Florida Senate - 2006                      COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
    Bill No. SB 1372
                        Barcode 692684
                            CHAMBER ACTION
              Senate                               House
                                   .                    
                                   .                    
 1           Comm: RCS             .                    
       03/22/2006 04:44 PM         .                    
 2                                 .                    
                                   .                    
 3                                 .                    
                                   .                    
 4  ______________________________________________________________
 5  
 6  
 7  
 8  
 9  
10  ______________________________________________________________
11  The Committee on Judiciary (Webster) recommended the following
12  amendment:
13  
14         Senate Amendment (with title amendment) 
15         Delete everything after the enacting clause
16  
17  and insert:
18         Section 1.  Community Advisory Panel on Foster Care
19  Pilot Program; creation; purpose; panel membership; court and
20  panel duties; administration; evaluation.--
21         (1)  There is created the Community Advisory Panel on
22  Foster Care Pilot Program in Duval County. The purpose of the
23  program is to identify educational needs and follow-up
24  strategies for foster children who are 6 through 12 years of
25  age and are enrolled in the Duval County school system. The
26  goal of the program is to ensure that youth who are in foster
27  care will be tested appropriately and placed in an educational
28  environment that optimizes their opportunities for success.
29         (2)  The pilot program shall consist of the cooperative
30  efforts of:
31         (a)  The Community Advisory Panel on Foster Care, as
                                  1
    1:59 PM   03/21/06                              s1372.ju09.01p

Florida Senate - 2006 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT Bill No. SB 1372 Barcode 692684 1 created under this section; 2 (b) The community-based care lead agency for foster 3 care and adoption in Duval County; 4 (c) The case managers assigned to children in foster 5 care; 6 (d) The Duval County School Board; 7 (e) Nova Southeastern University; 8 (f) The foster care parents of children currently in 9 the foster care system; 10 (g) When possible, the natural parents of children 11 currently in the foster care system; and 12 (h) The circuit court judge hearing a foster care 13 case. 14 (3)(a) The Community Advisory Panel on Foster Care is 15 created in the Fourth Judicial Circuit and shall consist of 16 the chief judge for the circuit, or another judge from the 17 circuit designated by the chief judge who is the lead judge in 18 the area of dependency and adoption, and 15 community 19 volunteers who are community leaders with diverse areas of 20 abilities and expertise. The chief judge, or the judge 21 designated by the chief judge, shall serve as the chair of the 22 panel. The 15 volunteers shall be comprised of: 23 1. Four members appointed by the chief judge, or by 24 the judge designated by the chief judge; 25 2. Four members appointed by the Secretary of the 26 Department of Children and Family Services, or his or her 27 designee; 28 3. Four members appointed by the Duval County School 29 Board; and 30 4. Three members appointed by the guardian ad litem 31 for Duval County. 2 1:59 PM 03/21/06 s1372.ju09.01p
Florida Senate - 2006 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT Bill No. SB 1372 Barcode 692684 1 (b) The chief judge, or the judge from the circuit 2 designated by the chief judge, may issue orders and obtain 3 educational information relating to the students who are 6 to 4 12 years of age and are in the foster care system in District 5 IV of the department. Pursuant to the order the panel shall 6 review the academic progress, behavioral issues, and 7 attendance of each student and shall recommend referral of any 8 student for whom the review demonstrates a need for follow-up 9 services. The panel may prioritize referrals by assessing the 10 severity of need and recommending that the most critical needs 11 be met first. A student who is failing may be referred for 12 educational testing, for additional psychological and 13 therapeutic counseling as recommended, or for both, to 14 determine why he or she is failing and what accommodations and 15 remediation are needed. 16 (4) The community-based care lead agency shall provide 17 administrative support for the Community Advisory Panel on 18 Foster Care and for the operation of the pilot program. To 19 help facilitate the duties of the panel, the agency shall 20 employ: 21 (a) A full-time project coordinator who shall assist 22 the student's case manager in identifying resources for 23 educational testing and psychological and therapeutic 24 counseling. In addition, the project coordinator shall oversee 25 the development of an assessment tool that is designed to 26 determine the effectiveness of the pilot program. 27 1. The purpose of the assessment tool is to link 28 systems among providers of educational services, psychological 29 services, and case management services and the court system. 30 2. The entity that designs the assessment tool must, 31 during the first year of the pilot program, undertake the 3 1:59 PM 03/21/06 s1372.ju09.01p
Florida Senate - 2006 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT Bill No. SB 1372 Barcode 692684 1 following tasks: 2 a. Discovery. This phase includes meeting with 3 information technology staff from the department, school board 4 staff, and case managers. 5 b. Development. This phase consists of determining the 6 best method for data entry, the best database, and the best 7 data format. 8 c. Implementation. This phase comprises completing, 9 testing, and delivering the assessment tool. 10 d. Maintenance. This phase involves developing a 11 maintenance plan and schedule, after the initiation of the 12 assessment tool. 13 (b) A full-time psychologist who shall provide 14 educational testing and psychological and therapeutic 15 counseling to foster care children and provide advice, 16 research, assessments, and other services to the judges. 17 (5) The project coordinator shall submit an annual 18 report on the pilot program to the chief judge of the Fourth 19 Judicial Circuit, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of 20 the House of Representatives, the State Courts Administrator, 21 and the Secretary of the Department of Children and Family 22 Services. 23 (6) The pilot program expires on July 1, 2009. 24 Section 2. The sum of $300,000 is appropriated from 25 the General Revenue Fund to the Department of Children and 26 Family Services for the community-based care lead agency for 27 foster care and adoption in Duval County for the 2006-2007 28 fiscal year, to be used in implementing the Community Advisory 29 Panel on Foster Care Pilot Program created in section 1 of 30 this act. 31 4 1:59 PM 03/21/06 s1372.ju09.01p
Florida Senate - 2006 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT Bill No. SB 1372 Barcode 692684 1 ================ T I T L E A M E N D M E N T =============== 2 And the title is amended as follows: 3 Delete everything before the enacting clause 4 5 and insert: 6 A bill to be entitled 7 An act relating to children in foster care; 8 providing for the creation of the Community 9 Advisory Panel on Foster Care Pilot Program in 10 Duval County; providing purposes and goals; 11 providing for cooperative participation by 12 specified entities and individuals; creating 13 the Community Advisory Panel on Foster Care; 14 providing for panel membership; providing for a 15 chairperson; providing duties of specified 16 judges and panel members; providing for 17 administration by a community-based care lead 18 agency; providing for hiring specified 19 personnel; requiring development of an 20 assessment tool to determine the effectiveness 21 of the program; requiring an annual report; 22 providing for future expiration of the pilot 23 program; providing an appropriation; providing 24 an effective date. 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 5 1:59 PM 03/21/06 s1372.ju09.01p