MENTAL RETARDATION BULLETIN

Transcription

1 MENTAL RETARDATION BULLETIN COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WELFARE DATE OF ISSUE September 6, 2001 EFFECTIVE DATE September 6, 2001 NUMBER SUBJECT: BY: Announcement of Certified Investigator Training Nancy R. Thaler Deputy Secretary for Mental Retardation SCOPE: Family Members County MH/MR Programs Base Service Unit Directors Community Home Directors Family Living Directors Adult Training Facility Directors Vocational Facility Directors Non-State Operated Intermediate Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded [ICF/MR] Directors State Operated Intermediate Care Facilities for The Mentally Retarded [ICF/MR] Directors PURPOSE: The purpose of this bulletin is to announce the schedule for the Certified Investigator Training Courses for FY BACKGROUND: The Office of Mental Retardation [OMR] and its contractor, Labor Relations Alternatives, Inc. [LRA] developed a training to certify investigators in accordance with the Mental Retardation Bulletin on Incident Management. Certified Investigators will conduct investigations of incidents specified in Mental Retardation Bulletin , Incident Management effective on March 25, This bulletin is available on our web site: COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS BULLETIN SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO: Appropriate Mental Retardation Regional Program Managers

2 DISCUSSION: The certification course presents the following information:! An overview of the service system in Pennsylvania.! The relationship of the Mental Retardation Bulletin on Incident Management to investigation of incidents.! An overview of various federal, state and local requirements, regulations and policies.! The Investigation Process.! A process for evaluating the quality of incident investigations. INITIAL CERTIFICATION: In order to be a certified investigator, a person must:! Be a High School graduate.! Be 21 years of age or older.! Meet the criminal background requirements of the Older Adults Protective Services Act and the Child Protective Services Law.! Successfully complete the full five days of training and pass the exam. Training and testing will be required for certification as an investigator. Individuals will have to attend the complete five-day course and pass an examination. Any individual who attends all five days of the training and fails the examination shall have two additional opportunities to retake the certified investigator examination and pass within six months of taking the course. Persons who have taken the course Conducting Serious Incident Investigation after October 1, 1998 offered by LRA may apply to take a test to be certified without needing to retake the course. Only those who pass the test will be certified. [See Attachment C] RECERTIFICATION: Certification is valid for three years. A notice that recertification is due will be sent to the investigator by LRA within 90 days of the recertification date. In order to maintain certification, certified investigators must register for a refresher class at least once every three years and conduct a minimum of three investigations during the certification period. The refresher course will be available beginning October Certification may be withdrawn by OMR for cause. REGISTRATION: The investigation certification course will be conducted by LRA. There are currently sixty-one [61] training courses scheduled between October 15, 2001 and June 30, (Twelve [12] additional courses will be provided annually in subsequent years). Each session is limited to thirty [30] participants. All sessions are five [5] days

3 long, Monday through Friday, with the examination on the fifth day. Participants must attend all five days of training. Applicants who qualify to take the exam without the course may register to be tested on the last day of sessions offered between October 15, 2001 and December 31, 2001 at 3:00 pm [Course numbers 01 through 19]. There is no fee being charged for the training. Meals, lodging costs, and travel expenses are the responsibility of the participants. Registration will be done by fax. No phone registrations will be accepted. The training dates and locations are listed in Appendix I. Applicants applying to take the course will complete the Registration for the Certified Investigator Course and Registration for Becoming a Certified Investigator by Examination Only [Attachment A] and indicate the first and second preferences for training courses. Applicants must also submit a Verification of General Qualifications [Attachment B] certifying that the applicant meets the eligibility requirements to be certified 1. Individuals having special needs or requiring special assistance must indicate this on the registration form. Registration may begin immediately. The deadline for registration is two weeks prior to the start date of each course. Applicants applying to test without taking the course will complete Attachment A. Applicants are also required to submit Attachment B, with documentation of prior training and the eligibility requirements listed above, with either a certificate of completion or verification from their agency director or program manager certifying successful completion of the course. LRA will provide a confirmation of registration that must be brought to the training session for admission. The confirmation will include the course assigned, the location, and if requested, maps and lodging information. Appendix I lists specific counties/providers who are eligible to register for specific courses. Providers and counties may only enroll individuals they actually intend to use to conduct investigations. If demand for a particular course is overwhelming, a limit of attendees by provider and county may be imposed. There will be four [4] courses provided in the spring that will be open to all providers and counties. The distribution of training sites was carefully planned to assure adequate training capacity to meet statewide geographic and population needs. LRA will be maintaining a database that will be used for several purposes including course registration, certification [pass/fail and date], and recertification. Questions regarding how to register or about the training locations, may be directed to LRA at (800) [access code 03] or LRA at vickicbradley@aol.com. Other questions may be directed to Regional Program Managers Attachment A 1 Applicants must provide verification of meeting the above requirements from either their employer or the County MH/MR Program in which they choose to be available to conduct investigations.

4 REGISTRATION FOR THE CERTIFIED INVESTIGATOR COURSE REGISTRATION FOR BECOMING A CERTIFIED INVESTIGATOR BY EXAMINATION ONLY This registration form should be completed if (check the one which applies to you): You want to take the Certified Investigator Course, or You qualify and wish to become a certified investigator by testing out of the course. (Please read Attachment C for information regarding whether you qualify for testing out before completing this form). Please register for either taking the course or testing out by faxing your application to LRA at (512) This fax must be accompanied by Attachment B which verifies your qualifications to become a certified investigator or, where applicable, your qualifications to test out. LRA will confirm your registration by fax or including your training session or exam time. If you have any questions regarding the registration process, LRA at vickicbradley@aol.com or call (800) (access code 03). LABOR RELATIONS ALTERNATIVES, INC RAMSEY AVENUE AUSTIN, TEXAS FAX (512) I. Identifying and address information (For all applicants who do not work for an agency, please complete just the home address and telephone information below.) Name (including middle name): Social Security #: Agency: County: Agency Address: Agency Phone #: Agency Fax #: Address: JobTitle: All applicants must provide home address and phone number. If available, please provide the fax number and address. Home Address: Home Phone #: Home Address: Home Fax #:

5 II. Selecting a training course number for those who are registering Please indicate the number and dates of the training course you wish to attend. Also, be sure to indicate an alternate course number should we be unable to accommodate your first choice. Please consult the Office of Mental Retardation Bulletin, Announcement of Certified Investigator Training, Appendix I, for the course schedule when choosing a training course. First Choice: Training Course #: Alternate Choice: Training Course #: Dates of the Training Course: Dates of the Training Course: III. Selecting an exam session for those who are testing out Please indicate the number and dates of the training course when you wish to take the exam. Be sure to also indicate an alternate course should we be unable to accommodate your first choice. To choose an exam time, please consult the Office of Mental Retardation Bulletin, Announcement of Certified Investigator Training, Appendix I for the course schedule. Remember, the exam will be scheduled at 3:00 p.m. on the Friday of that session. First Choice: Training Course #: Dates of the Training Course: Alternate Choice: Training Course #: Dates of the Training Course: IV. Maps to training and exam locations Maps may be found on line at or check below if you do not have access to the Internet and need us to fax or mail you a map. Please fax me a map to the training/testing site. Please mail me a map to the training/testing site.

6 Attachment B VERIFICATION OF GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS This form must accompany the registration form for both those individuals who are taking the course and those applying to take the exam only. Part A of this form should be completed by the director or administrator of the agency or facility where the applicant is employed to verify that the applicant meets the qualifications to become a certified investigator. This part must be completed for everyone, both those taking the course and those requesting to test out. For family members seeking to become a certified investigator, these qualifications should be verified by the county MR program in which the applicant chooses to be available to conduct investigations. Part B of this form should also be completed for those applicants who wish to become a certified investigator by testing out of the OMR sponsored training. This form will verify that they have successfully completed an LRA program in the last three years in lieu of a certificate of completion issued by LRA. If a certificate is used to verify attendance, it should be attached to this form. Part A. General Qualifications (To be completed by those taking the course and testing out) This form is to certify that meets the following (Name of Applicant) general qualifications to become a certified investigator: Is a high school graduate Is over 21 years of age Meets the background requirements of the Older Adults Protective Services Act and the Child Protective Services Law Signature of Agency Director or County Program Manager Date Agency/County MR Program Name Part B. Verification of Completion of an LRA Course (For those who are applying to test out only) Please attach a certificate of completion of an LRA course if you have one. If not, please complete the following. This is to certify that the applicant attended an LRA program (i.e., that all days of the course were attended). Dates of the training: Location of the training: Trainer s name (if known): Signature of Agency Director or County Program Manager Date Agency/County MR Program Name

7 Attachment C BECOMING A CERTIFIED INVESTIGATOR BY EXAM ONLY The Office of Mental Retardation s Incident Management policy allows for individuals who wish to become certified investigators and have already taken an investigations course offered by Labor Relations Alternatives, Inc. (LRA) to take an exam rather than complete the new five-day course now being required by OMR. This five-day class presents the following additional information not included in the programs previously provided by LRA:! An overview of the service system in Pennsylvania! The relationship of the Mental Retardation Bulletin on Incident Management to investigation of incidents.! An overview of various federal, state and local requirements, regulations and policies.! The Investigation Process.! A process for evaluating the quality of incident investigations To qualify to take an exam for certification as an investigator in place of taking the five-day course, the following criteria must be met:! You must have taken LRA s investigations course, Conducting Serious Incident Investigations. This course has been offered in both a two and three day format.! This course must have been taken within the last three years of making application to take an exam in lieu of the course.! General qualifications include that you must: 1. Be a high school graduate; 2. Be over the age of 21 years; and 3. Meet the background requirements of the Older Adults Protective Services Act and the Child Protective Services Law. To apply to take the exam in lieu of the course, the agency director must complete and sign the attached form verifying that you meet the eligibility criteria above. Proof of having attended an LRA class may include either of the following:! A certificate of completion.! A letter from your agency director or county program certifying successful completion of the course (i.e., that all days of the course were attended). This letter should include the dates and location of the training you attended. The form verifying that you meet these criteria and, where applicable, a certificate of completion of an LRA course must be faxed to LRA. Exams will be given on the last day of the scheduled training programs. All exams will be given at 3:00 p.m. on the Friday of each course offered through December, If you have any questions, please feel free to contact LRA at (800) (access code 03) or us at vickicbradley@aol.com.

8 APPENDIX I