Michigan AFC Staff Training: R 400.629 Rules for DD Homes

Michigan licenses adult foster care (AFC) homes through the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), and many of those homes serve adults with developmental disabilities. The training rules for the people who work in them sit in one set of administrative rules, with extra layers when a home holds a special certification or is paid through a community mental health agency. This guide walks through what the written rules require, where the layers come from, and how to keep the records an inspector will ask for.

Which Michigan rules apply

AFC licensing is governed by the Adult Foster Care Facility Licensing Act (1979 PA 218) and LARA's single AFC rule set, filed with the Secretary of State on November 3, 2025. Under R 400.603, rules R 400.601 to R 400.697 apply to all AFC facilities: family homes, small group homes, large group homes and congregate facilities. The rules for homes with special certification (R 400.703 to R 400.715) apply on top of those.

LARA also publishes an AFC Technical Assistance Manual, revised October 7, 2026. The manual states that it is "not a new set of rules," but it shows how licensing consultants apply each rule, so it is worth reading next to the rule text.

Direct care staff training: R 400.629

R 400.629 is the core staff rule. Direct care staff must be at least 18 (16- and 17-year-olds can count toward the ratio only under conditions, such as direct supervision by a fully trained adult, no transportation and no medication administration). Before working independently they must be suitable to meet each resident's physical, emotional, intellectual and social needs and able to handle emergencies.

The licensee or administrator must provide in-service training or make training available through other sources. Direct care staff must be trained and competent in all of these areas before performing assigned tasks independently:

• Reporting requirements
• First aid
• Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), including a hands-on demonstration
• Personal care, supervision and protection
• Resident rights
• Safety and fire prevention
• Prevention and containment of communicable diseases, including recognizing signs of illness
• Food safety (storage, preparation, distribution and serving)
• Nutrition and special diets

Two details matter in practice. First, the rule does not set a number of hours for these nine areas. It sets a competency standard, and the home needs a method to show it. Second, training in first aid and CPR must be "in accordance with these rules," and the trainer must follow nationally recognized standards. LARA's technical assistance says the knowledge part of CPR can be delivered online but the skills component must be completed in person, and that staff cannot work alone without being competent in CPR and first aid.

The manual also explains that new hires may shadow a fully trained staff person for on-the-job training, as long as the trained person is responsible for the tasks and the new hire is never left alone with residents. The licensee must keep written verification of completed training in each employee record, and R 400.629(7) requires documentation showing that training is complete and current.

Other rules that create training duties

Training requirements do not stop at R 400.629. Several other rules add specific duties:

• Emergency preparedness (R 400.619): all staff must be instructed and retrained quarterly each calendar year, and new staff on hire, on their duties under the emergency plan and on operating the fire alarm and fire protection equipment. The home must also practice the plan at least once a quarter on each of the three shifts, and keep records of both for 2 years.
• Behavior intervention (R 400.641): staff responsible for carrying out a resident's assessment plan must be trained in the behavior intervention techniques that apply, and must be on site during each shift.
• Crisis intervention (R 400.643): a licensee, administrator or direct care staff member may not use crisis intervention until completing crisis intervention training.
• Medications (R 400.675): anyone who supervises a resident taking medication must be trained in the proper handling and administration of medication.
• Staff records (R 400.639): each staff record must include verification of experience, education and training, and records are kept for 2 years after employment ends.
• Alzheimer's care (MCL 400.726b): a group home or congregate facility that advertises specialized Alzheimer's or dementia care must give prospective residents a written description of its services that includes staff training and continuing education practices.

Licensee and administrator training

Owners and managers have their own rule. Under R 400.627, a licensee and an administrator complete 16 hours of annual training (or 6 college credit hours, or a combination that totals 16 hours) relevant to the home's admission policy and program statement. They must also complete the department's "AFC New Provider Training" within 6 months of the license being issued or of being hired, unless they already hold documentation of completing it.

Homes with special certification: R 400.707

AFC homes that hold a special certification as a specialized program add a staff training rule written for adults with developmental disabilities or mental illness. Under R 400.707, staff who work with residents must complete training before working independently that covers:

• an introduction to community residential services and the role of direct care staff;
• understanding and carrying out each resident's individual plan of service;
• an introduction to the special needs of residents with developmental disabilities or mental illness, specific to the residents the home serves;
• protecting resident rights under chapter 7 of the Mental Health Code, including orientation to the home's written policies; and
• non-aversive techniques for preventing and responding to challenging behavior under the individual plan of service.

Staff must show they can carry out each resident's plan as written. The training must come from individuals or organizations acceptable to the placing agency that contracts with the facility, and it must be documented in the staff record.

The community mental health layer

Many Michigan AFC homes for adults with developmental disabilities are paid through a community mental health services program (CMHSP) and its regional prepaid inpatient health plan. That adds contract-based expectations to the licensing rules.

• Recipient rights: under MCL 330.1755, each CMHSP's office of recipient rights must ensure that all individuals employed by the program or its contract agencies receive recipient rights training before or within 30 days after being employed. Contracts with providers must require the provider and its employees to receive recipient rights training.
• Statewide training guidelines: the State Training Guidelines Workgroup (STGW), a committee of the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan, publishes training guidelines and an example grid for direct support staff. The workgroup describes them as best practices, not law, and says they incorporate AFC requirements. The example grid lists recipient rights, person-centered planning and HIPAA as annual topics, and behavior and crisis intervention on a 3-year cycle, with CPR and first aid following the national certifying organization.
• Reciprocity: the workgroup's reciprocity guide says MDHHS and prepaid health plan contract language requires CMHSPs and their provider networks to accept another network's staff training when it is substantially similar and completion can be verified.

Each CMHSP and health plan sets its own grid, so ask the agency that contracts with your home which topics, renewal cycles and approved trainers it expects. Those requirements can be stricter than the licensing minimum.

Background checks before training starts

Training is only part of hiring. Section 34b of the AFC Licensing Act, MCL 400.734b, bars a facility from employing or independently contracting with a person who regularly has direct access to residents or provides direct services if certain convictions are on record. The look-back periods vary by offense. LARA's guidance adds that temporary agency staff and volunteers who act as direct care staff must meet the same screening and training expectations.

A checklist for Michigan AFC providers

• Build a new-hire file with proof of age, experience, education, references and training (R 400.639).
• Check off all nine R 400.629 areas, with dates and the trainer, before any shift alone.
• Keep CPR and first aid certificates with expiration dates in a separate tracker, and confirm the CPR skills check was in person.
• Schedule emergency plan instruction and drills quarterly, on all three shifts.
• Document behavior intervention, crisis intervention and medication training before staff take on those tasks.
• If your home is specially certified or contracts with a CMHSP, add the R 400.707 topics and the agency's grid, including recipient rights within 30 days.
• Calendar the licensee and administrator's 16 annual hours.
• Re-read the current rule text and the Technical Assistance Manual at least once a year.

How TES helps

Our catalog includes general courses on topics that overlap with the Michigan requirements above:

• Fundamental Rights for Direct Support Professionals
• Human Rights and Recognizing Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation
• Person Centered Planning for Direct Support Professionals
• Infection Control: Universal Precautions and Basic Safety
• Fire Safety for Direct Support Professionals
• Emergency Preparedness
• Verbal De-escalation and Crisis Prevention for Direct Support Professionals

These are general courses. They can support your program, but they do not replace the in-person CPR skills check, a crisis intervention curriculum your agency requires, or training your placing agency specifies, so confirm what your licensing consultant and contracting agency accept before assigning a course to meet a specific requirement.

Training & eTracking Solutions has trained more than 200,000 professionals since 2010, and our catalog includes 400+ courses and programs. To keep hire dates, quarterly drills and certification expirations visible for every staff member, read how to track employee training in a care agency. For the broader emergency planning picture, see ICF/IID Emergency Preparedness Training: 42 CFR 483.475 Guide. You can also contact us to set up training for your team.

This article summarizes Michigan's adult foster care licensing rules (R 400.601 et seq., filed November 3, 2025), LARA's AFC Technical Assistance Manual (revised October 7, 2026), MCL 330.1755, MCL 400.726b and MCL 400.734b as published by the state. It is not legal advice. State rules differ, change often and may add requirements, so check the current text and your licensing agency before making compliance decisions.