Florida Senate - 2020                             CS for SB 1326
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Appropriations; and Senator Simpson
       
       
       
       
       
       576-04302-20                                          20201326c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the Department of Children and
    3         Families; amending s. 20.19, F.S.; revising duties and
    4         membership of community alliances; requiring the
    5         department to establish an Office of Quality;
    6         providing duties of the office; requiring the office
    7         to develop and submit a report to the Governor and the
    8         Legislature annually by a specified date; authorizing
    9         the department to adopt rules; amending s. 402.402,
   10         F.S.; deleting obsolete language; requiring the
   11         department to implement certain policies and programs;
   12         expanding requirements for an annual report required
   13         to be submitted by the department to the Governor and
   14         the Legislature; requiring that attorneys contracted
   15         with the department receive certain training; amending
   16         s. 409.988, F.S.; requiring community-based care lead
   17         agencies to identify an employee to serve as a liaison
   18         with the community alliance and community-based and
   19         faith-based organizations; requiring community-based
   20         care lead agencies to ensure that appropriate lead
   21         agency staff and subcontractors are informed of
   22         specified services and assistance; amending s.
   23         409.991, F.S.; defining the term “core services
   24         funds”; requiring the department to develop a
   25         methodology to identify and report the optimal level
   26         of funding for community-based care lead agencies;
   27         providing requirements for the allocation of core
   28         services funds; requiring the Secretary of Children
   29         and Families to submit a report to the Governor and
   30         Legislature annually by a specified date; providing
   31         requirements for such report; authorizing the
   32         department to adopt rules; requiring certain funding
   33         to be allocated based on the department’s methodology,
   34         unless otherwise specified in the General
   35         Appropriations Act; amending s. 409.996, F.S.;
   36         deleting a provision requiring the department to
   37         contract with the state attorney for certain services;
   38         authorizing the department to contract for the
   39         provision of children’s legal services; providing
   40         requirements for contracted attorneys; requiring the
   41         department and contracted attorneys to collaborate to
   42         monitor program performance; requiring the department
   43         to conduct annual program performance evaluations;
   44         providing requirements for such evaluations; requiring
   45         the department to annually publish a report; providing
   46         requirements for such report; requiring the department
   47         to annually submit such report to the Governor and
   48         Legislature by a specified date; requiring the
   49         department to develop a statewide accountability
   50         system; requiring that such system be implemented by a
   51         specified date; providing requirements for such
   52         accountability system; requiring the department and
   53         lead agencies to promote enhanced quality service
   54         delivery; requiring the department to submit a report
   55         to the Governor and the Legislature annually by a
   56         specified date; authorizing the department to adopt
   57         rules; requiring the department to implement pilot
   58         projects to improve child welfare outcomes in
   59         specified judicial circuits; requiring the department
   60         to establish performance metrics and standards to
   61         implement the pilot projects; requiring lead agencies
   62         in specified judicial circuits to provide certain data
   63         to the department each quarter; requiring the
   64         department to review such data; authorizing the
   65         department to advance incentive funding to certain
   66         lead agencies that meet specified requirements;
   67         requiring the department to include certain results in
   68         a specified report; providing for future expiration;
   69         amending s. 1004.615, F.S.; requiring the Florida
   70         Institute for Child Welfare and the Florida State
   71         University College of Social Work to design and
   72         implement a child welfare practice curriculum;
   73         requiring the institute to disseminate the curriculum
   74         to certain state universities and colleges; requiring
   75         the institute to contract with a person or entity by a
   76         specified date to evaluate the curriculum and make
   77         recommendations for improvement; requiring the college
   78         to implement the curriculum during a specified school
   79         year; requiring the institute, in collaboration with
   80         specified entities and individuals, to design and
   81         implement professional development curriculum for
   82         child welfare professionals; providing requirements
   83         for such curriculum; requiring that such curriculum be
   84         available by a specified date; requiring the
   85         department to approve the curriculum before
   86         implementation; requiring the institute to establish a
   87         consulting program; providing that specified
   88         provisions are subject to an appropriation; requiring
   89         the department, in collaboration with the institute,
   90         to develop a proposal for a career ladder for child
   91         protective investigations staff; providing
   92         requirements for such career ladder; requiring the
   93         department to submit a proposal for such career ladder
   94         to the Governor and the Legislature by a specified
   95         date; providing appropriations; providing a short
   96         title; providing an effective date.
   97          
   98  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   99  
  100         Section 1. Paragraphs (b) and (d) of subsection (5) of
  101  section 20.19, Florida Statutes, are amended, and subsection (7)
  102  is added to that section, to read:
  103         20.19 Department of Children and Families.—There is created
  104  a Department of Children and Families.
  105         (5) COMMUNITY ALLIANCES.—
  106         (b) The duties of the community alliance include, but are
  107  not limited to:
  108         1. Joint planning for resource utilization in the
  109  community, including resources appropriated to the department
  110  and any funds that local funding sources choose to provide.
  111         2. Needs assessment and establishment of community
  112  priorities for service delivery.
  113         3. Determining community outcome goals to supplement state
  114  required outcomes.
  115         4. Serving as a catalyst for community resource
  116  development, including, but not limited to, identifying existing
  117  programs and services delivered by and assistance available from
  118  community-based organizations and faith-based organizations, and
  119  encouraging the development and availability of such programs,
  120  services, and assistance by such organizations. The community
  121  alliance shall ensure that the community-based care lead agency
  122  is aware of such programs, services, and assistance and work to
  123  facilitate the lead agency’s appropriate use of these resources.
  124         5. Providing for community education and advocacy on issues
  125  related to delivery of services.
  126         6. Promoting prevention and early intervention services.
  127         (d) The initial membership of the community alliance in a
  128  county, at a minimum, must shall be composed of the following:
  129         1. A representative from the department.
  130         2. A representative from county government.
  131         3. A representative from the school district.
  132         4. A representative from the county United Way.
  133         5. A representative from the county sheriff’s office.
  134         6. A representative from the circuit court corresponding to
  135  the county.
  136         7. A representative from the county children’s board, if
  137  one exists.
  138         8.A representative of a faith-based organization involved
  139  in efforts to prevent child maltreatment, strengthen families,
  140  or promote adoption.
  141         (7)OFFICE OF QUALITY.—The department shall establish an
  142  enterprise-wide Office of Quality to ensure that the department
  143  and contracted service providers meet the highest levels of
  144  performance standards.
  145         (a)Duties of the office include, but are not limited to,
  146  all of the following:
  147         1. Identifying performance standards and metrics for
  148  department programs and all other service providers, including,
  149  but not limited to, behavioral health managing entities,
  150  community-based care lead agencies, and attorney services.
  151         2. Conducting ongoing quality assurance reviews of
  152  department programs and contracted service providers on at least
  153  a quarterly basis using cases randomly selected by the
  154  department.
  155         3. Strengthening the department’s data and analytic
  156  capabilities to identify systemic strengths and deficiencies.
  157         4. In consultation with the department’s program offices,
  158  recommending unique and varied initiatives to correct
  159  programmatic and systemic deficiencies.
  160         5. Collaborating and engaging partners of the department to
  161  improve service quality, efficiency, and effectiveness.
  162         6. Reporting any persistent failure by the department or
  163  contracted providers to meet performance standards and
  164  recommending corrective actions to the secretary.
  165         7. By each December 1, developing and submitting an annual
  166  report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the
  167  Speaker of the House of Representatives for the preceding fiscal
  168  year which encompasses all legislatively mandated statewide
  169  reports required to be issued by the department.
  170         (b) The department may adopt rules to administer this
  171  subsection.
  172         Section 2. Section 402.402, Florida Statutes, is amended to
  173  read:
  174         402.402 Child protection and child welfare personnel;
  175  attorneys employed by the department.—
  176         (1) CHILD PROTECTIVE INVESTIGATION PROFESSIONAL STAFF
  177  REQUIREMENTS.—The department is responsible for recruitment of
  178  qualified professional staff to serve as child protective
  179  investigators and child protective investigation supervisors.
  180  The department shall make every effort to recruit and hire
  181  persons qualified by their education and experience to perform
  182  social work functions. The department’s efforts shall be guided
  183  by the goal that by July 1, 2019, at least half of all child
  184  protective investigators and supervisors will have a bachelor’s
  185  degree or a master’s degree in social work from a college or
  186  university social work program accredited by the Council on
  187  Social Work Education. The department, in collaboration with the
  188  lead agencies, subcontracted provider organizations, the Florida
  189  Institute for Child Welfare created pursuant to s. 1004.615, and
  190  other partners in the child welfare system, shall develop a
  191  protocol for screening candidates for child protective positions
  192  which reflects the preferences specified in paragraphs (a)-(f).
  193  The following persons shall be given preference in the
  194  recruitment of qualified professional staff, but the preferences
  195  serve only as guidance and do not limit the department’s
  196  discretion to select the best available candidates:
  197         (a) Individuals with baccalaureate degrees in social work
  198  and child protective investigation supervisors with master’s
  199  degrees in social work from a college or university social work
  200  program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
  201         (b) Individuals with baccalaureate or master’s degrees in
  202  psychology, sociology, counseling, special education, education,
  203  human development, child development, family development,
  204  marriage and family therapy, and nursing.
  205         (c) Individuals with baccalaureate degrees who have a
  206  combination of directly relevant work and volunteer experience,
  207  preferably in a public service field related to children’s
  208  services, demonstrating critical thinking skills, formal
  209  assessment processes, communication skills, problem solving, and
  210  empathy; a commitment to helping children and families; a
  211  capacity to work as part of a team; an interest in continuous
  212  development of skills and knowledge; and personal strength and
  213  resilience to manage competing demands and handle workplace
  214  stresses.
  215         (2) SPECIALIZED TRAINING.—All child protective
  216  investigators and child protective investigation supervisors
  217  employed by the department or a sheriff’s office must complete
  218  specialized training either focused on serving a specific
  219  population, including, but not limited to, medically fragile
  220  children, sexually exploited children, children under 3 years of
  221  age, or families with a history of domestic violence, mental
  222  illness, or substance abuse, or focused on performing certain
  223  aspects of child protection practice, including, but not limited
  224  to, investigation techniques and analysis of family dynamics.
  225  The specialized training may be used to fulfill continuing
  226  education requirements under s. 402.40(3)(e). Individuals hired
  227  before July 1, 2014, shall complete the specialized training by
  228  June 30, 2016, and individuals hired on or after July 1, 2014,
  229  shall complete the specialized training within 2 years after
  230  hire. An individual may receive specialized training in multiple
  231  areas.
  232         (3)STAFF SUPPORT.—The department shall implement policies
  233  and programs that mitigate and prevent the impact of secondary
  234  traumatic stress and burnout among child protective
  235  investigations staff, including, but not limited to:
  236         (a)Initiatives to encourage and inspire child protective
  237  investigations staff, including recognizing their achievements
  238  on a recognition wall within their unit.
  239         (b)Formal procedures for providing support to child
  240  protective investigations staff after a critical incident such
  241  as a child fatality.
  242         (c)Initial training upon appointment to a supervisory
  243  position and annual continuing education for all supervisors on
  244  how to prevent secondary traumatic stress and burnout among the
  245  employees they supervise.
  246         (d)Monitoring levels of secondary traumatic stress and
  247  burnout among individual employees and intervening as needed.
  248  The department shall closely monitor and respond to levels of
  249  secondary traumatic stress and burnout among employees during
  250  the first 2 years after hire.
  251         (e)Ongoing training in self-care for all child protective
  252  investigations staff.
  253  
  254  Such programs may also include, but are not limited, to formal
  255  peer counseling and support programs.
  256         (4)(3) REPORT.—By each October 1, the department shall
  257  submit a report on the educational qualifications, turnover,
  258  professional advancement, and working conditions of the child
  259  protective investigators and supervisors to the Governor, the
  260  President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
  261  Representatives.
  262         (5)(4) ATTORNEYS EMPLOYED BY OR CONTRACTING WITH THE
  263  DEPARTMENT TO HANDLE CHILD WELFARE CASES.—Attorneys hired or
  264  contracted with on or after July 1, 2014, whose primary
  265  responsibility is representing the department in child welfare
  266  cases shall, within the first 6 months of employment, receive
  267  training in:
  268         (a) The dependency court process, including the attorney’s
  269  role in preparing and reviewing documents prepared for
  270  dependency court for accuracy and completeness.;
  271         (b) Preparing and presenting child welfare cases, including
  272  at least 1 week shadowing an experienced children’s legal
  273  services attorney preparing and presenting cases.;
  274         (c) Safety assessment, safety decisionmaking tools, and
  275  safety plans.;
  276         (d) Developing information presented by investigators and
  277  case managers to support decisionmaking in the best interest of
  278  children.; and
  279         (e) The experiences and techniques of case managers and
  280  investigators, including shadowing an experienced child
  281  protective investigator and an experienced case manager for at
  282  least 8 hours.
  283         Section 3. Paragraph (l) is added to subsection (1) of
  284  section 409.988, Florida Statutes, to read:
  285         409.988 Lead agency duties; general provisions.—
  286         (1) DUTIES.—A lead agency:
  287         (l)Shall identify an employee to serve as a liaison with
  288  the community alliance and community-based and faith-based
  289  organizations interested in collaborating with the lead agency
  290  or offering services or other assistance on a volunteer basis to
  291  the children and families served by the lead agency. The lead
  292  agency shall ensure that appropriate lead agency staff and
  293  subcontractors, including, but not limited to, case managers,
  294  are informed of the specific services or assistance available
  295  from community-based and faith-based organizations.
  296         Section 4. Section 409.991, Florida Statutes, is amended to
  297  read:
  298         (Substantial rewording of section. See s. 409.991,
  299         F.S., for present text.)
  300         409.991Allocation of funds for community-based care lead
  301  agencies.—
  302         (1)As used in this section, the term core services funds”
  303  means all funds allocated to lead agencies operating under
  304  contract with the department pursuant to s. 409.987, with the
  305  following exceptions:
  306         (a) Funds appropriated for independent living services;
  307         (b) Funds appropriated for maintenance adoption subsidies;
  308         (c) Funds allocated by the department for child protective
  309  investigative service training;
  310         (d) Nonrecurring funds;
  311         (e) Designated mental health wrap-around service funds;
  312         (f) Funds for special projects for a designated lead
  313  agency; and
  314         (g) Funds appropriated for the Guardianship Assistance
  315  Program established under s. 39.6225.
  316         (2) The department shall use an objective, workload-based
  317  methodology to identify and report the optimal level of funding
  318  for each lead agency considering demand for each of the
  319  following:
  320         (a) Prevention services;
  321         (b) Client services;
  322         (c) Licensed out-of-home care costs; and
  323         (d) Staffing, using the ratio for case managers compared to
  324  the caseload requirements specified in s. 20.19(4)(c)2.
  325         (3) The allocation of core services funds must be based on
  326  the following:
  327         (a) The total optimal funding amount as determined by
  328  adding together the funding for prevention services, client
  329  services, licensed out-of-home care, and staffing.
  330         (b) A comparison of the total optimal funding amount to the
  331  actual allocated funding for the most recent fiscal year to
  332  determine the percentage of optimal funding the lead agency is
  333  currently receiving.
  334         (4) By November 1 of each year, the secretary must submit a
  335  report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the
  336  Speaker of the House of Representatives which includes the
  337  current funding level of each lead agency based on the optimal
  338  funding level as determined by using each lead agency workload
  339  using the department’s methodology. The report must identify any
  340  lead agency that is persistently funded at less than the optimal
  341  funding level and recommend strategies to address the shortfall
  342  including, but not limited to, business process redesign, the
  343  adoption of best practices, and requesting additional funding.
  344         (5) The department may adopt rules to establish the optimal
  345  funding levels for lead agencies.
  346         (6) Unless otherwise specified in the General
  347  Appropriations Act, the department shall allocate any new
  348  funding for core services, based on the department’s
  349  methodology, to achieve optimal funding for all lead agencies
  350  inversely proportional to each lead agency optimal funding
  351  percentage.
  352         (7) Unless otherwise specified in the General
  353  Appropriations Act, the department shall consider a lead
  354  agency’s funding level compared to its optimal funding level
  355  when allocating funding from the risk pool, as provided in s.
  356  409.990.
  357         Section 5. Subsections (18) through (23) of section
  358  409.996, Florida Statutes, are renumbered (19) through (24),
  359  respectively, a new subsection (18) and subsections (25) and
  360  (26) are added to that section, and paragraph (a) of subsection
  361  (1) and subsection (17) of that section are amended, to read:
  362         409.996 Duties of the Department of Children and Families.
  363  The department shall contract for the delivery, administration,
  364  or management of care for children in the child protection and
  365  child welfare system. In doing so, the department retains
  366  responsibility for the quality of contracted services and
  367  programs and shall ensure that services are delivered in
  368  accordance with applicable federal and state statutes and
  369  regulations.
  370         (1) The department shall enter into contracts with lead
  371  agencies for the performance of the duties by the lead agencies
  372  pursuant to s. 409.988. At a minimum, the contracts must:
  373         (a) Provide for the services needed to accomplish the
  374  duties established in s. 409.988 and provide information to the
  375  department which is necessary to meet the requirements for a
  376  quality assurance program pursuant to subsection (19) (18) and
  377  the child welfare results-oriented accountability system
  378  pursuant to s. 409.997.
  379         (17) The department shall directly or through contract
  380  provide attorneys to prepare and present cases in dependency
  381  court and shall ensure that the court is provided with adequate
  382  information for informed decisionmaking in dependency cases,
  383  including, at a minimum, a face sheet for each case which lists
  384  the names and contact information for any child protective
  385  investigator, child protective investigation supervisor, case
  386  manager, and case manager supervisor, and the regional
  387  department official responsible for the lead agency contract.
  388  The department shall provide to the court the case information
  389  and recommendations provided by the lead agency or
  390  subcontractor. For the Sixth Judicial Circuit, the department
  391  shall contract with the state attorney for the provision of
  392  these services.
  393         (18)(a)The department may contract for the provision of
  394  children’s legal services to prepare and present cases in
  395  dependency court. The contracted attorneys shall ensure that the
  396  court is provided with adequate information for informed
  397  decisionmaking in dependency cases, including, at a minimum, a
  398  face sheet for each case which lists the names and contact
  399  information for any child protective investigator, child
  400  protective investigator supervisor, and the regional department
  401  official responsible for the lead agency contract. The
  402  contracted attorneys shall provide to the court the case
  403  information and recommendations provided by the lead agency or
  404  subcontractor. For the Sixth Judicial Circuit, the department
  405  shall contract with the state attorney for the provision of
  406  these services.
  407         (b)The contracted attorneys shall adopt the child welfare
  408  practice model, as periodically updated by the department, that
  409  is used by attorneys employed by the department. The contracted
  410  attorneys shall operate in accordance with the same federal and
  411  state performance standards and metrics imposed on children’s
  412  legal services attorneys employed by the department.
  413         (c)The department and contracted attorneys providing
  414  children’s legal services shall collaborate to monitor program
  415  performance on an ongoing basis. The department and contracted
  416  attorneys, or a representative from such contracted attorneys’
  417  offices, shall meet at least quarterly to collaborate on federal
  418  and state quality assurance and quality improvement initiatives.
  419         (d)The department shall conduct an annual program
  420  performance evaluation which shall be based on the same child
  421  welfare practice model principles and federal and state
  422  performance standards that are imposed on children’s legal
  423  services attorneys employed by the department. The program
  424  performance evaluation must be standardized statewide and the
  425  department shall select random cases for evaluation. The program
  426  performance evaluation shall be conducted by a team of peer
  427  reviewers from the respective contracted attorneys’ offices that
  428  perform children’s legal services and representatives from the
  429  department.
  430         (e)The department shall publish an annual report
  431  regarding, at a minimum, performance quality, outcome-measure
  432  attainment, and cost efficiency of the services provided by the
  433  contracted attorneys. The annual report must include data and
  434  information on the performance of both the contracted attorneys’
  435  and the department’s attorneys. The department shall submit the
  436  annual report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
  437  the Speaker of the House of Representatives no later than
  438  November 1 of each year that the contracted attorneys are
  439  receiving appropriations to provide children’s legal services
  440  for the department.
  441         (25)In collaboration with lead agencies, service
  442  providers, and other community stakeholders, the department
  443  shall develop a statewide accountability system based on
  444  measurable quality standards. The accountability system must be
  445  implemented by July 1, 2021.
  446         (a)The accountability system must:
  447         1. Assess the overall health of the child welfare system,
  448  by circuit, using grading criteria established by the
  449  department.
  450         2. Include a quality measurement system with domains and
  451  clearly defined levels of quality. The system must measure the
  452  performance standards for child protective investigators, lead
  453  agencies, and children’s legal services throughout the system of
  454  care, using criteria established by the department, and, at a
  455  minimum, address applicable federal- and state-mandated metrics.
  456         3. Align with the principles of the results-oriented
  457  accountability program established under s. 409.997.
  458         (b) After the development and implementation of the
  459  accountability system under this subsection, the department and
  460  each lead agency shall use the information from the
  461  accountability system to promote enhanced quality service
  462  delivery within their respective areas of responsibility.
  463         (c) By December 1 of each year, the department shall submit
  464  a report on the overall health of the child welfare system to
  465  the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of
  466  the House of Representatives.
  467         (d) The department may adopt rules to implement this
  468  subsection.
  469         (26) Subject to an appropriation, for the 2020-2021 and
  470  2021-2022 fiscal years, the department shall implement a pilot
  471  project in the Sixth and Thirteenth Judicial Circuits,
  472  respectively, aimed at improving child welfare outcomes.
  473         (a) In implementing the pilot projects, the department
  474  shall establish performance metrics and performance standards to
  475  assess improvements in safety, permanency, and the well-being of
  476  children in the local system of care for the lead agencies in
  477  those judicial circuits. Such metrics and standards must be
  478  aligned with indicators used in the most recent federal Child
  479  and Family Services Reviews.
  480         (b) The lead agencies in the Sixth and Thirteenth Judicial
  481  Circuits shall provide performance data to the department each
  482  quarter. The department shall review the data for accuracy and
  483  completeness and then shall compare the actual performance of
  484  the lead agencies to the established performance metrics and
  485  standards. Each lead agency that exceeds performance metrics and
  486  standards is eligible for incentive funding.
  487         (c) For the first quarter of each fiscal year, the
  488  department may advance incentive funding to the lead agencies in
  489  an amount equal to one quarter of the total allocated to the
  490  pilot project. After each quarter, the department shall assess
  491  the performance of the lead agencies for that quarter and adjust
  492  the subsequent quarter’s incentive funding based on its actual
  493  prior quarter performance.
  494         (d) The department shall include the results of the pilot
  495  projects in the report required under s. 20.19(7). The report
  496  must include the department’s findings and recommendations
  497  relating to the pilot projects.
  498         (e) This subsection expires July 1, 2022.
  499         Section 6. Present subsections (6) and (7) of section
  500  1004.615, Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (9)
  501  and (10), respectively, and new subsections (6) and (7) and
  502  subsection (8) are added to that section, to read:
  503         1004.615 Florida Institute for Child Welfare.—
  504         (6)The institute and the Florida State University College
  505  of Social Work shall design and implement a curriculum that
  506  enhances knowledge and skills for the child welfare practice.
  507  The institute and the college shall create the curriculum using
  508  interactive and interdisciplinary approaches and include
  509  opportunities for students to gain an understanding of real
  510  world child welfare cases. The institute shall disseminate the
  511  curriculum to other interested state universities and colleges
  512  and provide implementation support. The institute shall contract
  513  with a person or entity of its choosing, by November 1, 2020, to
  514  evaluate the curriculum and make recommendations for
  515  improvement. The college shall implement the curriculum during
  516  the 2021-2022 school year. This subsection is subject to an
  517  appropriation.
  518         (7)The institute, in collaboration with the department,
  519  community-based care lead agencies, providers of case management
  520  services, and other child welfare stakeholders, shall design and
  521  implement a career-long professional development curriculum for
  522  child welfare professionals at all levels and from all
  523  disciplines. The professional development curriculum must
  524  enhance the performance of the current child welfare workforce,
  525  address issues related to retention, complement the social work
  526  curriculum, and be developed using social work principles. The
  527  professional development curriculum shall provide career-long
  528  coaching, training, certification, and mentorship. The institute
  529  must provide the professional support on a continuous basis
  530  through online and in-person services. The professional
  531  development curriculum must be available by July 1, 2021. The
  532  Department of Children and Families must approve the curriculum
  533  prior to implementation. This subsection is subject to an
  534  appropriation.
  535         (8)The institute shall establish a consulting program for
  536  child welfare organizations to enhance workforce culture,
  537  supervision, and related management processes to improve
  538  retention, effectiveness, and overall well-being of staff to
  539  support improved child welfare outcomes. The institute shall
  540  select child welfare organizations through a competitive
  541  application process and provide ongoing analysis,
  542  recommendations, and support from a team of experts on a long
  543  term basis to address systemic and operational workforce
  544  challenges. This subsection is subject to an appropriation.
  545         Section 7. The Department of Children and Families, in
  546  collaboration with the Florida Institute of Child Welfare, shall
  547  develop an expanded career ladder for child protective
  548  investigations staff. The career ladder shall include multiple
  549  levels of child protective investigator classifications,
  550  corresponding milestones and professional development
  551  opportunities necessary for advancement, and compensation
  552  ranges. The department must submit a proposal for the expanded
  553  career ladder to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and
  554  the Speaker of the House of Representatives no later than
  555  November 1, 2020.
  556         Section 8. (1)For the 2020-2021 fiscal year, the sum of
  557  $8,235,052 in recurring funds is appropriated from the General
  558  Revenue fund to the Department of Children and Families for
  559  incentive funding for the pilot projects required in s.
  560  409.996(25), Florida Statutes, as created by this act.
  561         (2)For the 2020-2021 fiscal year the sum of $5,350,000 in
  562  recurring funds from the General Revenue Fund is appropriated to
  563  the Department of Children and Families, and 2,907,885 in rate
  564  is authorized for the establishment of the Office of Quality, as
  565  required in s. 20.19(7), Florida Statutes. The department is
  566  authorized to reassign up to 125 currently authorized positions
  567  and submit budget amendments pursuant to chapter 216, Florida
  568  Statutes, for the Office of Quality to administer and implement
  569  the provisions of this act.
  570         Section 9. Sections 1., 2., and 3. of this act may be cited
  571  as the “State of Hope Act.”
  572         Section 10. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.