Critical Health and Safety Violations QA
About critical health and safety violations
What does “Critical Health and Safety Violation” mean? And how do these violations differ from other violations, which are not marked as “critical?”
The red notification of a critical health and safety violation identifies a noncompliance, identified during an FSSA inspection, that falls into a category of violations which FSSA believes may pose a serious health and safety risk to children. (This is also a requirement of the federal Child Care Development Block Grant, which provides funds Indiana uses for child care and early education programs.) And while all violations are important and may pose a risk to children, FSSA believes that “critical” violations pose a more immediate risk to health and safety. Families should review all violations before selecting a child care provider to be informed and to be able to ask questions of the provider.
Should families avoid a provider with a critical violation?
FSSA’s objective is to provide as much information as possible – including incidents and issues in the past – so that families may make an informed decision when choosing who will care for their children. We also encourage families to ask providers questions before enrolling a child, to make sure that they are satisfied that the provider has corrected past violations.
What is the resolution date?
The resolution date is the date by which the provider has stated that the violation was or will be corrected. FSSA reviews the plan of correction the provider submits and follows up to ensure that the violations have been appropriately addressed and resolved by the provider.
How should families read the inspection data?
Families should review all violations so that they can be fully informed. They should then keep that information in mind and possibly ask additional questions of potential child care providers before choosing who will care for their child.
If you have additional questions about choosing child care, please call 1-800-299-1627.