Placement Transition Plans for Children

Added language to Section 23 requiring that the Individualized Placement Transition Plan prioritize the child's mental, emotional, and physical needs while also considering the needs of parents, current providers, and future providers in relation to the child's care.

Header and title page text were updated from 'REREVISED' to 'REVISED' and Senate sponsorship list was shortened, likely reflecting procedural status changes.

The deadline for creating Individualized Placement Transition Plans was changed from 'on or before July 1, 2026' to 'beginning July 1, 2026', altering when the requirement becomes effective.

The section title was updated from 'training' to 'rules' to better reflect the legislative intent and content.

Sponsor lists for both House and Senate, committee assignments, and reading dates were added to reflect the bill's progression through the legislative process.

The primary definition was changed from 'Placement Transition Plan' to 'Individualized Placement Transition Plan' to reflect a more personalized approach.

Added 'non-certified kinship care home' to the definition of 'placement' to ensure these settings are covered by the transition plan requirements.

Clarified that the plan must be created for any placement change, including when a child is moved back to their home, and explicitly stated that the plan cannot be used to delay reunification.

Expanded the requirement for developing the plan to include prospective providers in the meeting, ensuring their input is considered during the transition process.

Changed the requirement for creating placement transition plans from a mandatory meeting to a meeting only if all parties agree, with a waiver option if a meeting is not needed.

Shifted responsibility for developing the placement transition plan template from county departments to the state Department of Human Services.

Simplified the terminology by removing 'Individualized' from the plan name and consolidating related concepts into a single 'Placement Transition Plan' definition.

Changed the implementation deadline from 'Beginning July 1, 2026' to 'On or before July 1, 2026' for developing the plan template.

Reorganized the bill structure and formatting to align with standard legislative procedures, including adding committee information and bill summary notes.

Formatting and capitalization corrections throughout the bill text, including standardizing section headers and subsection labels.

Reorganization of document structure with page headers and legislative notes added for clarity.

Minor spacing and punctuation adjustments in definitions and requirements sections.

Added additional sponsors to the bill, including Representatives Bradley, Joseph, Ricks, McCluskie and Senators Amabile, Cutter, Exum, Gonzales J., Jodeh, Kipp, Snyder, Winter F., and Coleman.

Added explicit language that Individualized Placement Transition Plans must prioritize the mental, emotional, and physical needs of the child while considering the needs of parents, current providers, and future providers.

Added a provision prohibiting the use of transition plans to slow down a child's return home, allowing courts to order specific completion dates to prevent delays.

Added specific requirements for sibling groups, allowing one transition plan for siblings as long as individualized needs are considered.

Added a requirement to notify the child, current provider, and future provider at least 48 hours before moving the child, absent an emergency.

Modified the requirement for soliciting input from parties and providers to clarify that input may be solicited during a meeting but a meeting is not required, and parties may choose not to provide input.

Added specific requirements for maintaining connections with siblings when not placed together, referencing existing law.

Added requirements for sharing information between current and future providers upon consent of both providers and the child.

Added requirements for communicating the transition plan with the child in an age-appropriate manner.

Added requirements for supporting Indian children to maintain or develop connections with their tribe pursuant to the Indian Child Welfare Act.

Modified the definition of 'Provider' to explicitly include relatives or kin providing non-certified kinship care.

Added seven new co-sponsors to the House sponsorship list (Bacon, Bird, Boesenecker, Brown, Duran, Garcia, Hamrick, Jackson, Lieder, Lindsay, Lukens, Sirota, Stewart K., Story, Zokaie).

Removed language allowing parties or providers to waive their right to participate in placement transition meetings.

Removed language allowing meetings to be waived entirely when all parties and providers agree they are not required.

Modified the sibling group provision to remove the ability to develop a single placement transition plan for multiple children, requiring individualized plans for each child.

Updated the bill summary to indicate it is a reengrossed version with amendments adopted in the House of Introduction, and added a date reference for April 14, 2025.

The term 'Individual Placement Transition Plan' was changed to 'Individualized Placement Transition Plan' to emphasize the personalized nature of the plan.

Added a requirement that the Individualized Placement Transition Plan must be documented in the state automated case management system.

Added a provision allowing a single Individualized Placement Transition Plan for sibling groups, provided the plan accounts for the individualized needs of each child.

The title of the new statute was modified to include 'training - rules - definitions' and 'out-of-home placements in family-based settings' for clarity and consistency.