Endorsement involves a standardized process to determine that a professional has accumulated specialized experiences in the infant and early childhood field and has signed a Code of Ethics. All applicants receive a copy of the Code of Ethics. An applicant’s experiences are documented by the submission of an application that details competency-based training, specialized work experiences, and for most, reflective supervision/consultation (RSC) experiences. The application also includes official transcripts and three reference ratings. Endorsees as Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist and Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor have passed an exam that includes measures of theoretical knowledge, direct service skills, and their capacity to apply these principles into practice. This exam is scored by a team of two reviewers who are blind to the identity of the examinee.  

To maintain Endorsement also requires ongoing training and, in the cases of Infant/Early Childhood Family Specialist, Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist and Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health Mentor-Clinical, ongoing RSC. Endorsees are also required to re-commit to upholding the Code of Ethics annually. Beginning in January of 2022, this commitment includes signing an attestation that the endorsee has not been sanctioned by a licensing board. 

Endorsement is not a professional license or a certificate. First 5 Alabama Endorsement cannot guarantee the quality of service of any endorsed professional. First 5 Alabama Endorsement  does not include a process by which complaints or concerns regarding ethics can be filed.  If First 5 Alabama becomes aware of possible ethics violations by an endorsed professional, complainants are encouraged to, when applicable, contact the individual's professional licensing board. The First 5 Alabama Endorsement does not offer monitoring for ethics violations, however if First 5 Alabama learns that an endorsed professional has been sanctioned by a licensing board, the individual’s name is moved to the Inactive Endorsement Registry. Those professionals will follow the policy for reactivation to the Active Endorsement Registry once the licensing board’s sanctions have been lifted.