Florida Senate - 2022 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 1120
Ì805500gÎ805500
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: WD .
02/25/2022 .
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The Committee on Appropriations (Rodriguez) recommended the
following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Between lines 184 and 185
4 insert:
5 Section 2. Subsection (3) of section 402.40, Florida
6 Statutes, is amended to read:
7 402.40 Child welfare training and certification.—
8 (3) THIRD-PARTY CREDENTIALING ENTITIES.—
9 (a) The department shall approve one or more third-party
10 credentialing entities for the purpose of developing and
11 administering child welfare certification programs for persons
12 who provide child welfare services. A third-party credentialing
13 entity shall request such approval in writing from the
14 department. In order to obtain approval, the third-party
15 credentialing entity must:
16 1.(a) Establish professional requirements and standards
17 that applicants must achieve in order to obtain a child welfare
18 certification and to maintain such certification.
19 2.(b) Develop and apply core competencies and examination
20 instruments according to nationally recognized certification and
21 psychometric standards.
22 3.(c) Maintain a professional code of ethics and a
23 disciplinary process that apply to all persons holding child
24 welfare certification.
25 4.(d) Maintain a database, accessible to the public, of all
26 persons holding child welfare certification, including any
27 history of ethical violations.
28 5.(e) Require annual continuing education for persons
29 holding child welfare certification.
30 6.(f) Administer a continuing education provider program to
31 ensure that only qualified providers offer continuing education
32 opportunities for certificateholders.
33 7.(g) Review the findings and all relevant records
34 involving the death of a child or other critical incident
35 following completion of any reviews by the department, the
36 inspector general, or the Office of the Attorney General. Such
37 review may occur only upon the filing of a complaint from an
38 outside party involving certified personnel. This review shall
39 assess the certified personnel’s compliance with the third-party
40 credentialing entity’s published code of ethical and
41 professional conduct and disciplinary procedures.
42 8.(h) Maintain an advisory committee, including
43 representatives from each region of the department, each
44 sheriff’s office providing child protective services, and each
45 community-based care lead agency, who shall be appointed by the
46 organization they represent. The third-party credentialing
47 entity may appoint additional members to the advisory committee.
48 (b) Any decision by a third-party credentialing entity to
49 deny, revoke, or suspend a certification or otherwise impose
50 sanctions on an individual who is certified is reviewable by the
51 department. Upon receiving an adverse determination, the
52 aggrieved person may request an administrative hearing pursuant
53 to ss. 120.569 and 120.57(1) within 30 days after completing any
54 appeals process offered by the credentialing entity or the
55 department, as applicable.
56 Section 3. Subsection (2) of section 402.402, Florida
57 Statutes, is amended to read:
58 402.402 Child protection and child welfare personnel;
59 attorneys employed by the department.—
60 (2) SPECIALIZED TRAINING.—All child protective
61 investigators and child protective investigation supervisors
62 employed by the department or a sheriff’s office must complete
63 the following specialized training:
64 (a) Training on the recognition of and responses to head
65 trauma and brain injury in a child under 6 years of age
66 developed by the Child Protection Team Program within the
67 Department of Health.
68 (b) Training that is either focused on serving a specific
69 population, including, but not limited to, medically fragile
70 children, sexually exploited children, children under 3 years of
71 age, or families with a history of domestic violence, mental
72 illness, or substance abuse, or focused on performing certain
73 aspects of child protection practice, including, but not limited
74 to, investigation techniques and analysis of family dynamics.
75
76 The specialized training may be used to fulfill continuing
77 education requirements under s. 402.40(3)(a)5. s. 402.40(3)(e).
78 Individuals hired on or after July 1, 2014, shall complete the
79 specialized training within 2 years after hire. An individual
80 may receive specialized training in multiple areas.
81
82 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
83 And the title is amended as follows:
84 Delete line 19
85 and insert:
86 authority; amending s. 402.40, F.S.; providing that
87 certain decisions by third-party credentialing
88 entities for child welfare certification programs are
89 reviewable by the department; providing that an
90 aggrieved person receiving an adverse determination
91 may request an administrative hearing within a certain
92 period; amending s. 402.402, F.S.; conforming a cross
93 reference; providing an effective date.