Amy Peloquin Director of Certification ~

 Reciprocity  New Employee Certification (Employer Sponsored Applicants)  Old vs. New Requirements  Question/Answer

 Eligibility  Persons holding DCF-issued certification in good standing prior to January 1,  Persons holding expired DCF-issued certification with no break in service.  Persons who passed the written exam but did not complete the FBPA by January 1, 2012.

 Persons holding DCF-issued certification in good standing prior to January 1,  Staff member completes reciprocity application.  Employer completes attestation of certification type held and successful completion of Level 2 background check.

 Persons holding expired DCF-issued certification with no break in service.  Less than 3-years since expiration: show 48 hours of CEUs, complete application, submit employer attestation.  More than 3-years since expiration: show 48 hours of CEUs, complete application, submit employer attestation, pass waiver exam.

 Persons who passed the written exam but did not complete the FBPA by January 1,  Staff member completes reciprocity application.  Employer completes attestation of certification type held and successful completion of Level 2 background check.  Staff member completes FBPA or FCB supervision and experience requirements by

 There is NO fee for credentials awarded to applicants who submitted an application and all required documents by  Documents received at the FCB after must be postmarked or date stamped on or before to be valid.  There is a $100 fee to applicants who are still “in-process” after

 IF the application has been received by ; BUT  the FBPA or FCB supervision and experience documentation HAS NOT been met by ; THEN  the applicant must pay a $100 fee and has a maximum of 3 months to fulfill FBPA or FCB requirements.  Failure to complete the process by will result in starting the process as a new applicant, including payment of all certification fees.

 All credentials issued during reciprocity period expire  Renewal payments ($200) and CEUs (40) are due on or before  Persons who renew in 2013 will be issued a credential that is valid until

 For credentials that renew in 2013  CEUs will be prorated and must be earned between and  For credentials that renew after  20 CEUs must be earned between and  20 CEUs must be earned between and

Next … New Employee Certification

 Certification required for  protective investigators, case managers, licensing staff, and their supervisors; and  persons who ▪ conduct parent preparation pre-service training for prospective caregivers; ▪ conduct home visit assessment for foster or adoptive home studies of prospective caregivers; or ▪ approve foster or adoptive home studies of prospective caregivers.

 Employees are certified in their discipline, not in their position.  Employees earn child welfare certification in one of the following disciplines:  Protective Investigations  Case Management  Licensing

 Uniform standards.  Multiple paths to achieve standards.

 Prequalification standards  Degree requirements  Training requirements  Testing requirements  Direct supervision requirements  On-the-job experience requirements  Post-certification standards  Annual continuing education requirements  Ethical and professional practice requirements

No fee Complete employer-driven training program Take written exam Registration $100 fee Valid for 12-months (from exam pass date) Complete field requirements Provisional Certification No fee Valid for 2-years (expires October 31 of renewal year) Complete annual CEU requirements (20/12-month period) Full Certification

Employee completes Registration Form Registration Employee completes Provisional Certification Application Employer completes Employer Attestation Form Provisional Certification Employee completes Full Certification Application Employer completes Direct Supervision and Work Experience Forms (or FBPA Results Form until ) Full Certification

 All forms are currently manual.  Forms are maintained on the FCB website.  Select “certifications” from the menu bar.  Select “child welfare” from the menu bar.  Select “employer sponsored applicants” from the webpage.  Print the full application from the website. (The full application includes directions, policy, applicant forms & employer forms.)

 DCF post-test will be used for certification purposes until at least  There will not be a testing fee until the DCF test is retired and the FCB test is initiated.  The FCB test fee is $50 per administration.  The FCB does not limit the number of test attempts, the employer may limit the number of test attempts.

 May be used for certification purposes until  May ONLY be used for certification purposes after if the applicant failed the first FPBA attempt and can pass the 2 nd attempt by

Next … Old vs. New Requirements

 The FCB has been orally advised that 65C-33 is no longer valid. To date, DCF has not published direction that the code is no longer valid.  The FCB is proceeding “as if” 65C-33 is no longer valid. All content on following slides are working assumptions until further notice.

 Certification program standards  Child Welfare pre-service training  Pre-service training assessments  Phase II standards, including caseload and FBPA standards  Supervisor certification  Trainer certification  Program administration

 Position classifications that require certification as a condition of employment.  Training requirements, above and beyond certification training standards.  Approval process for:  Third party credentialing entities,  Core competencies, and  Pre-service curriculum.

 Certification program standards: now are established and verified by the FCB  Child Welfare pre-service training: now is selected by the employer; must reflect DCF- approved core competencies; must be approved by DCF  Pre-service training assessments: ultimately, testing is the responsibility of the FCB

 Protected caseload: no longer required by rule, should be established by employer policy  FBPA standards: replaced by direct supervision and on-the-job experience requirements (optional if can be completed by )

 Supervisor certification: supervisors must be certified in the appropriate discipline but no longer earn specific supervisor certification. Employers should establish position qualifications, including required training and on-the-job experience.  Trainer certification: Trainers are no longer required to be certified. Employers should establish policy for hiring qualified training staff.

 Program administration  Rule requirements NOT addressed by FCB program certification policy should be addressed by employer policy.  The rule provides solid guidance for employers when establishing policy related to training and preparing new employees to be successful child welfare professionals.

 CERTIFICATION IS ONE PIECE OF A LARGER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.  In and of itself, it will not fix turnover or replace quality supervision, on-going training and mentoring.  It will assure that certified staff have the minimum knowledge and skills necessary to perform competently, safely, and professionally under standard supervision.

Amy Peloquin Director of Certification Florida Certification Board 1715 South Gadsden Street Tallahassee, FL