Section 245A.16 Standards for County Agencies and Private Agencies
245A.16 STANDARDS FOR COUNTY AGENCIES AND PRIVATE AGENCIES.
Subdivision 1.Delegation of authority to agencies.
(a) County agencies and private agencies that have been designated or licensed by the commissioner to perform licensing functions and activities under section 245A.04 and background studies for family child care under chapter 245C; to recommend denial of applicants under section 245A.05; to issue correction orders, to issue variances, and recommend a conditional license under section 245A.06, or to recommend suspending or revoking a license or issuing a fine under section 245A.07, shall comply with rules and directives of the commissioner governing those functions and with this section. The following variances are excluded from the delegation of variance authority and may be issued only by the commissioner:
(1) dual licensure of family child care and child foster care, dual licensure of child and adult foster care, and adult foster care and family child care;
(2) adult foster care maximum capacity;
(3) adult foster care minimum age requirement;
(4) child foster care maximum age requirement;
(5) variances regarding disqualified individuals except that county agencies may issue variances under section 245C.30 regarding disqualified individuals when the county is responsible for conducting a consolidated reconsideration according to sections 245C.25 and 245C.27, subdivision 2, clauses (a) and (b), of a county maltreatment determination and a disqualification based on serious or recurring maltreatment; and
(6) the required presence of a caregiver in the adult foster care residence during normal sleeping hours.
Except as provided in section 245A.14, subdivision 4, paragraph (e), a county agency must not grant a license holder a variance to exceed the maximum allowable family child care license capacity of 14 children.
(b) County agencies must report information about disqualification reconsiderations under sections 245C.25 and 245C.27, subdivision 2, paragraphs (a) and (b), and variances granted under paragraph (a), clause (5), to the commissioner at least monthly in a format prescribed by the commissioner.
(c) For family day care programs, the commissioner may authorize licensing reviews every two years after a licensee has had at least one annual review.
(d) For family adult day services programs, the commissioner may authorize licensing reviews every two years after a licensee has had at least one annual review.
(e) A license issued under this section may be issued for up to two years.
Subd. 2.Investigations.
(a) The county or private agency shall conduct timely investigations of allegations of maltreatment of children or adults in programs for which the county or private agency is the commissioner's designated representative and record a disposition of each complaint in accordance with applicable law or rule. The county or private agency shall conduct similar investigations of allegations of violations of rules governing licensure of the program.
(b) If an investigation conducted under paragraph (a) results in evidence that the commissioner should deny an application or suspend, revoke, or make conditional a license, the county or private agency shall make that recommendation to the commissioner within ten working days.
Subd. 3.Recommendations to commissioner.
The county or private agency shall not make recommendations to the commissioner regarding licensure without first conducting an inspection, and for family child care, a background study of the applicant under chapter 245C. The county or private agency must forward its recommendation to the commissioner regarding the appropriate licensing action within 20 working days of receipt of a completed application.
Subd. 4.Enforcement of commissioner's orders.
The county or private agency shall enforce the commissioner's orders under sections 245A.07, 245A.08, subdivision 5, and chapter 245C, according to the instructions of the commissioner. The county attorney shall assist the county agency in the enforcement and defense of the commissioner's orders under sections 245A.07, 245A.08, and chapter 245C, according to the instructions of the commissioner, unless a conflict of interest exists between the county attorney and the commissioner. For purposes of this section, a conflict of interest means that the county attorney has a direct or shared financial interest with the license holder or has a personal relationship or family relationship with a party in the licensing action.
Subd. 5.Instruction and technical assistance.
The commissioner shall provide instruction and technical assistance to county and private agencies that are subject to this section. County and private agencies shall cooperate with the commissioner in carrying out this section by ensuring that affected employees participate in instruction and technical assistance provided by the commissioner.
Subd. 6.Certification by commissioner.
The commissioner shall ensure that rules are uniformly enforced throughout the state by reviewing each county and private agency for compliance with this section and other applicable laws and rules at least every four years. County agencies that comply with this section shall be certified by the commissioner. If a county agency fails to be certified by the commissioner, the commissioner shall certify a reduction of state administrative aids in an amount up to 20 percent of the county's state portion of Children and Community Services Act funding.
History:
1987 c 333 s 17; 1989 c 282 art 2 s 86; 1990 c 568 art 2 s 52,53; 1991 c 142 s 3; 1992 c 513 art 9 s 16; 1993 c 338 s 9; 1997 c 248 s 32; 1Sp2001 c 9 art 14 s 24; 2002 c 375 art 1 s 18; 2002 c 379 art 1 s 113; 2003 c 15 art 1 s 33; 2004 c 288 art 1 s 28,29; 2005 c 98 art 3 s 14; 1Sp2005 c 4 art 1 s 20,21; 2007 c 147 art 3 s 3,4; 2009 c 79 art 1 s 6,7; 2009 c 142 art 2 s 20