1522.41
. (a) (1) The department, in consultation and collaboration
with county placement officials, group home provider organizations,
the Director of Health Care Services, and the Director of
Developmental Services, shall develop and establish an administrator
certification training program to ensure that administrators of group
home facilities have appropriate training to provide the care and
services for which a license or certificate is issued.
(2) The department shall develop and establish an administrator
certification training program to ensure that administrators of
short-term residential treatment center facilities have appropriate
training to provide the care and services for which a license or
certificate is issued.
(b) (1) In addition to any other requirements or qualifications
required by the department, an administrator of a group home or
short-term residential treatment center shall successfully complete a
specified department-approved training certification program,
pursuant to subdivision (c), prior to employment.
(2) In those cases when the individual is both the licensee and
the administrator of a facility, the individual shall comply with all
of the licensee and administrator requirements of this section.
(3) Failure to comply with this section shall constitute cause for
revocation of the license of the facility.
(4) The licensee shall notify the department within 10 days of any
change in administrators.
(c) (1) The administrator certification programs for group homes
shall require a minimum of 40 hours of classroom instruction that
provides training on a uniform core of knowledge in each of the
following areas:
(A) Laws, regulations, and policies and procedural standards that
impact the operations of the type of facility for which the applicant
will be an administrator.
(B) Business operations.
(C) Management and supervision of staff.
(D) Psychosocial and educational needs of the facility residents,
including, but not limited to, the information described in
subdivision (d) of Section 16501.4 of the Welfare and Institutions
Code.
(E) Community and support services.
(F) Physical needs of facility residents.
(G) Assistance with self-administration, storage, misuse, and
interaction of medication used by facility residents.
(H) Resident admission, retention, and assessment procedures,
including the right of a foster child to have fair and equal access
to all available services, placement, care, treatment, and benefits,
and to not be subjected to discrimination or harassment on the basis
of actual or perceived race, ethnic group identification, ancestry,
national origin, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender
identity, mental or physical disability, or HIV status.
(I) Instruction on cultural competency and sensitivity and related
best practices for providing adequate care for children across
diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds, as well as children
identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
(J) Nonviolent emergency intervention and reporting requirements.
(K) Basic instruction on the existing laws and procedures
regarding the safety of foster youth at school and the ensuring of a
harassment- and violence-free school environment contained in Article
3.6 (commencing with Section 32228) of Chapter 2 of Part 19 of
Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code.
(2) The administrator certification programs for short-term
residential treatment centers shall require a minimum of 40 hours of
classroom instruction that provides training on a uniform core of
knowledge in each of the following areas:
(A) Laws, regulations, and policies and procedural standards that
impact the operations of the type of facility for which the applicant
will be an administrator.
(B) Business operations and management and supervision of staff,
including staff training.
(C) Physical and psychosocial needs of the children, including
behavior management, de-escalation techniques, and trauma informed
crisis management planning.
(D) Permanence, well-being, and educational needs of the children.
(E) Community and support services, including accessing local
behavioral and mental health supports and interventions, substance
use disorder treatments, and culturally relevant services, as
appropriate.
(F) Understanding the requirements and best practices regarding
psychotropic medications, including, but not limited to, court
authorization, uses, benefits, side effects, interactions, assistance
with self-administration, misuse, documentation, storage, and
metabolic monitoring of children prescribed psychotropic medications.
(G) Admission, retention, and assessment procedures, including the
right of a foster child to have fair and equal access to all
available services, placement, care, treatment, and benefits, and to
not be subjected to discrimination or harassment on the basis of
actual or perceived race, ethnic group identification, ancestry,
national origin, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender
identity, mental or physical disability, or HIV status.
(H) The federal Indian Child Welfare Act (25 U.S.C Sec. 1901 et
seq.), its historical significance, the rights of children covered by
the act, and the best interests of Indian children as including
culturally appropriate, child-centered practices that respect Native
American history, culture, retention of tribal membership, and
connection to the tribal community and traditions.
(I) Instruction on cultural competency and sensitivity and related
best practices for providing adequate care for children across
diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds, as well as children
identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
(J) Nonviolent emergency intervention and reporting requirements.
(K) Basic instruction on the existing laws and procedures
regarding the safety of foster youth at school and the ensuring of a
harassment- and violence-free school environment contained in Article
3.6 (commencing with Section 32228) of Chapter 2 of Part 19 of
Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education Code.
(d) Administrators who possess a valid group home license, issued
by the department, are exempt from completing an approved initial
certification training program and taking a written test, provided
the individual completes 12 hours of classroom instruction in the
following uniform core of knowledge areas:
(1) Laws, regulations, and policies and procedural standards that
impact the operations of a short-term residential treatment center.
(2) (A) Authorization, uses, benefits, side effects, interactions,
assistance with self-administration, misuse, documentation, and
storage of medications.
(B) Metabolic monitoring of children prescribed psychotropic
medications.
(3) Admission, retention, and assessment procedures, including the
right of a foster child to have fair and equal access to all
available services, placement, care, treatment, and benefits, and to
not be subjected to discrimination or harassment on the basis of
actual or perceived race, ethnic group identification, ancestry,
national origin, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender
identity, mental or physical disability, or HIV status.
(4) The federal Indian Child Welfare Act (25 U.S.C. Sec. 1901 et
seq.), its historical significance, the rights of children covered by
the act, and the best interests of Indian children as including
culturally appropriate, child-centered practices that respect Native
American history, culture, retention of tribal membership, and
connection to the tribal community and traditions.
(5) Instruction on cultural competency and sensitivity and related
best practices for providing adequate care for children across
diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds, as well as children
identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender.
(6) Physical and psychosocial needs of children, including
behavior management, deescalation techniques, and trauma informed
crisis management planning.
(e) Individuals applying for administrator certification under
this section shall successfully complete an approved administrator
certification training program, pass a written test administered by
the department within 60 days of completing the program, and submit
to the department the documentation required by subdivision (f)
within 30 days after being notified of having passed the test. The
department may extend these time deadlines for good cause. The
department shall notify the applicant of his or her test results
within 30 days of administering the test.
(f) The department shall not begin the process of issuing a
certificate until receipt of all of the following:
(1) A certificate of completion of the administrator training
required pursuant to this chapter.
(2) The fee required for issuance of the certificate. A fee of one
hundred dollars ($100) shall be charged by the department to cover
the costs of processing the application for certification.
(3) Documentation from the applicant that he or she has passed the
written test.
(4) Submission of fingerprints pursuant to Section 1522. The
department may waive the submission for those persons who have a
current clearance on file.
(5) That person is at least 21 years of age.
(g) It shall be unlawful for any person not certified under this
section to hold himself or herself out as a certified administrator
of a group home or short-term residential treatment center. Any
person willfully making any false representation as being a certified
administrator or facility manager is guilty of a misdemeanor.
(h) (1) Certificates issued under this section shall be renewed
every two years and renewal shall be conditional upon the certificate
holder submitting documentation of completion of 40 hours of
continuing education related to the core of knowledge specified in
subdivision (c). No more than one-half of the required 40 hours of
continuing education necessary to renew the certificate may be
satisfied through online courses. All other continuing education
hours shall be completed in a classroom setting. For purposes of this
section, an individual who is a group home or short-term residential
treatment center administrator and who is required to complete the
continuing education hours required by the regulations of the State
Department of Developmental Services, and approved by the regional
center, may have up to 24 of the required continuing education course
hours credited toward the 40-hour continuing education requirement
of this section. The department shall accept for certification,
community college course hours approved by the regional centers.
(2) Every administrator of a group home or short-term residential
treatment center shall complete the continuing education requirements
of this subdivision.
(3) Certificates issued under this section shall expire every two
years on the anniversary date of the initial issuance of the
certificate, except that any administrator receiving his or her
initial certification on or after July 1, 1999, shall make an
irrevocable election to have his or her recertification date for any
subsequent recertification either on the date two years from the date
of issuance of the certificate or on the individual's birthday
during the second calendar year following certification. The
department shall send a renewal notice to the certificate holder 90
days prior to the expiration date of the certificate. If the
certificate is not renewed prior to its expiration date,
reinstatement shall only be permitted after the certificate holder
has paid a delinquency fee equal to three times the renewal fee and
has provided evidence of completion of the continuing education
required.
(4) To renew a certificate, the certificate holder shall, on or
before the certificate expiration date, request renewal by submitting
to the department documentation of completion of the required
continuing education courses and pay the renewal fee of one hundred
dollars ($100), irrespective of receipt of the department's
notification of the renewal. A renewal request postmarked on or
before the expiration of the certificate shall be proof of compliance
with this paragraph.
(5) A suspended or revoked certificate shall be subject to
expiration as provided for in this section. If reinstatement of the
certificate is approved by the department, the certificate holder, as
a condition precedent to reinstatement, shall submit proof of
compliance with paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subdivision, and shall
pay a fee in an amount equal to the renewal fee, plus the
delinquency fee, if any, accrued at the time of its revocation or
suspension. Delinquency fees, if any, accrued subsequent to the time
of its revocation or suspension and prior to an order for
reinstatement, shall be waived for a period of 12 months to allow the
individual sufficient time to complete the required continuing
education units and to submit the required documentation. Individuals
whose certificates will expire within 90 days after the order for
reinstatement may be granted a three-month extension to renew their
certificates during which time the delinquency fees shall not accrue.
(6) A certificate that is not renewed within four years after its
expiration shall not be renewed, restored, reissued, or reinstated
except upon completion of a certification training program, passing
any test that may be required of an applicant for a new certificate
at that time, and paying the appropriate fees provided for in this
section.
(7) A fee of twenty-five dollars ($25) shall be charged for the
reissuance of a lost certificate.
(8) A certificate holder shall inform the department of his or her
employment status and change of mailing address within 30 days of
any change.
(i) Unless otherwise ordered by the department, the certificate
shall be considered forfeited under either of the following
conditions:
(1) The department has revoked any license held by the
administrator after the department issued the certificate.
(2) The department has issued an exclusion order against the
administrator pursuant to Section 1558, 1568.092, 1569.58, or
1596.8897, after the department issued the certificate, and the
administrator did not appeal the exclusion order or, after the
appeal, the department issued a decision and order that upheld the
exclusion order.
(j) (1) The department, in consultation and collaboration with
county placement officials, provider organizations, the State
Department of Health Care Services, and the State Department of
Developmental Services, shall establish, by regulation, the program
content, the testing instrument, the process for approving
administrator certification training programs, and criteria to be
used in authorizing individuals, organizations, or educational
institutions to conduct certification training programs and
continuing education courses. The department may also grant
continuing education hours for continuing courses offered by
accredited educational institutions that are consistent with the
requirements in this section. The department may deny vendor approval
to any agency or person in any of the following circumstances:
(A) The applicant has not provided the department with evidence
satisfactory to the department of the ability of the applicant to
satisfy the requirements of vendorization set out in the regulations
adopted by the department.
(B) The applicant person or agency has a conflict of interest in
that the person or agency places its clients in group homes or
short-term residential treatment centers.
(C) The applicant public or private agency has a conflict of
interest in that the agency is mandated to place clients in group
homes or short-term residential treatment centers and to pay directly
for the services. The department may deny vendorization to this type
of agency only as long as there are other vendor programs available
to conduct the certification training programs and conduct education
courses.
(2) The department may authorize vendors to conduct the
administrator's certification training program pursuant to this
section. The department shall conduct the written test pursuant to
regulations adopted by the department.
(3) The department shall prepare and maintain an updated list of
approved training vendors.
(4) The department may inspect administrator certification
training programs and continuing education courses, including online
courses, at no charge to the department, to determine if content and
teaching methods comply with regulations. If the department
determines that any vendor is not complying with the requirements of
this section, the department shall take appropriate action to bring
the program into compliance, which may include removing the vendor
from the approved list.
(5) The department shall establish reasonable procedures and
timeframes not to exceed 30 days for the approval of vendor training
programs.
(6) The department may charge a reasonable fee, not to exceed one
hundred fifty dollars ($150) every two years, to certification
program vendors for review and approval of the initial 40-hour
training program pursuant to subdivision (c). The department may also
charge the vendor a fee, not to exceed one hundred dollars ($100)
every two years, for the review and approval of the continuing
education courses needed for recertification pursuant to this
subdivision.
(7) (A) A vendor of online programs for continuing education shall
ensure that each online course contains all of the following:
(i) An interactive portion in which the participant receives
feedback, through online communication, based on input from the
participant.
(ii) Required use of a personal identification number or personal
identification information to confirm the identity of the
participant.
(iii) A final screen displaying a printable statement, to be
signed by the participant, certifying that the identified participant
completed the course. The vendor shall obtain a copy of the final
screen statement with the original signature of the participant prior
to the issuance of a certificate of completion. The signed statement
of completion shall be maintained by the vendor for a period of
three years and be available to the department upon demand. Any
person who certifies as true any material matter pursuant to this
clause that he or she knows to be false is guilty of a misdemeanor.
(B) Nothing in this subdivision shall prohibit the department from
approving online programs for continuing education that do not meet
the requirements of subparagraph (A) if the vendor demonstrates to
the department's satisfaction that, through advanced technology, the
course and the course delivery meet the requirements of this section.
(k) The department shall establish a registry for holders of
certificates that shall include, at a minimum, information on
employment status and criminal record clearance.
(l) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, vendors approved by
the department who exclusively provide either initial or continuing
education courses for certification of administrators of a group home
or short-term residential treatment center as defined by regulations
of the department, an adult residential facility as defined by
regulations of the department, or a residential care facility for the
elderly as defined in subdivision (k) of Section 1569.2, shall be
regulated solely by the department pursuant to this chapter. No other
state or local governmental entity shall be responsible for
regulating the activity of those vendors.