Bill Text: CT SB00187 | 2016 | General Assembly | Chaptered
Bill Title: An Act Concerning Transfers Of Guardianship And Substantiated Allegations Of Abuse Or Neglect By A Guardian.
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Passed) 2016-06-09 - Signed by the Governor [SB00187 Detail]
Download: Connecticut-2016-SB00187-Chaptered.html
Substitute Senate Bill No. 187
AN ACT CONCERNING TRANSFERS OF GUARDIANSHIP AND SUBSTANTIATED ALLEGATIONS OF ABUSE OR NEGLECT BY A GUARDIAN.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 17a-114 of the 2016 supplement to the general statutes is repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2016):
(a) As used in this section, (1) "approval" or "approved" means that a person has been approved to provide foster care by a child-placing agency licensed pursuant to section 17a-149, (2) "licensed" means a person holds a license to provide foster care issued by the Department of Children and Families, (3) "fictive kin caregiver" means a person who is twenty-one years of age or older and who is unrelated to a child by birth, adoption or marriage but who has an emotionally significant relationship with such child amounting to a familial relationship, [and who is not approved or licensed to provide foster care by the Department of Children and Families,] and (4) "regular unsupervised access" means periodic interaction with a child in the home for purposes of unsupervised child care, medical or other services to the child.
(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) 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) such person's home is approved by a child placing agency licensed by the commissioner pursuant to section 17a-149, or (C) such person has received approval as provided in this section. 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
