Senate Bill sb1372c1
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Florida Senate - 2006 CS for SB 1372
By the Committee on Judiciary; and Senator Wise
590-1978-06
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to children in foster care;
3 providing for the creation of the Community
4 Advisory Panel on Foster Care Pilot Program in
5 Duval County; providing purposes and goals;
6 providing for cooperative participation by
7 specified entities and individuals; creating
8 the Community Advisory Panel on Foster Care;
9 providing for panel membership; providing for a
10 chairperson; providing duties of specified
11 judges and panel members; providing for
12 administration by a community-based care lead
13 agency; providing for hiring specified
14 personnel; requiring development of an
15 assessment tool to determine the effectiveness
16 of the program; requiring an annual report;
17 providing for future expiration of the pilot
18 program; providing an appropriation; requiring
19 a contract with the community-based care lead
20 agency; providing an effective date.
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22 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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24 Section 1. Community Advisory Panel on Foster Care
25 Pilot Program; creation; purpose; panel membership; court and
26 panel duties; administration; evaluation.--
27 (1) There is created the Community Advisory Panel on
28 Foster Care Pilot Program in Duval County. The purpose of the
29 program is to identify educational needs and follow-up
30 strategies for foster children who are 6 through 12 years of
31 age and are enrolled in the Duval County school system. The
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Florida Senate - 2006 CS for SB 1372
590-1978-06
1 goal of the program is to ensure that youth who are in foster
2 care will be tested appropriately and placed in an educational
3 environment that optimizes their opportunities for success.
4 (2) The pilot program shall consist of the cooperative
5 efforts of:
6 (a) The Community Advisory Panel on Foster Care, as
7 created under this section;
8 (b) The community-based care lead agency for foster
9 care and adoption in Duval County;
10 (c) The case managers assigned to children in foster
11 care;
12 (d) The Duval County School Board;
13 (e) Nova Southeastern University;
14 (f) The foster care parents of children currently in
15 the foster care system;
16 (g) When possible, the natural parents of children
17 currently in the foster care system; and
18 (h) The circuit court judge hearing a foster care
19 case.
20 (3)(a) The Community Advisory Panel on Foster Care is
21 created in the Fourth Judicial Circuit and shall consist of
22 the chief judge for the circuit, or another judge from the
23 circuit designated by the chief judge who is the lead judge in
24 the area of dependency and adoption, and 15 community
25 volunteers who are community leaders having abilities and
26 expertise in diverse areas. The chief judge, or the judge
27 designated by the chief judge, shall serve as the chair of the
28 panel. The 15 volunteers shall be comprised of:
29 1. Four members appointed by the chief judge, or by
30 the judge designated by the chief judge;
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Florida Senate - 2006 CS for SB 1372
590-1978-06
1 2. Four members appointed by the Secretary of Children
2 and Family Services, or his or her designee;
3 3. Four members appointed by the Duval County School
4 Board; and
5 4. Three members appointed by the guardian ad litem
6 for Duval County.
7 (b) The chief judge, or the judge from the circuit
8 designated by the chief judge, may issue orders and obtain
9 educational information relating to the students who are 6 to
10 12 years of age and are in the foster care system in District
11 IV of the department. Pursuant to the order, the panel shall
12 review the academic progress, behavioral issues, and
13 attendance of each student and shall recommend referral of any
14 student for whom the review demonstrates a need for follow-up
15 services. The panel may prioritize referrals by assessing the
16 severity of need and recommending that the most critical needs
17 be met first. A student who is failing may be referred for
18 educational testing, for additional psychological and
19 therapeutic counseling as recommended, or for both, to
20 determine why he or she is failing and what accommodations and
21 remediation are needed.
22 (4) The community-based care lead agency shall provide
23 administrative support for the Community Advisory Panel on
24 Foster Care and for the operation of the pilot program. To
25 help facilitate the duties of the panel, the agency shall
26 employ:
27 (a) A full-time project coordinator who shall assist
28 the student's case manager in identifying resources for
29 educational testing and psychological and therapeutic
30 counseling. In addition, the project coordinator shall oversee
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Florida Senate - 2006 CS for SB 1372
590-1978-06
1 the development of an assessment tool that is designed to
2 determine the effectiveness of the pilot program.
3 1. The purpose of the assessment tool is to link
4 systems among providers of educational services, psychological
5 services, and case-management services and the court system.
6 2. The entity that designs the assessment tool must,
7 during the first year of the pilot program, undertake the
8 following tasks:
9 a. Discovery. This phase includes meeting with
10 information technology staff from the department, school board
11 staff, and case managers.
12 b. Development. This phase consists of determining the
13 best method for data entry, the best database, and the best
14 data format.
15 c. Implementation. This phase comprises completing,
16 testing, and delivering the assessment tool.
17 d. Maintenance. This phase involves developing a
18 maintenance plan and schedule, after the initiation of the
19 assessment tool.
20 (b) A full-time psychologist who shall provide
21 educational testing and psychological and therapeutic
22 counseling to foster care children and provide advice,
23 research, assessments, and other services to the judges.
24 (5) The project coordinator shall submit an annual
25 report on the pilot program to the chief judge of the Fourth
26 Judicial Circuit, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of
27 the House of Representatives, the State Courts Administrator,
28 and the Secretary of Children and Family Services.
29 (6) The pilot program expires on July 1, 2009.
30 Section 2. The sum of $300,000 is appropriated from
31 the General Revenue Fund to the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court
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Florida Senate - 2006 CS for SB 1372
590-1978-06
1 in Duval County for the 2006-2007 fiscal year, to be used in
2 implementing the Community Advisory Panel on Foster Care Pilot
3 Program created by this act. The chief judge of the Fourth
4 Judicial Circuit shall contract with the community-based care
5 lead agency for foster care and adoption in Duval County for
6 services associated with the administration of the pilot
7 program as provided in this act.
8 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.
9
10 STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
11 Senate Bill 1372
12
13 The committee substitute makes the following changes to the
underlying bill:
14
-- Restructures provisions and revises language for clarity
15 and consistency;
16 -- Lists additional entities participating in the pilot
program, including the local school board, Nova
17 Southeastern University, foster care and natural parents,
and the circuit court judge hearing a foster care case;
18
-- Clarifies references to the chief judge and his or her
19 designee;
20 -- Makes the provision relating to referrals for further
educational testing and psychological treatment
21 permissive rather than mandatory, allowing for a
case-by-case determination of whether services are
22 needed;
23 -- Adds the State Courts Administrator and the Secretary of
Children and Family Services to the list of persons
24 receiving the annual report on the pilot program; and
25 -- Requires the chief judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit
to contract with the community-based care lead agency for
26 services related to the program.
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