Bill Text: IA SSB3077 | 2021-2022 | 89th General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to child welfare, including provisions relating to foster care and the child advocacy board.(See SF 2174.)

Spectrum: Committee Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-02-01 - Committee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 2174. [SSB3077 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2021-SSB3077-Introduced.html
Senate Study Bill 3077 - Introduced SENATE/HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED DEPARTMENT OF INSPECTIONS AND APPEALS BILL) A BILL FOR An Act relating to child welfare, including provisions relating 1 to foster care and the child advocacy board. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 232.2, subsection 9, Code 2022, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 9. “Court appointed special advocate” means a person duly 3 certified by the child advocacy board created in section 4 237.16 for participation in the court appointed special 5 advocate program and appointed by the court to represent the 6 interests of a child in any judicial proceeding to which the 7 child is a party or is called as a witness or relating to any 8 dispositional order involving the child resulting from such 9 proceeding carry out the duties required by section 237.24 . 10 Sec. 2. Section 237.15, Code 2022, is amended by adding the 11 following new subsection: 12 NEW SUBSECTION . 4A. “Fictive kin” means a person who is not 13 a relative of a child but who has an emotionally significant 14 positive relationship with the child or the child’s family. 15 Sec. 3. Section 237.16, Code 2022, is amended by adding the 16 following new subsection: 17 NEW SUBSECTION . 4. The department and the department 18 of inspections and appeals shall jointly develop written 19 protocols detailing the responsibilities of each department 20 with regard to children under the purview of the state board. 21 The protocols shall be reviewed by the departments on an annual 22 basis. 23 Sec. 4. Section 237.17, Code 2022, is amended to read as 24 follows: 25 237.17 Foster care registry. 26 1. The state board shall establish a registry of the 27 placements of all children receiving foster care. The 28 department agency responsible for the placement shall notify 29 the state board of each placement within five working days of 30 the department’s notification of the placement in accordance 31 with written protocols adopted pursuant to section 237.16, 32 subsection 4 . The notification to the state board shall 33 include information identifying the child receiving foster care 34 and placement information for that child. 35 -1- LSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh 1/ 17
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ 2. Within thirty days of the placement or two days after 1 the dispositional hearing the The agency responsible for the 2 placement shall submit the case permanency plan and all case 3 permanency plan revisions to the state board a local board in 4 accordance with written protocols adopted pursuant to section 5 237.16, subsection 4 . All subsequent revisions of the case 6 permanency plan shall be submitted when the revisions are 7 developed. 8 Sec. 5. Section 237.18, Code 2022, is amended to read as 9 follows: 10 237.18 Duties of state board. 11 The state board shall: 12 1. Review the activities and actions of local boards and the 13 court appointed special advocate program . 14 2. Adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to: 15 a. Establish a recordkeeping system for the files of local 16 review boards including individual case reviews. 17 b. Accumulate data and develop an annual report regarding 18 children in foster care served by the state board . The report 19 shall include: 20 (1) Personal data Data regarding the total number of days of 21 foster care provided and the characteristics of the children 22 receiving foster care. 23 (2) The number of placements of children in foster care. 24 (3) The frequency and results of court reviews. 25 c. Evaluate the judicial and administrative data collected 26 on foster care by local boards and court appointed special 27 advocates, and disseminate the data to the governor, the 28 supreme court, the chief judge of each judicial district, the 29 department, and child-placing agencies , and the state court 30 administrator for dissemination to the supreme court and the 31 chief judge of each judicial district . 32 d. Establish mandatory training programs for members of the 33 state and local review boards including an initial training 34 program and periodic in-service training programs board . 35 -2- LSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh 2/ 17
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ Training shall focus on, but not be limited to, the following: 1 (1) The history, philosophy and role of the juvenile court 2 in the child protection system The duties of the state board . 3 (2) Juvenile court procedures under the juvenile justice 4 act The duties of local boards . 5 (3) The foster care administrative review process of the 6 department of human services The duties of court appointed 7 special advocates . 8 (4) The role and procedures of the citizen’s foster care 9 review system Applicable child welfare laws and practices that 10 influence the work of local boards and court appointed special 11 advocates . 12 (5) The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, 13 Pub. L. No. 96-272. 14 (6) The purpose of case permanency plans, and the type of 15 information that will be available in those plans. 16 (7) The situations where the goals of either reuniting the 17 child with the child’s family or adoption would be appropriate. 18 (8) The legal processes that may lead to foster care 19 placement. 20 (9) The types and number of children involved in those legal 21 processes. 22 (10) The types of foster care placement available, with 23 emphasis on the types and number of facilities available on a 24 regional basis. 25 (11) The impact of specific physical or mental conditions of 26 a child on the type of placement most appropriate and the kind 27 of progress that should be expected in those situations. 28 e. Establish a mandatory training program and procedures for 29 the local review board boards consistent with the provisions 30 of section 237.20 . 31 f. Establish grounds and procedures for removal of a local 32 review board member. 33 g. f. Establish procedures and protocols for administering 34 the court appointed special advocate program in accordance with 35 -3- LSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh 3/ 17
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ subsection 7 6 . 1 3. Assign the cases of children receiving foster care to the 2 appropriate local boards. 3 4. Assist local boards in reviewing cases of children 4 receiving foster care, as provided in section 237.20 . 5 5. 4. Employ appropriate staff in accordance with available 6 funding. The board shall coordinate with the department of 7 inspections and appeals regarding administrative functions of 8 the board. 9 6. 5. In conjunction with the legislative services agency 10 and in consultation with the department of human services, 11 supreme court, and private foster care providers, develop and 12 maintain Maintain an evaluation program regarding citizen 13 foster care review programming. The evaluation program shall 14 be designed to evaluate the effectiveness of citizen reviews in 15 improving case permanency planning and meeting case permanency 16 planning goals, identify the amount of time children spend in 17 foster care placements, and identify problem issues in the 18 foster care system. The state board shall submit an annual 19 evaluation report to the governor and the general assembly. 20 7. 6. Administer the court appointed special advocate 21 program, including but not limited to performance of all of the 22 following: 23 a. Establish standards for the program, including but 24 not limited to standards for selection and screening of 25 volunteers, preservice training, ongoing continuing education, 26 and assignment and supervision of volunteers. Identifying 27 information concerning a court appointed special advocate, 28 other than the advocate’s name, shall not be considered to be a 29 public record under chapter 22 . 30 b. Implement the court appointed special advocate program in 31 additional areas of the state as deemed necessary to effectuate 32 its purpose including but not limited to employing court 33 appointed special advocate program staff as available funding 34 provides . 35 -4- LSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh 4/ 17
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ c. Promote adherence to the national guidelines for state 1 and local court appointed special advocate programs. 2 d. Issue an annual report of the court appointed special 3 advocate program for submission to the general assembly, the 4 governor, and the supreme court. 5 e. Employ appropriate court appointed special advocate 6 program staff in accordance with available funding. The state 7 board shall coordinate with the department of inspections and 8 appeals the performance of the administrative functions of the 9 state board. 10 8. 7. Receive gifts, grants, or donations made for any of 11 the purposes of the state board’s programs and disburse and 12 administer the funds received in accordance with the terms of 13 the donor and under the direction of program staff. The funds 14 received shall be used according to any restrictions attached 15 to the funds and any unrestricted funds shall be retained 16 and applied to the applicable program budget for the next 17 succeeding fiscal year. 18 9. 8. Make recommendations to the general assembly, the 19 department, to child-placing agencies, the governor, and the 20 state court administrator for dissemination to the supreme 21 court , and the chief judge of each judicial district , and to 22 the judicial branch . The recommendations shall include but 23 are not limited to identification of systemic problems in 24 the foster care and the juvenile justice systems, specific 25 proposals for improvements that assist the systems in being 26 more cost-effective and better able to protect the best 27 interests of children, and necessary changes relating to the 28 data collected and the annual report made under subsection 2 , 29 paragraph “b” . 30 Sec. 6. Section 237.19, Code 2022, is amended to read as 31 follows: 32 237.19 Local citizen foster care review boards. 33 1. The state board shall establish local citizen foster 34 care review boards to review cases of children receiving foster 35 -5- LSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh 5/ 17
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ care. The department shall discontinue its foster care review 1 process for those children reviewed by local boards as local 2 boards are established and operating. The state board shall 3 select a minimum of five members and two alternate a maximum of 4 seven members to serve on each local board in consultation with 5 the chief judge of each judicial district . The actual number 6 of local boards needed and established shall be determined 7 by the state board. The members of each local board shall 8 consist of persons of , to the extent possible, reflect the 9 various social, economic, racial , and ethnic groups and various 10 occupations of their district. A person employed by the state 11 board , or the department, the department of inspections and 12 appeals, or the district court, or an employee of an agency 13 with which the department contracts for services for children 14 under foster care, a foster parent providing foster care, or 15 a child-placing agency shall not serve on a local board. The 16 state board shall provide the names of the members of the local 17 boards to the department. 18 2. Vacancies on a local board shall be filled in the 19 same manner as original appointments. The members shall not 20 receive per diem but shall receive reimbursement for actual and 21 necessary expenses incurred in their duties as members. 22 3. A local board member shall be required to pass a 23 background check and complete requirements as established by 24 the state board prior to taking an oath of confidentiality to 25 serve on a local board. 26 4. A local board member shall be required to receive 27 periodic continuing education during each term of service as 28 established by the state board. 29 Sec. 7. Section 237.20, subsection 1, unnumbered paragraph 30 1, Code 2022, is amended to read as follows: 31 Review the case of each child receiving foster care 32 assigned to the a local board by the state board in accordance 33 with written protocols adopted pursuant to section 237.16, 34 subsection 4, to determine whether satisfactory progress 35 -6- LSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh 6/ 17
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ is being made toward the goals of the case permanency plan 1 pursuant to section 237.22 . The timing and frequency of 2 a review of each case by a local board shall take into 3 consideration the permanency goals, placement setting, and 4 frequency of any court reviews of the case. 5 Sec. 8. Section 237.20, subsection 1, paragraph a, 6 subparagraph (2), Code 2022, is amended to read as follows: 7 (2) The efforts of the agency responsible for the placement 8 of the child to locate and provide services to the child’s 9 biological or adoptive parents of the child , legal guardians, 10 or fictive kin providing the majority of a child’s daily food, 11 lodging, and support . 12 Sec. 9. Section 237.20, subsection 1, paragraphs b, c, and 13 d, Code 2022, are amended to read as follows: 14 b. The review shall include issues pertaining to the 15 case permanency plan and shall not include issues that do 16 not pertain to the case permanency plan. A person notified 17 pursuant to subsection 4 shall either attend the review or 18 submit testimony a statement as requested by the local board 19 or in accordance with a written protocol jointly developed by 20 the state board and the department. Oral testimony Statements 21 may, upon the request of the testifier an interested party or 22 upon motion of the local board, be given in a private setting 23 when to do so would facilitate the presentation of evidence . 24 Statements may be made in written, oral, or electronic form. 25 Local board questions reviews shall pertain to the permanency 26 plan and shall not include issues that do not pertain to the 27 permanency plan. 28 c. A person who gives an oral testimony statement has the 29 right to representation by counsel at the review. 30 d. An agency or individual providing services to the child 31 shall submit testimony as requested by the local board. The 32 testimony may be written or oral, or may be a tape recorded 33 telephone call. Written testimony or recorded statements from 34 other interested parties may also be considered by the board 35 -7- LSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh 7/ 17
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ in its review. 1 Sec. 10. Section 237.20, subsection 2, paragraph a, Code 2 2022, is amended to read as follows: 3 a. Submit to the appropriate court and the department within 4 fifteen days after the review under subsection 1 , the findings 5 and recommendations of the review. The local board shall 6 ensure that the most recent report is available for a court 7 hearing. The report to the court shall include information 8 regarding the case permanency plan and the progress in 9 attaining the permanency goals. The report shall not include 10 issues that do not pertain to the case permanency plan. The 11 findings and recommendations shall include the proposed date 12 of the next review by the local board. The local board shall 13 notify the persons specified in subsection 4 of the findings 14 and recommendations. 15 Sec. 11. Section 237.20, subsection 4, paragraph a, Code 16 2022, is amended by adding the following new subparagraph: 17 NEW SUBPARAGRAPH . (9) An intervenor. 18 Sec. 12. Section 237.21, subsection 2, Code 2022, is amended 19 to read as follows: 20 2. Information and records relating to a child receiving 21 foster care and to the child’s family shall be provided to 22 a court appointed special advocate, a local board , or the 23 state board by the department , the department’s agent, or a 24 child-care child placement agency receiving purchase-of-service 25 funds from the department contracted by the department upon 26 request by the court appointed special advocate or either 27 board. A court having jurisdiction of a child receiving 28 foster care shall release the information and records the 29 court deems necessary to determine the needs of the child , 30 if the information and records are not obtainable elsewhere, 31 to a local board or the state board court appointed special 32 advocate upon request by either the local board or court 33 appointed special advocate . If confidential information and 34 records are distributed to individual members in advance of a 35 -8- LSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh 8/ 17
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ meeting of the state board or a local board, the information 1 and records shall be clearly identified as confidential and the 2 members shall take appropriate steps to prevent unauthorized 3 disclosure. If confidential information and records are 4 distributed to a court appointed special advocate or court 5 appointed special advocate program staff, the information shall 6 be confidential and the court appointed special advocate and 7 court appointed special advocate program staff shall take 8 appropriate steps to prevent unauthorized disclosure. 9 Sec. 13. Section 237.21, subsection 4, Code 2022, is amended 10 to read as follows: 11 4. A court appointed special advocate may disclose 12 case-related observations and recommendations to the agency 13 assigned by the court to supervise the case, to the county 14 attorney, or to the child’s legal representative or guardian ad 15 litem , or at a local board meeting . Case-related observations 16 and recommendations about a child and the child’s parent or 17 about a child and the child’s legal guardian may also be 18 disclosed to the parent or guardian to which the observations 19 and recommendations pertain or to such parent or guardian’s 20 legal representative. 21 Sec. 14. Section 237.22, Code 2022, is amended to read as 22 follows: 23 237.22 Case permanency plan. 24 The agency responsible for the placement of the child shall 25 create a case permanency plan. The plan shall In addition to 26 requirements stated in section 232.2, subsection 4, the plan 27 shall also include , but not be limited to: 28 1. Plans for carrying out the voluntary placement agreement 29 or judicial determination pursuant to which the child entered 30 care. 31 2. 1. Time frames to meet the stated permanency goal and 32 short-term objectives. 33 3. The type and appropriateness of the placement and 34 services to be provided to the child. 35 -9- LSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh 9/ 17
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ 4. 2. The care and services that will be provided to the 1 child, biological parents, the child’s primary caregivers, and 2 foster parents. 3 5. How the care and services will meet the needs of the 4 child while in care and will facilitate the child’s return home 5 or other permanent placement. 6 6. 3. The efforts to place the child with a relative or 7 fictive kin . 8 7. 4. The rationale for an out-of-state placement, and the 9 efforts to prevent such placement, if the child has been placed 10 out of state. 11 Sec. 15. NEW SECTION . 237.24 Court appointed special 12 advocates. 13 1. A court appointed special advocate shall receive notice 14 of all depositions, hearings, and trial proceedings in a matter 15 to which the court appointed special advocate is appointed. 16 2. The duties of a court appointed special advocate with 17 respect to a child, unless otherwise enlarged or circumscribed 18 by a court or juvenile court with jurisdiction over the 19 child after a finding of good cause, shall include all of the 20 following: 21 a. Conducting in-person interviews with the child every 22 thirty days, if the child’s age is appropriate for the 23 interview, and interviewing each parent, guardian, or other 24 person having custody of the child as needed, if authorized by 25 counsel. 26 b. Visiting the home, residence, or both home and residence 27 of the child and any prospective home or residence of the 28 child, including each time placement is changed. 29 c. Interviewing any person providing medical, mental health, 30 social, educational, or other services to the child. 31 d. Obtaining firsthand knowledge, if possible, of the facts, 32 circumstances, and parties involved in the matter in which the 33 court appointed special advocate is appointed. 34 e. Attending any depositions, hearings, and trial 35 -10- LSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh 10/ 17
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ proceedings in a matter to which the court appointed special 1 advocate is appointed for the purpose of supporting the child 2 and advocating for the child’s protection. 3 f. Assisting the transition committee in the development of 4 a transition plan if the child’s case permanency plan calls for 5 the development of a transition plan. 6 g. (1) Submitting a written report to the juvenile court 7 and to each of the parties identified in section 237.21, 8 subsection 4, prior to each court hearing unless otherwise 9 ordered by the court. 10 (2) The report shall include but not be limited to the 11 identified strengths of the child and the child’s family, 12 concerns of the court appointed special advocate, the court 13 appointed special advocate’s recommendations regarding 14 the child’s placement, and other recommendations the court 15 appointed special advocate believes are in the child’s best 16 interests. 17 h. Submitting periodic reports to the court or juvenile 18 court with jurisdiction over a child and interested parties 19 detailing the child’s situation as long as the child remains 20 under the jurisdiction of the court or juvenile court. 21 i. Filing other reports as ordered by a court or juvenile 22 court. 23 EXPLANATION 24 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 25 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 26 This bill relates to child welfare, including provisions 27 relating to foster care and the child advocacy board (CAB). 28 CHILD ADVOCACY BOARD. The bill requires the department 29 of inspections and appeals (DIA) and the department of human 30 services (DHS) to jointly develop written protocols relating to 31 the responsibilities of each department with regard to children 32 under the purview of CAB. The protocols must be reviewed by 33 both departments on an annual basis. 34 The bill requires the agency responsible for the placement 35 -11- LSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh 11/ 17
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ of a child in foster care to notify CAB of each placement and 1 submit the child’s case permanency plan and any case permanency 2 plan revisions to a local citizen foster care review board 3 (local board) according to protocols developed by DIA and 4 DHS. Under current law, notifications of a child’s placement 5 must be given to CAB by DHS within five working days of DHS’s 6 notification of the placement, case permanency plans must 7 be submitted to CAB by the agency responsible for a child’s 8 placement within 30 days of placement or two days after the 9 child’s dispositional hearing, and revisions to case permanency 10 plans must be submitted to CAB by the agency responsible for a 11 child’s placement when revisions are developed. 12 The bill requires CAB to review the activities and actions of 13 the court appointed special advocate program. 14 The bill changes the scope of the annual report prepared 15 by CAB. Under current law, the report must include personal 16 data regarding the total number of days of foster care provided 17 and the characteristics of the children receiving foster care; 18 the number of placements of children in foster care; and the 19 frequency and results of court reviews. The bill provides that 20 the annual report shall include information on all children 21 served by CAB and all data regarding the total number of days 22 of foster care provided and the characteristics of the children 23 receiving foster care, and eliminates the requirement to 24 include the frequency and results of court reviews. 25 The bill requires CAB to evaluate the data collected by 26 local boards and court appointed special advocates, and 27 disseminate the data to the governor, DHS, child-placing 28 agencies, and the state court administrator for dissemination 29 to the supreme court and the chief judge of each judicial 30 district. Under current law, data collected is limited to 31 judicial and administrative data on foster care, and CAB must 32 give the evaluation directly to the supreme court and the chief 33 judge of each judicial district instead of the state court 34 administrator. 35 -12- LSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh 12/ 17
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ The bill replaces mandatory training requirements for CAB 1 members with mandatory training concerning the duties of CAB; 2 the duties of local boards; the duties of court appointed 3 special advocates; and applicable child welfare laws and 4 practices that influence the work of local boards and court 5 appointed special advocates. 6 The bill combines CAB’s duty to establish procedures for 7 local boards with the requirement to establish a mandatory 8 training program for local board members; eliminates the 9 requirement that CAB assist local boards in reviewing cases of 10 children receiving foster care; eliminates the requirement that 11 CAB coordinate with DIA regarding the administrative functions 12 of the board; and eliminates the requirement for CAB to work 13 in conjunction with the legislative services agency and in 14 consultation with DHS, the supreme court, and private foster 15 care providers to develop and maintain an evaluation program 16 regarding citizen foster care review programming. 17 The bill requires CAB to implement the court appointed 18 special advocate program as deemed necessary to effectuate its 19 purpose, rather than to implement the program in additional 20 areas of the state. The bill also combines this requirement 21 with the duty to employ court appointed special advocate 22 program staff as available funding provides. 23 The bill makes terminology changes from “ongoing education” 24 to “continuing education” for the purpose of establishing 25 continuing education requirements for court appointment special 26 advocates (CASAs). 27 The bill provides that the duties of a CASA with respect 28 to a child, unless directed by a court or juvenile court 29 with jurisdiction over the child after a finding of good 30 cause, shall include conducting in-person interviews with 31 the child every 30 days, if the child’s age is appropriate 32 for the interview, and interviewing each parent, guardian, 33 or other person having custody of the child as needed, if 34 authorized by counsel; visiting the home, residence, or both 35 -13- LSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh 13/ 17
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ the home and residence of the child and any prospective home 1 or residence of the child, including each time placement is 2 changed; interviewing any person providing medical, mental 3 health, social, educational, or other services to the child; 4 obtaining firsthand knowledge, if possible, of the facts, 5 circumstances, and parties involved in the matter in which the 6 CASA is appointed; attending any depositions, hearings, and 7 trial proceedings in a matter in which the CASA is appointed; 8 assisting the transition committee in the development of a 9 transition plan if the child’s case permanency plan calls for 10 the development of a transition plan; submitting a written 11 report to the juvenile court and to each of the parties that a 12 CASA may disclose case-related observations and recommendations 13 prior to each hearing unless otherwise ordered by the court; 14 submitting periodic reports to the court or juvenile court with 15 jurisdiction over a child and interested parties detailing 16 the child’s situation as long as the child remains under 17 the jurisdiction of the court or juvenile court; and filing 18 other reports as ordered by a court or juvenile court. The 19 bill also requires that a CASA report prepared for a hearing 20 include but not be limited to the identified strengths of the 21 child and the child’s family, concerns of the CASA, the CASA’s 22 recommendations regarding placement of the child, and other 23 recommendations the CASA believes are in the child’s best 24 interests. 25 The bill requires that a CASA receive notice of all 26 depositions, hearings, and trial proceedings relating to a 27 matter to which the CASA is appointed. 28 The bill requires CAB to make recommendations to the state 29 court administrator for dissemination to the supreme court and 30 the chief judge of each judicial district instead of providing 31 the recommendations to the supreme court and chief judge of 32 each judicial district directly. 33 LOCAL CITIZEN FOSTER CARE REVIEW BOARDS. The bill changes 34 the required composition of local boards from five members 35 -14- LSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh 14/ 17
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ and two alternate members to a minimum of five members and a 1 maximum of seven members. The bill also allows CAB to appoint 2 local board members without consulting the chief judge of the 3 appropriate judicial district. 4 Under current law, local board members must consist of 5 persons of various social, economic, racial, and ethnic groups 6 and occupations of their district. The bill changes this 7 requirement to provide that members of each local board, to 8 the extent possible, must consist of the various racial and 9 ethnic groups and occupations of their district. The bill also 10 allows a person employed by DIA to serve on a local board and 11 eliminates the requirement for CAB to provide the names of the 12 members of local boards to DHS. 13 The bill removes language relating to the payment of local 14 board members. 15 The bill requires members of a local board to pass background 16 checks and complete requirements as established by CAB prior to 17 taking an oath of confidentiality to serve on a local board, 18 and requires local board members to receive periodic continuing 19 education during each term of service as established by CAB. 20 The bill requires local boards to review the efforts of the 21 foster care agency responsible for the placement of a child to 22 locate and provide services to a child’s biological or adoptive 23 parents, legal guardians, or fictive kin providing the majority 24 of a child’s daily food, lodging, and support. Under current 25 law, the local board is not required to review an agency’s 26 efforts to locate and provide services to a child’s legal 27 guardian or fictive kin. 28 The bill allows a person to either attend a local board 29 meeting or submit a statement rather than provide testimony. 30 The bill also allows an interested party to provide a statement 31 in a private setting upon request of the interested party or 32 motion of the local board. Statements may be made in written, 33 oral, or electronic form. 34 The bill specifies that a local board review shall pertain 35 -15- LSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh 15/ 17
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ to a permanency plan and shall not include issues that do not 1 pertain to the permanency plan. 2 The bill allows an agency or individual providing foster 3 care services to a child to submit testimony as requested 4 by a local board via written or recorded statements. Under 5 current law, such testimony may be written or oral or may be 6 a tape recorded telephone call. The bill also allows local 7 boards to consider written or recorded statements from other 8 interested parties in its review. Under current law, a local 9 board is only allowed to consider written testimony from other 10 interested parties. 11 The bill requires a local board to submit to DHS, within 12 15 days after a review of a child’s case, the findings and 13 recommendations of the review. 14 The bill adds an intervenor in a child’s case as a person a 15 local board is required to notify of a local board meeting. 16 CONFIDENTIALITY OF FOSTER CARE RECORDS. The bill requires 17 DHS, an agent of DHS, or a child placement agency contracted 18 by DHS to provide information and records relating to a child 19 receiving foster care and to the child’s family to a court 20 appointed special advocate, a local board, or CAB upon request 21 by the court appointed special advocate, CAB, or a local board. 22 Under current law, such information and records can only be 23 provided to a local board or to CAB, and the information can 24 only be provided by DHS or a child placement agency receiving 25 purchase-of-service funds from DHS. 26 The bill allows a court with jurisdiction of a child 27 receiving foster care to release information and records the 28 court deems necessary to determine the needs of the child to a 29 local board or court appointed special advocate upon request of 30 the local board or court appointed special advocate. 31 The bill requires that if confidential information and 32 records are distributed to a court appointed special advocate 33 or court appointed special advocate program staff, the 34 information shall be confidential and the court appointed 35 -16- LSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh 16/ 17
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ special advocate and court appointed special advocate program 1 staff shall take appropriate steps to prevent unauthorized 2 disclosure. 3 The bill allows a court appointed special advocate to 4 disclose case-related observations and recommendations at a 5 local board meeting. The bill also allows a court appointed 6 special advocate to disclose case-related observations and 7 recommendations about a child and the child’s parent or about a 8 child and the child’s legal guardian to the parent or guardian 9 to which the observations and recommendations pertain or to 10 such parent or guardian’s legal representative. 11 CASE PERMANENCY PLAN. The bill includes care and services 12 provided to a child’s primary caregivers and efforts made to 13 place a child with fictive kin as information to be included in 14 a child’s case permanency plan. 15 DEFINITIONS. The bill amends the definition of “court 16 appointed special advocate” for purposes of Code chapter 232 17 (juvenile justice) and in Code chapter 237 (foster care review) 18 to mean a person duly certified by the child advocacy board 19 created in Code section 237.16 for participation in the court 20 appointed special advocate program and appointed by the court 21 to carry out the duties required of a court appointed special 22 advocate. 23 The bill defines “fictive kin” as a person who is not a 24 relative of a child but who has an emotionally significant 25 positive relationship with the child or the child’s family. 26 CONFORMING CODE CHANGES. The bill makes conforming changes 27 to Code sections 237.18 (duties of CAB), 237.20 (local citizen 28 foster care review board duties), and 237.22 (case permanency 29 plan). 30 -17- LSB 5168DP (11) 89 dg/rh 17/ 17
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