R501-21-7. Domestic Violence

  (1) Domestic Violence (DV) treatment programs shall comply with generally accepted and current practices in domestic violence treatment, and shall meet the following requirements:

  (a) maintain and document cooperative working relationships with domestic violence shelters, treatment programs, referring agencies, custodial parents when the consumer is a minor, and local domestic violence coalitions;

  (i) treatment sessions for children and victims shall offer a minimum of ten sessions for each consumer, not including intake or orientation;

  (b) if the consumer is a perpetrator, program contact with the victims, current partner, and the criminal justice referring agencies is also required, as appropriate;

  (i) In accordance with UCA50-60-102(5), a Licensed Mental Health Therapist shall complete a domestic violence treatment evaluation for each offender to include individualized recommendations for the offender's treatment.

  (2) Staff to Consumer Ratio

  (a) The staff to consumer ratio in adult treatment groups shall be one staff to eight consumers, for a one hour long group; or one staff to ten consumers for an hour and a half long group. The maximum group size shall not exceed 16.

  (b) Child victim, or child witness groups shall have a ratio of one staff to eight children, when the consumers are under 12 years of age; and a ratio of one staff to ten children when the consumers are 12 years of age and older.

  (3) Client Intake and Safety

  (a) When any consumer enters a treatment program, the staff shall conduct an in-depth, face-to-face interview and assessment to determine the consumer's clinical profile and treatment needs. The evaluation in R501-23-7 shall count for this assessment when the consumer is an offender.

  (b) For perpetrator consumers, additional information shall be obtained from the police incident report, perpetrator's criminal history, prior treatment providers, the victim, or victim advocate.

  (c) When appropriate, additional information for child consumers shall be obtained from parents, prior treatment providers, schools, and Child Protective Services.

  (d) When any of the above cannot be obtained, the reason shall be documented.

  (e) The assessment shall include the following:

  (i) a profile of the frequency, severity, and duration of the domestic violence behavior, which includes a summary of psychological violence;

  (ii) documentation of any homicidal, suicidal ideation and intentions, as well as abusive behavior towards children;

  (iii) a clinical diagnosis and a referral for evaluation to determine the need for medication, if indicated;

  (iv) documentation of safety planning when the consumer is an adult victim, child victim, or child witness; and that they have contact with the perpetrator;

  (A) for victims who choose not to become treatment consumers, safety planning shall be addressed when they are contacted; and

  (v) documentation that appropriate measures have been taken to protect children from harm.

  (4) Treatment Procedures

  (a) Consumers deemed appropriate for a domestic violence treatment program shall have an individualized treatment plan, which addresses all relevant treatment issues.

  (b) Consumers who are not deemed appropriate for domestic violence programs shall be referred to the appropriate resource, with the reasons for referral documented, and notification given to the referring agency.

  (c) Domestic violence counseling shall be provided concurrently with, or after other necessary treatment, when appropriate.

  (d) Conjoint or group therapy sessions with victims and perpetrators together, or with both co-perpetrators, shall not be provided until a comprehensive assessment has been completed to determine that the violence has stopped, and that conjoint treatment is appropriate.

  (e) The perpetrator must complete a minimum of 4 domestic violence treatment sessions, unless otherwise noted in the offender evaluation recommendations prior to the provider implementing conjoint therapy.

  (f) A written procedure shall be implemented to facilitate the following, in an efficient and timely manner:

  (i) entry of the court ordered defendant into treatment;

  (ii) notification of consumer compliance, participation, or completion;

  (iii) disposition of non-compliant consumers;

  (iv) notification of the recurrence of violence; and

  (v) notification of factors which may exacerbate an individual's potential for violence.

  (g) The program shall comply with the "Duty to Warn," Section 78B-3-502.

  (h) The program shall document specialized training in domestic violence assessment and treatment practices, including 24 hours of Utah Association for Domestic Violence Treatment (UADVT) pre-service training, within the last two years; and 16 hours annual training thereafter for all individuals providing treatment service.

  (i) Clinical supervision for treatment staff that are not clinically licensed shall consist of a minimum of one hour per week to discuss clinical dynamics of cases.

  (5) Training

  (a) Training that is documented and approved by the designated Utah DHS DV Specialist Regarding assessment and treatment practices for treating:

  (i) DV victims; and

  (ii) DV perpetrators.

  (6) Programs must disclose all current DHS contracts and actions against the contract to the Office.

  (7) Programs must disclose all current Accreditations and actions against accredited status to the Office.