2018 -- S 2582

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LC003187

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2018

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN,

YOUTH AND FAMILIES

     

     Introduced By: Senators DiPalma, Euer, Seveney, and Coyne

     Date Introduced: March 01, 2018

     Referred To: Senate Judiciary

     It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 2. Sections 42-72-36 and 42-72-36.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 42-72

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entitled "Department of Children, Youth and Families" are hereby amended to read as follows:

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     42-72-36. Residential placement capacity Residential placement.

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     (a) Effective January 1, 2009, and for any day thereafter, the department's approved

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capacity for out-of-home residential placements, excluding foster homes, shall not exceed the

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total of one thousand (1,000) out-of-home residential placements. The department is authorized to

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reinvest any savings that result from reductions in out-of-home residential placements, into

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developing additional community-based services for children and their families. For the purposes

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of this section, out-of-home residential placements shall exclude foster and kinship placements.

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     (b) The department shall create a process overseen by the director or their designee for

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reviewing a determination that out-of-home residential placement is appropriate to meet a

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specified treatment need in an effort to ensure that a child is placed in the least restrictive

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placement. Said process shall include a level of needs assessment, when available, trauma

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screening, when available, a determination that out-of-home residential placement is necessary to

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meet treatment needs of the child, and a timeframe in which the department will approve or deny

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the out-of-home residential placement.

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     (c) Out-of-home residential placements shall be prohibited for children under the age of

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thirteen (13) years unless the child's specific needs cannot be met in kinship or foster care and the

 

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director approves the placement.

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     (d) Nothing in this section shall prohibit the department from utilizing out-of-home

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residential placements when:

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     (1) An immediate limited-time placement is necessary and no family-based placements

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are available, including appropriate kinship or foster homes, so long as approval for the

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placement is granted pursuant to the process described in subsection (b) of this section; or

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     (2) An out-of-home residential placement is specifically ordered by the court to meet a

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specified treatment need not able to be met in a family-based setting.

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     (e) The department shall have the affirmative duty to continue to diligently pursue an

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appropriate kinship or foster home placement when a child is placed in an out-of-home residential

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placement pursuant to subsection (d)(l) of this section.

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     (f) The department shall provide quarterly reports to the president of the senate and

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speaker of the house detailing the number of children within the care and custody of the

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department, the number and percentage of children in foster care, kinship care and out-of-home

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residential placements, in-state and out-of-state, by age, race, ethnicity and gender. The

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department shall provide additional performance measures, including, but not limited to, length of

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stay in out-of-home residential placement; the number of removals of children that result in

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setting that matches treatment needs evidenced by assessments, incidents of maltreatment while

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in care, rates of achieving permanent homes, reunification and return to state care, and school

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attendance, performance and graduation rate.

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     42-72-36.1. System reform and rebalancing goal.

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     (a) On or before October 1, 2016, the department of children, youth and families shall

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begin to implement a strategy to transition from reliance on congregate-care placements to greater

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use of foster homes with community-based services for children and families. Said strategy shall

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ensure quality outcomes, performance measures, and incentives that promote service excellence

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and improve the system's overall stability by reinvesting the benefits that accrue from the more

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efficient and effective utilization of congregate care, foster homes, and community-based

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services. Attaining systemwide reform of the magnitude set forth herein shall require rebalancing

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the system by making significant changes in the organization, financing, and delivery of services

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that must be implemented incrementally.

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     (b) The department, in consultation with service providers, shall develop an annual plan

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for public and private recruitment of foster families that is strategic in targeting the communities

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from which children are most frequently removed and in identifying the probable needs of those

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children. The department shall develop comprehensive supports and services that are easily

 

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accessible to kinship and foster parents. Supports and services shall include, but are not limited

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to, the following: a method to quickly and adequately respond to kinship and foster parent's

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questions, issues or concerns; assistance to kinship caregivers throughout licensing process; and

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assisting kinship and foster parents in referring and accessing appropriate services and supports

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needed by the child.

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     (c) The department shall annually report to the president of the senate and the speaker of

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the house the number of foster homes who have had a child placement within the last twelve (12)

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months, the number of foster homes who have not had a child placement within the last twelve

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(12) months; the number and percentage of foster homes who voluntarily ceased to accept

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children; a description of recruitment efforts in communities with high removal rates of children

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and number of foster homes in that community; a description of recruitment efforts and the

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number of foster parents by race and ethnicity; a description of recruitment efforts and the

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number of foster parents whose home is appropriate for developmentally or otherwise disabled

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children, sexually exploited youth, youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or

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questioning, minority youth and other special populations; the recruitment efforts and the number

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of foster homes that are able to accept sibling groups; and any other relevant information

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regarding the recruitment and development of a robust public and private foster family system.

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     SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO STATE AFFAIRS AND GOVERNMENT - DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN,

YOUTH AND FAMILIES

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     This act would create a process within DCYF for reviewing a determination that out-of-

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home residential placement is appropriate in an effort to ensure that a child is placed in the least

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restrictive placement. This act would also require DCYF to develop a plan for recruiting foster

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families.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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