OCFP Office of Child and Family Policy	Department of Children and Family Services
	Index No: 99-06 (revised)	Issuance Date: March 2, 1999
	Origin of Request: Central Office of Licensing
	Distribution: Licensing Staff, Administrative Staff, Office of Child and Family Policy (A,L,P)
	Key Words: 89 IAC 401, Licensing Standards for Child Welfare Agencies, Educational Requirements for Supervisors of Licensing Units
	Approved by:

Interpretation

Applicable To: Child Welfare Agencies

Policy Citation: Section 401.310: Child welfare supervisors shall have a Master’s of Social Work degree from an accredited school of social work or an equivalent Master’s Degree in a human services field from an accredited school and two years of full-time supervised experience in a social work setting. (See section 401.Appendix G for the list of degrees which are accepted as human service degrees.) Child welfare supervisors who were employed as a child welfare supervisor as of July 1, 1997, who have a Master’s degree and child welfare experience equivalent to the requirements of this Section, continue to be qualified as a child welfare supervisor for the child welfare agency where they are employed as of May 26, 1998.

Section 401.320: Child welfare workers perform administrative duties, supervise placement of children, evaluate goals for placement, prepare progress reports, provide services to family members, arrange and supervise visits between children in placement and their family members and siblings, recommend discharge or placement of children, and keep required records. Child welfare workers shall have at least a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited school in social work or a human services field, and shall be under the supervision of a qualified child welfare supervisor.

401.330: Child welfare agencies may have staff who are trained and authorized to perform the licensing function as part of their duties as a

child welfare worker or may designate licensing as a separate function as long as the staff meet the minimum qualifications to serve as a child welfare worker.

Regardless of whether licensing is performed by child welfare workers or by separate licensing workers, each staff member who studies foster homes, adoptive homes, or day care homes must meet the requirements for a child welfare worker in Section 401.320 and must be tested by the Department and determined to be qualified to examine each type of facility for licensure before performing any licensing duties. Evidence of successful completion of the licensing examination shall be maintained in the employee’s personnel file.

Question: Is the supervisor of a licensing unit for a child welfare agency required to meet the qualifications of a child welfare supervisor?

Discussion: The intent of Rule 401 is to set standards for Child Welfare Agencies that require the agency to provide quality child care services. Section 401.330, Licensing Staff, meets this intent by requiring that licensing staff meet the minimum qualifications of a child welfare worker and also be tested by the Department and determined to be qualified to examine each type of facility for licensure.

Licensing staff responsible for licensing child care facilities require the ability to determine risk through assessments; recognize appropriate care giving skills through interviewing and observation; and be knowledgeable about child welfare services, child development, management of child care facilities and rules and procedures of the Department. Licensing staff perform supportive services to the facility through teaching, listening, observing and using communication skills equivalent to those needed to provide appropriate child welfare services to children and families served by the Department. Licensing staff are also required to write home studies and maintain required licensing records on child care facilities.

Section 401.310 requires child welfare supervisors to have a Master’s of Social Work degree from an accredited school of social work or an equivalent Master’s degree in a human services field from an accredited school and two years of full-time supervised experience in a social work setting. A supervisor of a licensing unit will be responsible for supervising staff with equivalent educational requirements and job responsibilities as those supervised by child welfare supervisors. The professional skills needed to perform supervisory responsibilities should equal those of a child welfare supervisor. Without licensing supervisors having equivalent skills and education, appropriate services provided by child care facilities could be compromised causing children to be at risk.

Response: Supervisors of licensing units in child welfare agencies shall meet the qualification standards for child welfare supervisors. These requirements include a Master’s Degree in Social Work from an accredited school or an equivalent Master’s Degree in a human services field from an accredited school and two years of full-time supervised experience in a social work setting.

NOTE: A typographical error was made in the last sentence of Interpretation 99-06. The last sentence was changed from: “These requirements include a Master’s Degree in Social Work from an accredited school or an equivalent Master’s Degree in a human services field from an accredited school and two years of full-time supervisory experience in a social work setting.” to: “These requirements include a Master’s Degree in Social Work from an accredited school or an equivalent Master’s Degree in a human services field from an accredited school and two years of full-time supervised experience in a social work setting.”