(1) The agency shall provide through its licensing authority and by rule license application procedures, provider qualifications, facility and client care standards, requirements for client records, requirements for staff qualifications and training, and requirements for monitoring foster care facilities, group home facilities, residential habilitation centers, and comprehensive transitional education programs that serve agency clients.

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

   (2) The agency shall conduct annual inspections and reviews of facilities and programs licensed under this section.

   (3) An application for a license under this section must be made to the agency on a form furnished by it and shall be accompanied by the appropriate license fee.

   (4) The application shall be under oath and shall contain the following:

   (a) The name and address of the applicant, if an applicant is an individual; if the applicant is a firm, partnership, or association, the name and address of each member thereof; if the applicant is a corporation, its name and address and the name and address of each director and each officer thereof; and the name by which the facility or program is to be known.

   (b) The location of the facility or program for which a license is sought.

   (c) The name of the person or persons under whose management or supervision the facility or program will be conducted.

   (d) The number and type of residents or clients for which maintenance, care, education, or treatment is to be provided by the facility or program.

   (e) The number and location of the component centers or units which will compose the comprehensive transitional education program.

   (f) A description of the types of services and treatment to be provided by the facility or program.

   (g) Information relating to the number, experience, and training of the employees of the facility or program.

   (h) Certification that the staff of the facility or program will receive training to detect, report, and prevent sexual abuse, abuse, neglect, exploitation, and abandonment, as defined in ss. 39.01 and 415.102, of residents and clients.

   (i) Such other information as the agency determines is necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter.

   (5) As a prerequisite for issuance of an initial or renewal license, the applicant, and any manager, supervisor, and staff member of the direct service provider of a facility or program licensed under this section, must have submitted to background screening as required under s. 393.0655. A license may not be issued or renewed if the applicant or any manager, supervisor, or staff member of the direct service provider has failed background screenings as required under s. 393.0655. The agency shall determine by rule the frequency of background screening. The applicant shall submit with each initial or renewal application a signed affidavit under penalty of perjury stating that the applicant and any manager, supervisor, or staff member of the direct service provider is in compliance with all requirements for background screening.

   (6) The applicant shall furnish satisfactory proof of financial ability to operate and conduct the facility or program in accordance with the requirements of this chapter and adopted rules.

   (7) The agency shall adopt rules establishing minimum standards for facilities and programs licensed under this section, including rules requiring facilities and programs to train staff to detect, report, and prevent sexual abuse, abuse, neglect, exploitation, and abandonment, as defined in ss. 39.01 and 415.102, of residents and clients, minimum standards of quality and adequacy of client care, incident reporting requirements, and uniform firesafety standards established by the State Fire Marshal which are appropriate to the size of the facility or of the component centers or units of the program.

   (8) The agency, after consultation with the Division of Emergency Management, shall adopt rules for foster care facilities, group home facilities, and residential habilitation centers which establish minimum standards for the preparation and annual update of a comprehensive emergency management plan. At a minimum, the rules must provide for plan components that address emergency evacuation transportation; adequate sheltering arrangements; postdisaster activities, including emergency power, food, and water; postdisaster transportation; supplies; staffing; emergency equipment; individual identification of residents and transfer of records; and responding to family inquiries. The comprehensive emergency management plan for all comprehensive transitional education programs and for homes serving individuals who have complex medical conditions is subject to review and approval by the local emergency management agency. During its review, the local emergency management agency shall ensure that the agency and the Division of Emergency Management, at a minimum, are given the opportunity to review the plan. Also, appropriate volunteer organizations must be given the opportunity to review the plan. The local emergency management agency shall complete its review within 60 days and either approve the plan or advise the facility of necessary revisions.

   (9) The agency may conduct unannounced inspections to determine compliance by foster care facilities, group home facilities, residential habilitation centers, and comprehensive transitional education programs with the applicable provisions of this chapter and the rules adopted pursuant hereto, including the rules adopted for training staff of a facility or a program to detect, report, and prevent sexual abuse, abuse, neglect, exploitation, and abandonment, as defined in ss. 39.01 and 415.102, of residents and clients. The facility or program shall make copies of inspection reports available to the public upon request.

   (10) Each facility or program licensed under this section shall forward annually to the agency a true and accurate sworn statement of its costs of providing care to clients funded by the agency.

   (11) The agency may audit the records of any facility or program that it has reason to believe may not be in full compliance with the provisions of this section; provided that, any financial audit of such facility or program shall be limited to the records of clients funded by the agency.

   (12) The agency shall establish, for the purpose of control of licensure costs, a uniform management information system and a uniform reporting system with uniform definitions and reporting categories.

   (13) Facilities and programs licensed pursuant to this section shall adhere to all rights specified in s. 393.13, including those enumerated in s. 393.13(4).

   (14) An unlicensed facility or program may not receive state funds. A license for the operation of a facility or program shall not be renewed if the licensee has any outstanding fines assessed pursuant to this chapter wherein final adjudication of such fines has been entered.

   (15) The agency is not required to contract with new facilities licensed after October 1, 1989, pursuant to this chapter. Pursuant to chapter 287, the agency shall continue to contract within available resources for residential services with facilities licensed prior to October 1, 1989, if such facilities comply with the provisions of this chapter and all other applicable laws and regulations.

s. 1, ch. 77-335; s. 154, ch. 79-400; s. 4, ch. 81-290;