Child Welfare

Requires the Department of Children and Families to maintain copies of paper-based assessments used for safe-harbor placement and submit detailed annual reports on commercial sexual exploitation of children.

Creates a 4-year pilot program for treatment foster care targeting children with high behavioral health needs, starting July 1, 2025, with implementation by January 1, 2026.

Establishes a recruitment program to attract individuals with public safety and service experience (such as law enforcement and military) to work as child protective investigators and case managers.

Removes the requirement for lead agencies to post fidelity bonds while adding immunity protections for subcontractors from liability for lead agency acts or omissions.

Mandates human trafficking training for foster parents and agency staff, including identification of at-risk children and prevention strategies.

Requires child care operators to obtain a director credential and establishes minimum training standards for child care personnel.

Allows the department to waive certain domestic violence center certification requirements in emergency situations to ensure continuity of services.

Creates a case management workforce workgroup to study and improve case management practices, with a report due by December 1, 2025.

Requires a detailed study on bed capacity and treatment services for child victims of commercial sexual exploitation, completed by December 31, 2025.

Requires the Department of Children and Families to maintain copies of assessments and tools used to assess children for safe house or safe foster home placement, and to maintain individual-level data in a specified format for analysis.

Creates a new child protective investigator and case manager recruitment program to attract individuals with public safety and service backgrounds to child welfare positions.

Establishes a 4-year pilot program for treatment foster care beginning July 1, 2025, with specific eligibility criteria, placement limits, and evaluation requirements.

Amends domestic violence center certification requirements to allow the department to waive the 18-month operation history requirement in emergency situations and issue provisional certificates.

Adds new training requirements for child care personnel, including a 40-clock-hour introductory course and annual continuing education, with provisions for community college credit.

Removes the requirement for lead agencies to post a fidelity bond while maintaining the performance bond requirement, and adds immunity from liability for subcontractors of lead agencies.

Creates a case management workforce workgroup to study current practices, identify barriers, and make recommendations for improving case management processes.

Requires a detailed study of bed capacity and service gaps for child victims of commercial sexual exploitation to be completed by December 31, 2025.

Adds human trafficking training requirements for foster parents and agency staff, including preservice and annual inservice training.

Requires child care facility directors to obtain a credential and adds training requirements for prekindergarten directors.

Added requirement for the Department of Children and Families to maintain copies of paper-based assessments or tools used to assess children for safe-harbor placement, to be provided to the Legislature upon request.

Modified data reporting requirements to specify that the department must maintain individual-level data in a format allowing extraction and analysis of anonymized data upon legislative request.

Added detailed requirements for the recruitment program including quarterly data collection on applicants hired and turnover rates, and authority to adopt rules for implementation.

Added specific standards for the treatment foster care pilot program including a 9-month maximum placement with a 3-month extension option, limits of two children per home, and 24-hour crisis intervention requirements.

Added requirement for the department to submit a final report to the Governor and Legislature by January 1, 2030, including independent evaluation findings and recommendations for program expansion.

Added specific funding provisions: $3 million recurring funds for the Treatment Foster Care Pilot Program, $100,000 recurring and $200,000 nonrecurring funds for the Child Protective Investigator and Case Manager Recruitment Program.

Added specific implementation dates: pilot program implementation by January 1, 2026; workgroup convening by July 1, 2025; workgroup operation until December 1, 2025; final report due January 1, 2030.