Bill Text: CT SB00180 | 2016 | General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: An Act Concerning Youth Advisory Councils And Foster Families.
Sponsorship: Committee Bill
Status: (Passed) 2016-06-07 - Signed by the Governor [SB00180 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2016-SB00180-Chaptered.html
AN ACT CONCERNING YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCILS AND FOSTER FAMILIES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective from passage) (a) As used in this section:
(1) "Child" or "children" means any person or persons under eighteen years of age, except as otherwise specified, or any person or persons under twenty-one years of age who is or are in full-time attendance in a secondary school, a technical school, a college or a state-accredited job training program; and
(2) "Child care facility" has the same meaning as provided in section 17a-93 of the general statutes.
(b) Not later than January 1, 2017, the Commissioner of Children and Families shall require each child care facility that has the capacity to house not less than ten children to establish a youth advisory council. Each youth advisory council shall (1) create leadership opportunities for children residing in such child care facility, (2) enable children residing in such child care facility an opportunity to express and address grievances, (3) encourage open communication with staff members of such child care facility, and (4) enable children residing in such child care facility to develop skills, including, but not limited to, peer advocacy, public speaking and conflict resolution.
(c) The Commissioner of Children and Families shall establish procedures to enable each youth advisory council to report, not less than quarterly, to each youth advisory board established pursuant to section 17a-10c of the general statutes to offer recommendations for policy and practice reforms to be used in child care facilities.
Sec. 2. Subsection (b) of section 17a-114 of the 2016 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2016):
(b) (1) No child in the custody of the Commissioner of Children and Families shall be placed in foster care with any person, unless (A) (i) such person is licensed for that purpose by the department or the Department of Developmental Services pursuant to the provisions of section 17a-227, or [(B)] (ii) such person's home is approved by a child placing agency licensed by the commissioner pursuant to section 17a-149, or [(C)] (iii) such person has received approval as provided in this section, and (B) on and after January 1, 2017, for a child twelve years of age or older, such child has received a foster family profile in accordance with the provisions of section 3 of this act. Any person licensed by the department may be a prospective adoptive parent. The commissioner shall adopt regulations, in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, to establish the licensing procedures and standards.
(2) The commissioner shall require each applicant for licensure or approval pursuant to this section and any person sixteen years of age or older living in the household of such applicant to submit to state and national criminal history records checks prior to issuing a license or approval to such applicant to accept placement of a child for purposes of foster care or adoption. Such criminal history records checks shall be conducted in accordance with section 29-17a. The commissioner shall also check the state child abuse registry established pursuant to section 17a-101k for the name of such applicant and for the name of any person sixteen years of age or older living in the household of such applicant.
(3) The commissioner, at his or her discretion, may require any person sixteen years of age or older, who is not living in the household but who has regular unsupervised access to a child in the home of an applicant for licensure or approval, to submit to state and national criminal history records checks prior to issuing a license or approval to such applicant to accept placement of a child. Such criminal history records checks shall be conducted in accordance with section
