AB824: Bill Text

AB824,2,12 (b) Receiving adequate and healthful food and adequate clothing.

AB824,2,13 (c) Receiving medical, dental, vision, and mental health services.

AB824,2,15 (d) Having fair and equal access to all available services, placement, care, treatment, and benefits.

AB824,2,16 (e) Having storage space for private use.

AB824,2,18 (f) Being free from physical, sexual, emotional, or other abuse or corporal punishment.

AB824,2,20 (g) Being free from the administration of medication or chemical substances, unless authorized by a physician.

AB824,2,21 (h) Not being locked in any room.

AB824,2,22 (i) Being free from unreasonable searches of personal belongings.

AB824,3,2 (j) Being free from discrimination or harassment on the basis of the foster child's actual or perceived race, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, or human immunodeficiency virus status.

AB824,3,3 (k) Contacting family members, unless prohibited by court order.

AB824,3,4 (L) Visiting and contacting siblings, unless prohibited by court order.

AB824,3,8 (m) Contacting the department, a county department, or a licensed child welfare agency regarding violations of rights or requesting a change in placement, speaking to representatives of those agencies confidentially, and being free from threats or punishments for making complaints.

AB824,3,11 (n) Making and receiving confidential telephone calls and sending and receiving confidential mail and electronic mail, if electronic mail is available at the foster child's placement.

AB824,3,12 (o) Attending court hearings and speaking to the judge.

AB824,3,15 (p) Reviewing the foster child's own permanency plan if the foster child is over 12 years of age and receiving information about that permanency plan and any changes to that permanency plan.

AB824,3,16 (q) Attending religious services and activities of the foster child's choice.

AB824,3,18 (r) Managing personal income, consistent with the foster child's age and developmental level, unless prohibited by the foster child's case plan.

AB824,3,21 (s) Attending school and participating in extracurricular, cultural, and personal enrichment activities, consistent with the foster child's age and developmental level.

AB824,3,23 (t) Working, as permitted under state and federal law, and developing job skills at an age-appropriate level.

AB824,3,25 (u) Having social contacts with people outside of the child welfare system, such as teachers, church members, mentors, and friends.

AB824,4,4 (v) Having access, if the foster child is 14 years of age or over, to information regarding the educational options available, including the prerequisites for vocational and postsecondary education options and information regarding financial aid for postsecondary education.

AB824,4,13 (3) When a child is placed in a foster home, the department, county department, or licensed child welfare agency placing the child shall provide the child with a written copy of the expectations for foster children in the child's primary language, if possible, and shall inform the child of the expectations orally using language or means that are appropriate to the child's age and developmental level and that ensure that the child understands the meaning of the expectations. The department, county department, or licensed child welfare agency shall include relevant community-specific contact information and other information in the copy of the expectations or in material accompanying the copy of the expectations.

Note: Requires DCF to create expectations for foster children by rule and requires DCF, a county department, or a licensed child welfare agency placing a child in a foster home to provide the child with a written copy of the expectations in the child's primary language, if possible, when the child is placed in the foster home and to inform the child of the expectations orally using language or means that are appropriate to the child's age and developmental level and that ensure that the child understands the meaning of the expectations. The copy of the expectations or material accompanying the copy of the expectations must include relevant community-specific contact information and other information.

AB824, s. 2 Section 2. 48.649 of the statutes is created to read:

AB824,4,18 48.649 Expectations for foster parents. (1) The department and all county departments and licensed child welfare agencies shall assure that all foster parents have the expectation of being treated with dignity, respect, and consideration as a professional member of the child welfare team.

AB824,5,3 (2) The department shall promulgate rules setting forth the expectations for foster parents. Those expectations may include the expectations of any of the following:

AB824,5,5 (a) Being given training prior to receiving children in the home and appropriate ongoing training to the foster parent's needs and improve the foster parent's skills.

AB824,5,8 (b) Being informed of how to contact the appropriate agency in order to receive information on and assistance in accessing supportive services for a child in the foster parent's care.

AB824,5,11 (c) Receiving timely financial reimbursement commensurate with the care needs of a foster child in the foster parent's care as specified in the foster child's permanency plan.

AB824,5,14 (d) Being provided with a clear, written understanding of the permanency plan and case plan of a child who is placed in the foster parent's care to the extent that those plans concern the placement of the child in the foster parent's home.

AB824,5,18 (e) Being provided a fair, timely, and impartial investigation of complaints concerning the foster parent's licensure, being provided with the opportunity to have a person of the foster parent's choosing present during the investigation, and being provided due process during the investigation.

AB824,5,21 (f) Receiving information that is necessary and relevant to the care of a foster child who is placed in the foster parent's care at any time during which the foster child is placed with the foster parent.

AB824,5,25 (g) Being notified of scheduled meetings, and being provided with information, relating to the case management of a foster child who is placed in the foster parent's care in order to actively participate in the case planning and decision-making process regarding the foster child.

AB824,6,3 (h) Being informed of decisions regarding a foster child who is placed in the foster parent's care made by the court or by the agency responsible for the care and placement of the foster child.

AB824,6,9 (i) Providing input concerning the case plan of a foster child who is placed in the foster parent's care and having that input given full consideration in the same manner as information presented by any other professional member of the child welfare team and communicating with other professionals who work with the foster child within the context of the child welfare team, including therapists, physicians, and teachers.

AB824,6,13 (j) Being given, in a timely and consistent manner, any information a case worker has regarding a foster child who is placed in the foster parent's care and the foster child's family that is pertinent to the care and needs of the foster child and to the making of a case plan for the foster child.

AB824,6,15 (k) Being given clear instruction on the disclosure of information concerning a foster child who is placed in the foster parent's care and the foster child's family.

AB824,6,20 (L) Being given reasonable written notice of any changes to the permanency plan of a foster child who is placed in the foster parent's care, any plans to remove a foster child from the foster parent's home, and the reasons for removing the foster child from the foster parent's home, except under circumstances when the foster child is in imminent risk of harm.

AB824,6,23 (m) Being notified in a timely and complete manner of all court hearings concerning a foster child who is placed in the foster parent's home and of the rights of the foster parent at those hearings.

AB824,7,3 (n) Being considered as a placement option when a foster child who was formerly placed with the foster parent reenters foster care, if that placement is consistent with the best interest of the child and of any other children in the home.

AB824,7,6 (o) Having timely access to any administrative or judicial appeal processes and being free from acts of harassment and retaliation by any other party when exercising the right to appeal.

AB824,7,7 (p) Requesting reasonable periods of respite care.

AB824,7,18 (3) When the department, a county department, or a licensed child welfare agency issues a license to operate a foster home to a foster parent, the department, county department, or licensed child welfare agency shall provide the foster parent with a written copy of the expectations for foster parents in his or her primary language, if possible, and shall inform the foster parent of the expectations orally using language or means that ensure that the foster parent understands the meaning of the expectations. The department, county department, or licensed child welfare agency shall include relevant community-specific contact information and other information in the copy of the expectations or in material accompanying the copy of the expectations. The expectations may also be provided to prospective foster parents during training or otherwise.

Note: Requires DCF to create expectations for foster parents by rule and requires DCF, a county department, or a licensed child welfare agency that licenses a foster parent to operate a foster home to provide the foster parent with a written copy of the expectations in the foster parent's primary language, if possible, when DCF, the county department, or licensed child welfare agency issues the license and to inform the foster parent orally of the expectations using language and means that ensure that the foster parent understands the meaning of the expectations. The copy of the expectations or material accompanying the copy of the expectations must include relevant community-specific contact information and other information. The expectations may also be provided to prospective foster parents during training or otherwise.

AB824, s. 3 Section 3. Nonstatutory provisions.

AB824,8,5 (1) The department of children and families shall submit in proposed form the rules required under sections 48.648 and 48.649 of the statutes, as created by this act, to the legislative council staff under section 227.15 (1) of the statutes no later than the first day of the 6th month beginning after the effective date of this subsection.

AB824,8,6 (End)