The Florida Senate

The Department of Children and Family Services is authorized to create certification programs for its employees and service providers to ensure that only qualified employees and service providers provide client services. The department is authorized to develop rules that include qualifications for certification, including training and testing requirements, continuing education requirements for ongoing certification, and decertification procedures to be used to determine when an individual no longer meets the qualifications for certification and to implement the decertification of an employee or agent.

The department shall develop and implement employment programs to attract and retain competent staff to support and facilitate the transition to privatized community-based care. Such employment programs shall include lump-sum bonuses, salary incentives, relocation allowances, or severance pay. The department shall also contract for the delivery or administration of outplacement services. The department shall establish time-limited exempt positions as provided in s. 110.205(2)(i), in accordance with the authority provided in s. 216.262(1)(c)1. Employees appointed to fill such exempt positions shall have the same salaries and benefits as career service employees.