The Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities ("Department") maintains an Abuser Registry which is a list of DD employees who the Department has determined have abused, neglected, had sexual contact with, stolen property from, or did not report the abuse or neglect of an individual with DD. If your name is placed on the Abuser Registry, you are barred from employment as a DD employee in this state for a minimum of 5 years.

• Employees whose names may be placed on the Abuser Registry. The name of any "DD employee" may be placed on the Abuser Registry. DD employee includes any Department employee, any employee of a county board of DD, and any employee providing specialized services to an individual with DD. A specialized service is a program or service designed to primarily serve individuals with DD including services by an entity licensed or certified by the Department.

• Abuser Registry Offenses. The Department may place the name of an MR/DD employee on the Abuser Registry if it determines that the employee has committed any of the below offenses against an individual with DD.

  • Abuse

    • Abuse includes the use of any physical force that could reasonably be expected to result in physical harm.

    • Abuse includes unlawful sexual conduct (unprivileged intercourse or other sexual penetration) and unlawful sexual contact (unprivileged touching of another's erogenous zone).

    • Abuse includes verbal abuse. Verbal abuse means purposely using words to threaten, coerce, intimidate, harass or humiliate an individual.

  • Sexual Contact. Sexual contact means the touching of an erogenous zone for sexual gratification, whether or not consensual, by an DD employee of an individual in the employee's care who is not the employee's spouse.

  • Neglect. Neglect means, when there is a duty to do so, failing to provide an individual with any treatment, care, goods or services necessary to maintain the health or safety of the individual.

  • Misappropriation (theft). This means obtaining the property of an individual or individuals, without consent, with an aggregate (combined) value of at least $100. Theft of any check, credit card, ATM card and the like are also Abuser Registry offenses.

  • Failure to Report Abuse, Neglect or Misappropriation. A DD employee may be placed on the Abuser Registry if the employee unreasonably does not report abuse, neglect or misappropriation of the property of an individual with MR/DD, or the substantial risk to such an individual of abuse, neglect or misappropriation, when the employee should know that his/her non-reporting will result in a substantial risk of harm to such individual.

ORC 5123.52 requires the Department, each county DD board, each entity providing specialized services under contract with an DD board, and each owner, operator or administrator of a residential facility as defined in ORC 5123.19 or of a program certified by the Department to provide supported living services to annually provide written notice to each of its DD employees explaining the conduct for which an DD employee may be placed on the Abuser Registry. More information about the Abuser Registry is on the Department's website at http://dodd.ohio.gov/health/abuserreg.htm or may be obtained by calling (614) 995-3810.

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