Florida Senate - 2023                                     SB 610
       
       
        
       By Senator Yarborough
       
       
       
       
       
       4-01284-23                                             2023610__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to the registration of residential
    3         child-caring agencies and family foster homes;
    4         amending s. 409.176, F.S.; removing obsolete language;
    5         making technical changes; providing an effective date.
    6          
    7  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
    8  
    9         Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) and paragraph
   10  (b) of subsection (5) of section 409.176, Florida Statutes, are
   11  amended to read:
   12         409.176 Registration of residential child-caring agencies
   13  and family foster homes.—
   14         (1)(a) A residential child-caring agency or family foster
   15  home may not receive a child for continuing full-time care or
   16  custody, and a residential child-caring agency may not place a
   17  child for full-time continuing care or custody in a family
   18  foster home, unless it has first registered with an association
   19  that is certified by a Florida statewide child care organization
   20  which was in existence on January 1, 1984, and which publishes,
   21  and requires compliance with, its standards and files copies
   22  thereof with the department as provided in paragraph (5)(b). For
   23  purposes of this section, such an association is shall be
   24  referred to as the “qualified association.”
   25         (5) The licensing provisions of s. 409.175 do not apply to
   26  a facility operated by an organization that:
   27         (b) Is certified by a Florida statewide child care
   28  organization which was in existence on January 1, 1984, and
   29  which publishes, and requires compliance with, its standards and
   30  files copies thereof with the department. Such standards must
   31  shall be in substantial compliance with published minimum
   32  standards that similar licensed child-caring agencies or family
   33  foster homes are required to meet, as determined by the
   34  department, with the exception of those standards of a
   35  curricular or religious nature and those relating to staffing or
   36  financial stability. Once the department has determined that the
   37  standards for child-caring agencies or family foster homes are
   38  in substantial compliance with minimum standards that similar
   39  facilities are required to meet, the standards do not have to be
   40  resubmitted to the department unless a change occurs in the
   41  standards. Any changes in the standards must shall be provided
   42  to the department within 10 days after of their adoption.
   43         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.