What are the rules and regulations for a group home or orphanage?

Answer 1

The home must have legal existence by being fully licensed under the laws of the particular jurisdiction and laws vary. Numerous agencies may be involved from the Board of Health to law enforcement for criminal background checks for employees. You might start your research by visiting the licensing commission in your city or town to determine the requirements for obtaining a license. You may find helpful information at the Secretary of State offices or website.

The house rules for a group home or orphanage vary quite bit from home to home (especially if you're comparing group homes in different jurisdictions). A group home run by a Baptist church would be very different than one run by a non-religious organization, for example.

• In general, there are strict rules and consistent schedule. Male and female children are separated, and there will probably be strict rules on their interaction. Children may also be divided up by age ranges.
• Children may be required to stay in their rooms at night (if they have a bathroom connected directly to their room), and that may be enforced with an alarm on their bedroom door.
• Children that have a safety plan (sexual safety plan or other) will have additional rules, often relating to their contact with other children (especially younger or older children).
• Children will generally have a fairly regimented schedule. For example: children in a foster home may get away with "can we stay up a little longer to finish this movie" while children in a group home know that bed time is at 8:30pm on a school night no matter what.