Committee approves mental-health rules allowing parents to reside with children during some residential treatment

The Joint Government Operations Committee on April 29 gave a positive recommendation to updated rules from the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services that align life-safety language with current standards and add options for parents or guardians to reside with their minor children in some residential treatment settings.

Kristen Bellof of DMHS said the rules update chapters 940‑5‑4 and 940‑5‑6 to modernize life-safety and minimum-program requirements and provide a framework for facilities that opt to allow parent or guardian residency. Dan Gianati, director of licensure, said the waiver-approval process will allow the department to review multiple-occupancy requests and ensure safety and compliance.

Lawmakers asked how facilities would screen for safety and space. Gianati said residency would be limited to appropriate residential-level programs, would not apply to high‑security settings, and facilities would need to document arrangements and meet square‑footage and staffing requirements. The rules also make clear that persons listed on sex-offender and vulnerable-adult registries cannot work or volunteer in these licensed settings.

Committee members sought follow-up data (for example, how many individuals are currently on relevant registries); the department offered to provide numbers afterwards. The committee moved the rules with a positive recommendation.