is not exploited to the UC's detriment by staff or other UCs.

§ 411.42 - Use of assessment information.

(a) The care provider facility must use the information from the risk assessment under § 411.41 to inform assignment of UCs to housing, education, recreation, and other activities and services. The care provider facility must make individualized determinations about how to ensure the safety and health of each UC.

(b) Care provider facilities may not place UCs on one-on-one supervision as a result of the assessment completed in § 411.41 unless there are exigent circumstances that require one-on-one supervision to keep the UC, other UCs, or staff safe, and then, only until an alternative means of keeping all residents and staff safe can be arranged. During any period of one-on-one supervision, a UC may not be denied any required services, including but not limited to daily large-muscle exercise, required educational programming, and social services, as reasonable under the circumstances. UCs on one-on-one supervision must receive daily visits from a medical practitioner or mental health care clinician as necessary unless the medical practitioner or mental health care clinician determines daily visits are not required. The medical practitioner or mental health care clinician, however, must continue to meet with the UC on a regular basis while the UC is on one-on-one supervision.

(c) When making assessment and housing assignments for a transgender or intersex UCs, the care provider facility must consider the UC's gender self-identification and an assessment of the effects of a housing assignment on the UC's health and safety. The care provider facility must consult a medical or mental health professional as soon as practicable on this assessment. The care provider facility must not base housing assignment decisions of transgender or intersex UCs solely on the identity documents or physical anatomy of the UC; a UC's self-identification of his/her gender and self-assessment of safety needs must always be taken into consideration as well. An identity document may include but is not limited to official U.S. and foreign government documentation, birth certificates, and other official documentation stating the UC's sex. The care provider facility's housing assignment of a transgender or intersex UCs must be consistent with the safety and security considerations of the care provider facility, State and local licensing standards, and housing and programming assignments of each transgender or intersex UCs must be regularly reassessed to review any threats to safety experienced by the UC.

authority: 42 U.S.C. 15607 (d)
source: 79 FR 77789, Dec. 24, 2014, unless otherwise noted.
cite as: 45 CFR 411.41