(a) A licensee of an adult residential facility, short-term residential therapeutic program, or group home for no more than six residents, except for the larger facilities provided for in paragraph (1) of subdivision (k), that is utilizing delayed egress devices pursuant to Section 1531.1, may install and utilize secured perimeters in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(b) As used in this section, “secured perimeters” means fences that meet the requirements prescribed by this section.

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(c) Only individuals meeting all of the following conditions may be admitted to or reside in a facility described in subdivision (a) utilizing secured perimeters:

(1) The person shall have a developmental disability as defined in § 4512 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(2) The person shall be receiving services and case management from a regional center under the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act (Division 4.5 (commencing with Section 4500) of the Welfare and Institutions Code).

(3) (A) The person shall be 14 years of age or older, except as specified in subparagraph (B).

(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), a child who is at least 10 years of age and less than 14 years of age may be placed in a licensed group home described in subdivision (a) using secured perimeters only if both of the following occur:

(i) A comprehensive assessment is conducted and an individual program plan meeting is convened to determine the services and supports needed for the child to receive services in a less restrictive, unlocked residential setting in California, and the regional center requests assistance from the State Department of Developmental Services’ statewide specialized resource service to identify options to serve the child in a less restrictive, unlocked residential setting in California.

(ii) The regional center requests placement of the child in a licensed group home described in subdivision (a) using secured perimeters on the basis that the placement is necessary to prevent out-of-state placement or placement in a more restrictive, locked residential setting such as a developmental center, institution for mental disease or psychiatric facility, and the State Department of Developmental Services approves the request.

(4) The person is not a foster child under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court pursuant to Section 300, 450, 601, or 602 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(5) (A) An interdisciplinary team, through the individual program plan (IPP) process pursuant to § 4646.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, shall have determined the person lacks hazard awareness or impulse control and, for the person’s safety and security, requires the level of supervision afforded by a facility equipped with secured perimeters, and, but for this placement, the person would be at risk of admission to, or would have no option but to remain in, a more restrictive placement. The individual program planning team shall convene every 90 days after admission to determine and document the continued appropriateness of the current placement and progress in implementing the transition plan.

(B) The clients’ rights advocate for the regional center shall be notified of the proposed admission and the individual program plan meeting and may participate in the individual program plan meeting unless the consumer objects on their own behalf.

(d) The licensee shall be subject to all applicable fire and building codes, regulations, and standards, and shall receive approval by the county or city fire department, the local fire prevention district, or the State Fire Marshal for the installed secured perimeters.

(e) The licensee shall provide staff training regarding the use and operation of the secured perimeters, protection of residents’ personal rights, lack of hazard awareness and impulse control behavior, and emergency evacuation procedures.

(f) The licensee shall revise its facility plan of operation. These revisions shall first be approved by the State Department of Developmental Services. The plan of operation shall not be approved by the State Department of Social Services unless the licensee provides certification that the plan was approved by the State Department of Developmental Services. The plan shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(1) A description of how the facility is to be equipped with secured perimeters that are consistent with regulations adopted by the State Fire Marshal pursuant to Section 13143.6.

(2) A description of how the facility will provide training for staff.

(3) A description of how the facility will ensure the protection of the residents’ personal rights consistent with Sections 4502, 4503, and 4504 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and any applicable personal rights provided in Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations.

(4) A description of how the facility will manage residents’ lack of hazard awareness and impulse control behavior, which shall emphasize positive behavioral supports and techniques that are alternatives to physical, chemical, or mechanical restraints, or seclusion.

(5) A description of the facility’s emergency evacuation procedures.

(6) A description of how the facility will comply with applicable health and safety standards.

(g) Secured perimeters shall not substitute for adequate staff.

(h) Emergency fire and earthquake drills shall be conducted on each shift in accordance with existing licensing requirements, and shall include all facility staff providing resident care and supervision on each shift.

(i) Interior and exterior space shall be available on the facility premises to permit clients to move freely and safely.

(j) For the purpose of using secured perimeters, the licensee shall not be required to obtain a waiver or exception to a regulation that would otherwise prohibit the locking of a perimeter fence or gate.

(k) The state shall not authorize or fund more than a combined total of 174 beds statewide in facilities with secured perimeters under this section and under Section 1267.75. The department shall notify the appropriate fiscal and policy committees of the Legislature through the January and May budget estimates prior to authorizing an increase above a combined total of 100 beds statewide in facilities with secured perimeters under this section and under Section 1267.75.

(1) A minimum of 50 beds shall be available within programs designed for individuals who are designated incompetent to stand trial pursuant to § 1370.1 of the Penal Code. These beds shall be within facilities that are exclusively used to provide care for individuals who are placed and participating in forensic competency training pursuant to § 1370.1 of the Penal Code, except as provided in paragraph (2). No more than half of these facilities may have more than 6 beds and no facility may have more than 15 beds.

(2) When, in the joint determination of the regional center and the facility administrator, an individual would be most appropriately served in a specific program, regardless of whether the facility meets the criteria established in paragraph (1), individuals who are not similarly designated may be placed in the same facility. That placement may occur only when the individual’s planning team determines that the placement and the facility plan of operation meet the individual’s needs and that placement is not incompatible with the needs and safety of other facility residents.

(l) This section shall become operative only upon the publication in Title 17 of the California Code of Regulations of emergency regulations filed by the State Department of Developmental Services. These regulations shall be developed with stakeholders, including the State Department of Social Services, consumer advocates, and regional centers. The regulations shall establish program standards for homes that include secured perimeters, including requirements and timelines for the completion and updating of a comprehensive assessment of each consumer’s needs, including the identification through the individual program plan process of the services and supports needed to transition the consumer to a less restrictive living arrangement, and a timeline for identifying or developing those services and supports. The regulations shall establish a statewide limit on the total number of beds in homes with secured perimeters. The adoption of these regulations shall be deemed to be an emergency and necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, or general welfare.

(Amended by Stats. 2020, Ch. 11, Sec. 9. (AB 79) Effective June 29, 2020. Section conditionally operative as prescribed by its own provisions.)