(1) Every Child Welfare Professional is required to be certified within one (1) year of the date of having successfully completed either the post-test or the waiver test for his or her position classification.
    (2) Certification is based upon meeting the standards and successfully completing the professional requirements established by the Third Party Credentialing Entity.
    (3) Each type of child welfare certification has a training, testing and certification requirement.
    (4) There are three (3) designations for Child Welfare Professionals that require certification:
    (a) Child Protective Investigator;
    (b) Case Manager; and,
    (c) Licensing Counselor.
    (5) The employing agency shall ensure that all certification requirements are met within the specified time frames for those positions requiring certification.
    (6) To be certified, each Child Welfare Professional candidate must meet the training and certification requirements for his or her position classification.
    (7) An individual may hold multiple certifications at the same time as long as he or she holds or has held the position classification or certification designation for which he or she is certified.
    (8) Third Party Credentialing Entities are responsible for the internal monitoring of all trainings, certification activities and certification status of every Child Welfare Professional employed by the Department, sheriffs’ office and community-based care providers.
    (9) Certification is valid for a period of two (2) years.
Rulemaking Authority 402.40 FS. Law Implemented Florida Statutes § 402.40. History-New 10-14-10, Amended 12-24-15.