AN ACT CONCERNING ANIMAL THERAPY.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2013) (a) For purposes of this section, "animal assisted therapy" means goal-directed intervention in which animals are used as an integral part of the treatment process for individuals who have experienced mental, physical or emotional trauma and "animal assisted therapy community" means the local or regional entities possessing the staff and capabilities to engage in animal assisted therapy including, but not limited to, the Connecticut Humane Society, Soul Friends, Inc. and Animal Assisted Therapy Services, Inc.

(b) Not later than January 1, 2014, the Commissioner of Children and Families, within available appropriations, shall develop and implement training for certain employees of the Department of Children and Families and mental health care providers, on (1) the healing value of the human-animal bond for children, (2) the value of therapy animals in dealing with traumatic situations, and (3) the benefit of an animal assisted therapy program.

(c) Not later than January 1, 2014, the Commissioner of Children and Families, in consultation with the Governor's Prevention Partnership and the animal assisted therapy community and within available appropriations, shall develop and operate, or contract for, an animal assisted therapy program. Such program shall: (1) Provide animal assisted therapy to children and youths living with trauma and loss; (2) provide animal assisted therapy to children and youths with behavioral health needs who are in the custody of the Department of Children and Families; (3) allow for collaboration with mental health care providers to incorporate animal assisted therapy into the therapy plan for youths or children; (4) promote the healing benefits of the human-animal bond by providing interactive empathetic training activities with therapy animals; (5) incorporate nonverbal learning into the formulation of trauma treatment modalities; and (6) demonstrate positive outcomes for children.

(d) Not later than January 1, 2014, the Commissioner of Children and Families, in consultation with the Commissioner of Agriculture and within available appropriations, shall develop a coordinated volunteer canine crisis response team. Such team shall consist of various handlers and canines that have been trained and certified to provide comfort and relief to individuals during and after traumatic events. Such team shall operate on a volunteer basis and shall be available to provide animal assisted therapy within twenty-four hours of receiving notice to do so.

(e) Not later than January 1, 2014, the Commissioner of Children and Families, in consultation with the Commissioner of Agriculture and the joint standing committee on children, shall develop a results based accountability assessment of the results of the programs implemented pursuant to subsections (b) to (d), inclusive, of this section to (1) determine the effectiveness of animal assisted therapy, (2) begin the process of identifying curriculum-based animal assisted therapy as a potential best practice approach, and (3) demonstrate positive outcome measures in hopefulness, tied to resilience in the literature and other social emotional measures of healthy child development.