Licensing Information

Boys & Girls Aid serves children waiting to be adopted and children living in foster care in the guardianship of the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), as well as older children and young adults in our shelter and housing services.

To do this work, we are licensed by ODHS in the following areas: Residential Care, Foster Care, Adoption, and Homeless, Runaway and Transitional Living Shelters. In addition to renewing our license every two years, the Children’s Care Licensing Unit at ODHS conducts site visits and collects data to ensure compliance with licensing rules and requirements.

In accordance with Senate Bill 710, the agency reports to ODHS quarterly how many times a therapeutic hold is utilized with a child. Therapeutic holds are utilized as a means of keeping children safe and helping them to regulate. At Boys & Girls Aid, these holds are only used in our Nest program.

Most often, therapeutic holds include standing or sitting with or next to a child and redirecting their bodies to safety or holding them in a way that supports them finding calm. It is our priority to ensure that any use of physical intervention is appropriate and necessary. This begins with Nonviolent Crisis Intervention training for staff to understand that holds are a last resort to be utilized only when other interventions have been unsuccessful, or when someone is in immediate danger. In additional to Nonviolent Crisis Intervention training, our Nest program employs two Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI)-certified trainers to provide ongoing coaching and support to staff.

All therapeutic holds are reviewed by the program director and staff debrief all holds within 48 hours. Should a therapeutic hold be used more than twice in a 7-day period with one child, another review is held.