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 DHS/DFD hotline number 1-800-332-9227 allows anyone to report a complaint. The number connects them with their local CCR&R or directly to the DHS/DFD Office of Child Care, where complaints can be reported (this is also listed on the www.childcarenj.gov website). Parents may file complaints directly through the CCR&Rs, who use an Incident Reporting Form to document provider complaints. Parents may also file or make a complaint with the OOL (877-667-9845) who will investigate matters involving licensed child care centers. Complaints may be made anonymously. If there is a licensing complaint investigation, parents are entitled to review the OOL Complaint Investigation Summary Report, as well as any letters of enforcement or other actions taken against a center during its current licensing period. Additionally, with the development of the NJ Child Care Information System (NJCCIS) website, parents also have the option of submitting complaints online through a web-based process b. Describe how the parental complaint process ensures broad access to services for families that speak languages other than English: There are multiple platforms as described above on which complaints are captured. Each point of contact has translation options for multiple languages, i.e., available staff that speak other languages and/or a language device, such as a language line that can speak to the constituent directly to take their complaint. Through the Department of Children and Families (DCF) Compliant process, there is also a telephone/translation service called Language Link. This is available to anyone who requires the assistance of an interpreter. Additionally, parents have the option of submitting complaints to the CCR&R in different ways via telephone, written, or in person. Many of the CCR&Rs have bi-lingual staff available as well as use of translation services. Complaints submitted online via NJCCIS can be set to translate into over 100 languages. c. Describe how the parental complaint process ensures broad access to services for persons with disabilities: The state of New Jersey has a variety of resources available depending on the disability. To ensure broad access to services for persons with disabilities complaints can be entered through the internet on the DCF portal, called in to the office of licensing directly, or called into the NJ Abuse hotline. The NJ Abuse hotline is TTY compatible. PDFs and the DCF website are WCAG-compliant for people using screen readers. On the DCF homepage, anybody can click the accessibility link to report an accessibility issue. https://www.nj.gov/nj/accessibility.html Parents submitting complaints via NJCCIS are able to utilize the following NJCCIS features: 1) Semantic HTML markup, including properly structuring content with headings, paragraphs, lists, and other semantic elements, which helps screen readers accurately interpret the content and present it to users in a meaningful way; 2) Screen Reader Compatibility to provide a seamless experience for users who rely on screen readers. This includes adding descriptive alt text to images and properly labeling form fields; and 3) Color contrast, used to help users with low vision or other vision impairments like color- blindness to better perceive and interact with NJCCIS content. In addition, DHS/DFD consumer education website post resource and supported links: such as DHS/Division of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing sign language interpretation and caption referral services page https://www.nj.gov/humanservices/ddhh/services/caption/ and DHS/ Commission for the Blind and Visually impaired has resources for braille. https://www.nj.gov/humanservices/cbvi/links/braille/ 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: N.J.A.C. 3A:10-2.2(a) requires that a Division of Protection and Permanency (DCPP) investigator start the investigation of a report no later than the end of the work day or within 24 hours of receipt and notice of a report (unless DCPP or other entity authorizes a delay based upon the request of law enforcement). N.J.A.C 3A:10-7.3 requires the Department of Children and Families to make findings for each report within 60 days of receipt of the report (except extensions in increments of 30 days may be granted if the child protective investigator is continuing efforts to confirm credible information). This regulation requires the Department to make a finding of either "substantiated," "established," "not established," or ￿unfounded" for each allegation. N.J.A.C. 3A:10-7.6 requires DCPP investigators to provide a notice of the findings to affected parties within 10 days of notice receipt (unless for good cause approved by a supervisor). DHS/DFD requires Child Care Resource and Referral agencies to inform parents and the public how and where to address complaints. CCR&Rs are responsible for documenting and tracking parental complaints initiated through their respective county-level agencies. They are required to complete a Provider Incident Reporting Form when a complaint is reported regarding a provider. CCR&Rs are the lead agencies to investigate FCC and Approved Homes complaints, and will conduct such investigations within 72 hours of the complaint, except those reporting serious injuries and/or danger, which complaints are investigated within 24 hours through coordination with the regulatory state agencies. The complaint is assigned to an Inspector and an unannounced monitoring inspection is conducted. DHS/DFD also have contractual agreements with the Department of Health, which oversees youth camps, and the Department of Children and Families, Office of Licensing, which is responsible for child care centers. Each agency documents and tracks complaints and coordinates and communicates with DHS/DFD. Youth camps are required to submit an incident report to DOH. When complaints are received, inspectors respond and conduct an investigation, which includes an unannounced visit within 5-10 days during the season, and serious injuries are addressed immediately. [ ] No. e. For substantiated parental complaints, who maintains the record for CCDF and non-CCDF providers? CCR&Rs are responsible for documenting and tracking parental complaints initiated through their respective county-level agencies. The CCR&R Incident Reporting Form must be completed when a complaint is reported regarding a provider. When complaints or allegations are received regarding Registered Family Child Care Providers (FCC) or Approved Homes, the CCR&R also records the complaint on the Incident Reporting Form. CCR&Rs are responsible for documenting and tracking and maintaining substantial parental complaints directly reported to their respective county-level agencies for all providers participating in CCAP. The CCR&R Incident Reporting Form must be completed when a complaint is reported regarding a provider. 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: Public records must be readily accessible for examination by any person, under the direction and supervision of DHS/DFD and DCF/OOL personnel, except when public access to records is restricted, in accordance with the State Open Public Records Act or other applicable statutes. In the future, electronic versions of these files will be available through the NJCCIS website: https://www.njccis.com.