Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68, § 1280.120 - Continuing Education
a)
Continuing Education (CE) Hours Requirements
1) In order to renew a license, a licensee
shall be required to complete 20 hours of CE in the area of sex offender
treatment and evaluation.
2) A
prerenewal period is the 24 months proceeding July 31 of each odd-numbered
year.
3) One CE hour shall equal
one clock hour of attendance. After completion of the initial CE hour, credit
may be given in one-half hour increments.
4) A renewal applicant shall not be required
to comply with CE requirements for the first renewal of an Illinois
license.
5) Individuals licensed
under the Act in Illinois but residing and practicing in other states shall
comply with the CE requirement set forth in this Section.
6) CE credit hours used to satisfy the CE
requirements of another jurisdiction maybe applied to fulfill the CE
requirements of the State of Illinois.
7) CE credit hours completed pursuant to this
Section may be used to satisfy the CE requirements under other related
Acts.
b) Approved
Continuing Education
1) CE hours shall be
earned by verified attendance (e.g., certificate of attendance or certificate
of completion) at or participation in a program or course (program) that is
offered or sponsored by an approved CE sponsor who meets the requirements set
forth in subsection (c), except for those activities provided in subsections
(b)(2) or (3).
2) CE credit may be
earned through postgraduate training programs (e.g., extern, residency or
fellowship programs) or completion of graduate level related courses that are a
part of the curriculum of a college, university or graduate school. Courses
that are part of the curriculum of a university, college or other educational
institution shall be allotted CE credit at the rate of 15 CE hours for each
semester hour or 10 CE hours for each quarter hour of school credit awarded.
Courses that are audited shall not satisfy the requirements of this
Section.
3) CE credit may be earned
for verified teaching of treatment and/or evaluation of sexual offenders in an
accredited college, university or graduate school and/or as an instructor of CE
programs given by approved sponsors. Credit will be applied at the rate of
1.5 hours for every hour
taught and only for the first presentation of the program (i.e., credit shall
not be allowed for repetitious presentations of the same program). A maximum of
10 hours of CE credit must by obtained in this category per prerenewal
period.
c) Approved CE
Sponsors and Programs
1) Sponsor, as used in
this Section, shall mean:
A) American
Psychological Association or its affiliates
B) National Association of Social Work or its
affiliates
C) American Association
for Marriage and Family Therapy or its affiliates
D) American Medical Association or its
affiliates
E) Illinois
Psychological Association or its affiliates
F) Association for the Treatment of Sexual
Abusers
G) Illinois Association for
Treatment of Sexual Abusers
H)
American Counseling Association or its affiliates
J) American Nurse Credentialing Center or its
affiliates
K) Authorized CE
providers under the Marriage and Family Therapy Licensing Act
L) Authorized CE providers under the
Professional Counselor and Clinical Professional Counselor Licensing and
Practice Act
M) Authorized CE
providers under the Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act
N) Authorized CE providers under the Clinical
Social Work and Social Work Practice Act
O) Authorized CE providers under the Nurse
Practice Act
P) Authorized CE
providers under the Medical Practice Act of 1987
Q) Any regionally accredited school, college
or university, or any State agency
R) American Probation and Parole
Association
2) All
programs shall:
A) Contribute to the
advancement, extension and enhancement of the professional skills and
scientific knowledge of the licensee in the treatment and/or evaluation of
sexual offenders;
B) Foster the
enhancement of general or specialized clinical sexual offender treatment and
evaluation practice and values;
C)
Be developed and presented by persons with education and/or experience in the
subject matter of the program;
D)
Specify the course objectives, course content and teaching methods to be used;
and
E) Specify the number of CE
hours that may be applied to fulfilling the Illinois CE requirements for
license renewal.
3) Each
CE program shall provide a mechanism for evaluation of the program and
instructor by the participants. The evaluation may be completed on-site
immediately following the program presentation or an evaluation questionnaire
may be distributed to participants to be completed at a later date. The sponsor
and the instructor, together, shall review the evaluation outcome and revise
subsequent programs accordingly.
4)
An approved sponsor may subcontract with individuals and organizations to
provide approved programs. All advertising, promotional materials, and
certificates of attendance must identify the licensed sponsor and the sponsor's
license number. The presenter of the program may also be identified, but should
be identified as a presenter. When a licensed sponsor subcontracts with a
presenter, the licensed sponsor retains all responsibility for monitoring
attendance, providing certificates of attendance, and ensuring the program
meets all of the criteria established by the Act and this Part, including the
maintenance of records.
5) All
programs given by approved sponsors shall be open to all licensees and not be
limited to members of a single organization or group.
6) Certification of Attendance. It shall be
the responsibility of a sponsor to provide each participant in a program with a
certificate of attendance or participation. The sponsor's certificate of
attendance shall contain:
A) The name,
address and license number of the sponsor;
B) The name and address of the
participant;
C) A brief statement
of the subject matter;
D) The
number of hours attended in each program;
E) The date and place of the program;
and
F) The signature of the sponsor
or person responsible for the CE program.
7) The sponsor shall maintain attendance
records for not less than 5 years.
8) The sponsor shall be responsible for
assuring that no renewal applicant shall receive CE credit for time not
actually spent attending the program.
9) Upon the failure of a sponsor to comply
with any of the requirements of this Section, the Division, after notice to the
sponsor and hearing before and recommendation by the Board (see 68 Ill. Adm.
Code 1110), shall thereafter refuse to accept for CE credit attendance at or
participation in any of that sponsor's CE programs until the Division receives
assurances of compliance with requirements of this Section.
10) Notwithstanding any other provision of
this Section, the Division or Board may evaluate any sponsor of any approved CE
program at any time to ensure compliance with this Section.
d) Certification of Compliance
with CE Requirements
1) Each renewal applicant
shall certify, on the renewal application, full compliance with the CE
requirements set forth in this Section.
2) The Division may require additional
evidence demonstrating compliance with the CE requirements (e.g., certificate
of attendance). This additional evidence shall be required in the context of
the Division's random audit. It is the responsibility of each renewal applicant
to retain or otherwise produce evidence of compliance for the previous 8
years.
3) When there appears to be
a lack of compliance with CE requirements, an applicant shall be notified in
writing and may request an interview with the Board. At that time, the Board
may recommend that steps be taken to begin formal disciplinary proceedings as
required by Section 10-65 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act
[5 ILCS 100/10-65
].
e) Continuing
Education Earned in Other Jurisdictions
1) If
a licensee has earned or is seeking CE hours offered in another jurisdiction
not given by an approved sponsor for which the licensee will be claiming credit
toward full compliance in Illinois, the applicant shall submit an individual
program approval request form, along with a $25 processing fee, prior to
participation in the program or within 90 days after expiration of the license.
The Board shall review and recommend approval or disapproval of the program
using the criteria set forth in subsection (c)(2).
2) If a licensee fails to submit an
out-of-state CE approval form within the required time frame, late approval may
be obtained by submitting the approval request form with the $25 processing fee
plus a $50 per CE hour late fee not to exceed $300. The Board shall review and
recommend approval or disapproval of the program using the criteria set forth
in subsection (c)(2).
f)
Restoration of Nonrenewed License. Upon satisfactory evidence of compliance
with CE requirements, the Division shall restore the license upon payment of
the fee required by Section
1280.100.
g) Waiver of CE Requirements
1) Any applicant for renewal of a license who
has not fully complied with the CE requirements of this Section shall file with
the Division a renewal application, along with the required fee, a statement
setting forth the facts concerning noncompliance, and a request for waiver of
the CE requirements on the basis of these facts. A request for waiver shall be
made prior to the renewal date. If the Division finds, upon the written
recommendation of the Board and from the affidavit or any other evidence
submitted, that extreme hardship has been shown for granting a waiver, the
Division shall waive enforcement of CE requirements for the renewal period for
which the applicant has applied.
2)
Extreme hardship shall be determined on an individual basis by the Board and be
defined as an inability to devote sufficient hours to fulfilling the CE
requirements during the applicable prerenewal period because of:
A) Full-time service in the armed forces of
the United States of America during a substantial part of the prerenewal
period;
B) An incapacitating
illness documented by a statement from a currently licensed physician, advanced
practice nurse or physician assistant, or an incapacitating mental illness
documented by a statement by a currently licensed clinical psychologist or
Board-certified psychiatrist;
C) A
physical inability to travel to the sites of approved programs documented by a
currently licensed physician or advanced practice nurse; or
D) Any other similar extenuating
circumstances.
3) Any
renewal applicant who, prior to the expiration date of the license, submits a
request for a waiver, in whole or in part, pursuant to the provisions of this
Section, shall be deemed to be in good standing until the final decision on the
application is made by the Division.
Notes
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