Section 51.19. Certified investigations

(a) A provider shall ensure that incidents requiring an investigation are conducted and completed by a certified investigator and analyzed by the provider.

(b) A provider shall ensure an individual completing an investigation on behalf of the provider is a trained certified investigator and has completed the training course offered by the Department.

(c) To be a certified investigator, the certified investigator shall:

(1) Have a high school diploma or general education diploma.

(2) Be 21 years of age or older.

(3) Meet the criminal history checks under § 51.20 (relating to criminal history checks) and, if applicable, the child abuse clearance provisions under § 51.21 (relating to child abuse clearances).

(4) Complete the Department web-based portion of the training within 3 months of enrolling in the course.

(5) Attend the certification training and pass the exam. A certified investigator shall be recertified every 3 years.

(d) To maintain certification, a certified investigator shall:

(1) Complete three certified investigations during the 3-year certification period.

(2) Attend a 1-day recertification class.

(e) If a certified investigator wishes to continue to conduct certified investigations and has done fewer than three investigations during the certification period, the investigator shall actively participate in a quarterly or semiannual review of the quality of investigations by serving as a member of a peer review committee or a risk management committee. Active participation includes reviewing at least three investigations and discussing the results with the committee.

(f) This section does not apply to an SSW provider.