Rule 24-3-5.4 - DMH Community Support Specialist Certification Requirements - Categories and DescriptionsA.Employment Requirement1. The applicant must be currently employed at a Mississippi "state mental health system" program, as defined in Chapter One. 2. Initial applicants must have responsibility for providing (or supervising the provision of) community support, Intellectual Disabilities/Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD) Waiver support coordination services, IDD targeted case management services or wraparound facilitation services. Upgrade applicants are exempt from this specific employment requirement. 3. Employment refers to paid (not volunteer) work. B.Education Requirement1. The applicant must have at least a Bachelor's degree in a mental health-, intellectual/developmental disabilities- or human services/behavioral health-related field. (If submitting a Master's degree or higher, the relevant degree must be comprised of a minimum of 30 semester hours or its equivalent.) The degree must be from an approved educational institution (as defined and determined by DMH). 2. The following are examples of degree types which may be considered appropriate for the DMH Community Support Specialist credential; this is not an exhaustive list: f. Family and Consumer Studies, g. Child and Family Studies,h. Recreation/Leisure Studies,j. Marriage and Family Studies, k. Rehabilitative Services/Vocational Rehabilitation, l. Human Developmental Psychology, n. Early Childhood Development, q. Other mental health-, behavioral health-, and/or intellectual disability-related degree types, as determined by the PLACE Review Board. 3.For applicants with atypical degrees: If the applicant's Bachelor's degree type is not listed above, successful completion of at least five (5) courses from the following areas will be considered: b. early childhood development, c. chemical dependency studies, g. developmental psychology, i. child and/or adolescent psychology, k. human growth and development, n. cultural sensitivity and/or, o. Other mental health-, behavioral health-, and/or intellectual disability-related courses, as determined by the PLACE Review Board. i. All or part of these courses may either be completed as part of the degree program of study or completed outside of (as add-on courses to) the degree program of study (i.e., without earning an additional degree). The requirement to hold a Bachelor's degree is not waived. Courses under this provision must be at least three (3) semester hours or the equivalent and must have been successfully completed (i.e., a passing score was earned). ii. Courses completed by applicants which are not part of the degree program of study will be evaluated during application review to determine applicability; only degrees/courses completed at an approved educational institution (as determined by DMH) are considered. 4. Evidence of successful degree/course completion will be designated on the official submitted transcript(s), as part of the application packet. The PLACE Review Board may also request course catalog descriptions or other documentation to verify successful course completion and/or that the education requirement has been met. 5. PCCSSs who are applying to upgrade to CCSS would have already met the above-listed education requirement (and produced the required verification of such) at the time of provisional application. Therefore, an applicant who is applying to upgrade from PCCSS to CCSS does not need to submit a new official transcript with his/her upgrade application packet. However, an applicant who is applying directly for CCSS, (skipping PCCSS), must submit an official transcript as part of the application process. C.Experience Requirement1. The experience requirement is only applicable to individuals applying for full certification - CCSS.2. There is no work experience requirement to apply for provisional certification. 3.Individuals applying for full certification (CCSS) must have a minimum of one year (12 months or its full-time equivalent) of full-time work experience in the area of community support, ID/DD Waiver Support Coordination, IDD Targeted Case Management, and/or Wraparound Facilitation. This experience must be accrued at a Mississippi "state mental health system" program and must be verified and supervised by a Qualified Supervisor (as defined in this document). This experience may either be the provision or supervision of community support, ID/DD Waiver Support Coordination, IDD Targeted Case Management or Wraparound Facilitation services. 4. Through the application process, the applicant must illustrate that he/she has a minimum of one year of full-time work experience in at least one of the required area(s), as outlined above. 5. The experience requirement is based on a full-time 40-hour work week; individuals with part-time experience must report an amount of experience which is equivalent to a 40-hour work week; the Review Board will make decisions regarding part-time work on a case-by-case basis. 6. An applicant who reports part-time work experience and/or who reports work experience which combines experience earned in the required area(s) with experience earned in a separate area must illustrate through the application process that he/she has the required minimum of one year of full-time work experience in the required area(s), as outlined above. 7. Employment refers to paid (not volunteer) work. 8. A "Qualified Supervisor" is an individual who provides "active supervision" (as defined in the "Glossary" section of this document) over the applicant's submitted work experience AND who meets the following criteria: a. The designated state mental health system program Director of Community Support Services, Director of ID/DD Waiver Support Coordination, IDD Targeted Case Management Supervisor or Wraparound Facilitation Supervisor (as appropriate to the work experience service population), as defined in the DMH Operational Standards for Mental Health, Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Disorders Community Service Providers (DMH Operational Standards), must verify the submitted work experience. b. In the event that the Director of Community Support Services, Director of ID/DD Waiver Support Coordination, IDD Targeted Case Management Supervisor or Wraparound Facilitation Supervisor is not available, the current Executive Director (i.e., top-level administrator) of a "state mental health system" program or agency (as defined in this document) may serve as the "Qualified Supervisor" and verify the required experience. 9. A "Qualified Supervisor" should not be a member of the individual's immediate family. 10. A CCSS applicant is not permitted to complete his/her own Verification of Work Experience Form. 11. All submitted work experience must be submitted on the appropriate form prescribed by the Division as part of the application packet. D.Exam/Training Requirement1.This requirement is only applicable to individuals applying for full certification -CCSS.2. Successful completion of a DMH Community Support Specialist program web-based exam/training component, with selected content specific and relevant to the DMH Community Support Specialist credentialing program, as prescribed by DMH. ( Individuals completing the web-based exam/training component should access the correct course list for their discipline, as applicable.)a. The web-based exam/training component is a customized collection of e-learning courses (and corresponding standardized exams) designed to address basic knowledge and practical information pertinent to community support specialists in the state mental health system. DMH establishes the specific content. b. Course selections are subject to periodic update without prior notice. c. At the time of provisional certification award, individuals will receive general information on the web-based exam/training component as well as registration information. Web-based exam/training component information will also be maintained on the agency (DMH) website. d. Applicants may complete the web-based exam/training component prior to initial application as long as: 1) the correct courses, as prescribed by DMH, are taken (courses are subject to change without prior notice);2) all courses are successfully completed;3) the appropriate documentation, as prescribed by the Division, is submitted with the initial application to illustrate successful completion; and,4) the courses were completed within two (2) years from the date of receipt of the initial application, as determined by the Division's records.e. Participants will comply with the rules of the web-based exam/training process, as prescribed by the web-based exam/training administrator. f. DMH may prescribe appropriate, non-excessive fees for the web-based exam/training to cover administrative costs; these fees are subject to change. g. Proficiency for successful completion will be a passing score (as prescribed by the web-based exam/training administrator) for each individual exam in the customized collection of courses ; as web-based exam/training updates occur, the designated proficiency level, as prescribed by the web-based exam/training administrator, may be subject to change.h. Individuals who complete the web-based exam/training component through a venue other than DMH may be able to count it to satisfy the Exam/Training requirement as long as: 1) the correct courses, as prescribed by DMH, are taken (courses are subject to change without prior notice);2) all courses are successfully completed;3) the appropriate documentation, as prescribed by the Division, is submitted to illustrate successful completion; and,4), the courses were completed within the appropriate time frame as prescribed by DMH; this situation will be handled on a case-by-case basis and is subject to Review Board approval.i. Each individual completing the web-based exam/training component, whether through DMH or an outside venue, will be required to submit documentation attesting to the fact that the entire web-based exam/training component was completed by him/her. This documentation must illustrate successful completion of the entire web-based exam/training component AND must be submitted in the appropriate format prescribed by the Division as part of the CCSS application packet. 3. Any individual who completes the exam/training component in a fraudulent manner will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including loss of any DMH professional credential held and/or rejection of application for DMH professional credentialing. E.Ethics Requirement1. All applicants must read and abide by the DMH Principles of Ethical and Professional Conduct located in Chapter Eighteen. 2. It is the applicant's responsibility to read these principles before signing and submitting the application. The applicant should keep a reference copy. 3. Applicants must inform the Division of PLACE of any previous or pending disciplinary action against them by any professional credentialing body or association. Applicants who have had any past or currently held DMH professional credential or any other professional credential be the subject of any disciplinary action must notify the Division of PLACE during the application process. At a minimum, this notification must be provided in the appropriate space on the application form. DMH may delay action on the application until the matter has been resolved and verified to the satisfaction of DMH and/or the PLACE Review Board. F.Criminal Background Checks1. As part of the application process, the Division of PLACE ensures that state mental health system employers have conducted criminal records background checks on individuals applying for DMH professional credentials. 2. No one will be credentialed without proof of criminal background checks. 24 Miss. Code. R. § 3-5.4
Section 41-4-7 of the Mississippi Code of 1972, Annotated