9.1 Parental Complaint Process

Lead Agencies must maintain a record of substantiated parental complaints against child care providers and make information regarding such complaints available to the public on request. Lead Agencies must also provide a detailed description of the hotline or similar reporting process for parents to submit complaints about child care providers; the process for substantiating complaints; the manner in which the Lead Agency maintains a record of substantiated parental complaints; and ways that the Lead Agency makes information on such parental complaints available to the public on request. Lead Agencies are not required to limit the complaint process to parents. 9.1.1 Parental complaint process a. Describe the Lead Agency’s hotline or similar reporting process through which parents can submit complaints about child care providers, including a link if it is a Web-based process: The Lead Agency provides a variety of ways for complaints to be reported on child care providers. Parents can report a complaint via the web at: https://dese.mo.gov/childhood/child-care/concerns, verbally (in-person or by phone), in writing (mail, email, or fax) or by calling their local child care licensing office. Complaints regarding child care facilities are investigated by the Child Care Compliance Section. b. Describe how the parental complaint process ensures broad access to services for families that speak languages other than English: The Lead Agency utilizes a translation contractor so that calls and communications can be redirected to someone who speaks the family’s native language to ensure all parties are able to understand clearly. c. Describe how the parental complaint process ensures broad access to services for persons with disabilities: Complaints regarding child care providers can be reported in various fashions, including verbally and written. With these procedures in place, there is an ease in communication for individuals who have specialized needs. d. For complaints about providers, including CCDF providers and non-CCDF providers, does the Lead Agency have a process and timeline for screening, substantiating, and responding to complaints, including information about whether the process includes monitoring? [x] Yes. If yes, describe: Complaints against licensed, license-exempt, or exempt child care providers are investigated by the Lead Agency regardless of if they are CCDF providers or not. The Lead Agency has staff on phone duty Monday - Friday from 8:00 am through 4:30 pm to answer questions and receive complaint allegations. Complaints are screened by the intake person to determine if the allegation, if substantiated, would be a violation of a state regulation, statute, contractual, or health or safety violation or if the child abuse and neglect (CA/N) hotline needs to be notified. As mandated reporters, Lead Agency staff are required to make a report to the hotline and co-investigate the complaint with the DSS Children’s Division Out of Home Investigation (OHI) unit. The Lead Agency intake person completes an intake form and the supervisor assigns the complaint to a Compliance Inspector (CI). The Lead Agency has three complaint priority levels: high, medium, and low. The priority level of the complaint indicates to the CI how many days they have to initiate the complaint investigation. High priority complaint investigations are initiated within one workday and include, but are not limited to, the death of a child, immediate danger of death, and allegations that pose an immediate risk or serious physical injury. Medium priority complaints are initiated within five working days and include, but are not limited to, accidental injury, safety or health hazards, and supervision problems. Low priority complaint investigations are initiated within 10 working days and include, but are not limited to, record keeping deficiencies, meal deficiencies, and illegal child care. Complaint investigations are to be investigated and a final disposition sent to the provider within 60 days of receipt of the allegation. Substantiated complaints mean the investigation of allegations of statute/rule violations produced evidence, proof, or compelling information to support that the allegations are true. The disposition date is the date that CI Supervisor has approved and reviewed all evidence/information required for determining whether or not there is a statute and/or rule violation. [ ] No. e. For substantiated parental complaints, who maintains the record for CCDF and non-CCDF providers? The Lead Agency maintains documents of substantiated parental complaints electronically in the child care provider file for child care providers who are registered for CCDF with the Lead Agency. The Lead Agency uses a complaint reporting system called Child Care Regulation Information System (CCRIS) to maintain all complaint investigations on licensed and license-exempt (religious organizations and nursery schools) providers from intake to final disposition. f. Describe how information about substantiated parental complaints is made available to the public; this information can include the consumer education website discussed in subsection 9.2: The Lead Agency maintains documentation of substantiated complaints within the electronic Child Care Regulation Information System (CCRIS) and are available upon request to the public. All substantiated complaints on licensed, license-exempt, and exempt providers are released to the Show Me Child Care Search Portal. This portal allows individuals to search for a childcare provider and view inspection reports and substantiated complaints for licensed and subsidy child care providers.