Title 20. Residential Child Care Program Professionals — Subtitle 2. State Board for Certification of Residential Child Care Program Professionals

The Board consists of 11 members.

Of the 11 Board members:

Of the six appointed by the Governor:

Be a United States citizen; and

Have resided in this State for at least 1 year before appointment to the Board.

May not be a program administrator or a residential child and youth care practitioner;

May not have a household member who is a program administrator or a residential child and youth care practitioner;

May not have a household member who participates in a commercial or professional field related to administering a program; and

May not have had within 2 years before appointment a substantial financial interest in a program regulated by an agency.

The term of a member is 4 years.

The terms of members are staggered as required by the terms provided for members of the Board on October 1, 2004.

At the end of a term, a member continues to serve until a successor is appointed and qualifies.

A member who is appointed after a term has begun serves only for the rest of the term and until a successor is appointed and qualifies.

A member may not serve more than two consecutive full terms.

To the extent practicable, the Governor shall fill any vacancy on the Board within 60 days of the date of the vacancy.

The Governor may remove a member for incompetence, misconduct, incapacity, or neglect of duty.

On the recommendation of the Children’s Cabinet, the Governor may remove a member whom the Children’s Cabinet finds to have been absent from two successive Board meetings without adequate reason.

The manner of election of officers;

The term of office of each officer; and

The duties of each officer.

Serves at the pleasure of the Board;

Serves as the executive officer of the Board; and

Has the powers and duties assigned by the Board.

Adopt regulations to carry out the provisions of this subtitle;

Establish standards for the certification of applicants;

Conduct a continuing study and investigation of program administrators and residential child and youth care practitioners to improve:

Establish a tiered certification structure for residential child and youth care practitioners; and

Devise examinations and adopt investigative procedures to:

Maintain a registry of all program administrators and residential child and youth care practitioners certified by the Board;

Submit an annual report to the Governor and Children’s Cabinet;

Adopt a code of ethics that the Board considers appropriate and applicable to the program administrators and residential child and youth care practitioners certified by the Board;

Establish continuing education requirements for the program administrators certified by the Board;

Establish training and continuing education requirements for the residential child and youth care practitioners certified by the Board; and

Create committees as it deems appropriate to advise the Board on special issues.

Shall set reasonable fees for:

May waive the fees, based on demonstrated need, as determined by the Board; and

May not require fees for the examination of qualified certified residential child and youth care practitioner applicants under this title.