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.

21  

22  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

23  

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;

31  

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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

31  

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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.

27  

28  

29  

30  

31  

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