REPORT TITLE:
Approp.; Child Protection


DESCRIPTION:
Appropriates funds for various programs and services for the
protection of children and families. (SB2446 HD1)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        2446
THE SENATE                              S.B. NO.           S.D. 2
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN AND
   FAMILIES.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1                              PART I
 
 2                 PURPOSE AND LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS
 
 3      SECTION 1.  The purpose of this Act is to ensure that a
 
 4 continuum of services for the prevention of child abuse is
 
 5 available.
 
 6      The legislature is committed to preventing child abuse
 
 7 before it occurs.  Since child abuse is a complex problem with a
 
 8 multitude of causes, Hawaii's response to prevention must respond
 
 9 to a range of needs.
 
10      During the interim of the regular session of 1998, child
 
11 protection legislative roundtable discussions were convened to
 
12 suggest statutory, guideline, rule, regulation, and other changes
 
13 to improve Hawaii's child protective system.  Legislators, the
 
14 departments of human services, health, and the attorney general,
 
15 the judiciary, private nonprofit child and family serving
 
16 agencies, and concerned individuals communicated and collaborated
 
17 with one another, on behalf of abused and neglected children and
 
18 their families, to develop formal and informal mechanisms for
 
19 working together.
 

 
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 1      As a coordinated response, the roundtable cohesively
 
 2 designed a comprehensive strategy comprised of community-based
 
 3 programs to prevent child abuse.  Reflective of the phases of the
 
 4 family life cycle, the approach provides children and parents
 
 5 with the education and support necessary for healthy family
 
 6 functioning.
 
 7                              PART II
 
 8                  MEDICAL/HEALTH CASE MANAGEMENT
 
 9      SECTION 2.  The legislature finds that medical case
 
10 management of child protective services children is complicated
 
11 and could be improved.  While child welfare services has amended
 
12 its procedures to comply with Act 134, Session Laws of Hawaii
 
13 1998, and Acts 153 and 271, Session Laws of Hawaii 1999, demands
 
14 for service, examinations, communication, and follow-up continue
 
15 to increase.
 
16      The purpose of this part is to appropriate funds for
 
17 medical/health case management services.
 
18      SECTION 3.  There is appropriated out of the general funds
 
19 of the State of Hawaii the sum of $           or so much thereof
 
20 as may be necessary for fiscal year 2000-2001 to fill eleven
 
21 vacant public health nursing positions within the department of
 
22 health for medical and health case management services.
 
23      SECTION 4.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
24 department of health for the purposes of this part.
 

 
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 1                             PART III
 
 2                          FOSTER PARENTS
 
 3      SECTION 5.  The department of human services is responsible
 
 4 for ensuring that prospective foster and adoptive parents are
 
 5 prepared for their new roles.  As such, the department is
 
 6 responsible for administering a training program for all foster
 
 7 parents and adoptive parents seeking general certification or
 
 8 approval as parents.
 
 9      The legislature finds that the Foster PRIDE/Adopt PRIDE
 
10 program is a competency-based, comprehensive pre-service training
 
11 and assessment program for prospective foster and adoptive
 
12 parents, which has been recognized by the department of human
 
13 services.  This program can provide the basis for a training
 
14 program for prospective foster and adoptive parents in the State.
 
15      The purposes of this part are to allow the department of
 
16 human services to contract with a provider to:
 
17      (1)  Increase the pool of foster homes and adoptive homes
 
18           for better matching of children in need of out-of-home
 
19           care; and
 
20      (2)  Strengthen the quality of family foster care and
 
21           adoptive services by providing a standardized,
 
22           consistent framework for the competency-based training,
 
23           preparation, and selection of foster parents and
 
24           adoptive parents.
 

 
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 1      SECTION 6.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
 2 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $           or so much
 
 3 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2000-2001 for:
 
 4      (1)  Foster parent training for foster parents of licensed
 
 5           foster homes;
 
 6      (2)  Foster parent training for relative foster parents of
 
 7           special licensed foster homes; and
 
 8      (3)  Follow-up foster parent training for foster parents of
 
 9           licensed foster homes.
 
10      SECTION 7.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
11 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $           or so much
 
12 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2000-2001 to increase
 
13 foster board payments for children with special needs.
 
14      SECTION 8.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
15 department of human services for the purposes of this part.
 
16                              PART IV
 
17                   PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT SERVICES
 
18      SECTION 9.  The legislature finds that intervention services
 
19 are key factors in preventing stressful situations in the home
 
20 from escalating to unmanageable proportions.  The legislature
 
21 finds that two programs--the parent line and home reach--have
 
22 been successful in providing a healthy outlet for families to
 
23 express their concerns and anger with regard to child management,
 

 
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 1 development, and behavior.  Both programs have been successful in
 
 2 giving much-needed support and respite to families.
 
 3      The parent line provides counseling, support, and community
 
 4 referrals to over four thousand parents and caregivers who have
 
 5 questions regarding their children's development and behavior.
 
 6 Home reach provides short-term home visitation to four hundred
 
 7 families identified through the parent line as being at risk for
 
 8 social, emotional, or behavioral programs.  Those persons using
 
 9 the services of the home reach program require family
 
10 intervention beyond a phone call to resolve a family parenting
 
11 concern or crisis.
 
12      The legislature finds that the parent line and home reach
 
13 are overburdened due to the increase in the number of clients
 
14 requiring their services.
 
15      The purpose of this part is to appropriate the necessary
 
16 funds to broaden the scope of the parent line and home reach to
 
17 properly service the needs of the community.
 
18      SECTION 10.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
19 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $           or so much
 
20 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2000-2001 to increase
 
21 the capacity of the parent line and home reach services to
 
22 properly service the needs of the community.
 
23      SECTION 11.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
24 department of health for the purposes of this part.
 

 
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 1                              PART V
 
 2                 INTRAFAMILIAL CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
 
 3      SECTION 12.  The legislature finds that intrafamilial child
 
 4 sexual abuse is a traumatic event for families, with long-lasting
 
 5 effects on the child victim, siblings, and protective parents.
 
 6 Treatment services are essential to promote the healing and
 
 7 psychological health of children and families who have suffered
 
 8 the devastation of child sexual abuse.
 
 9      The legislature further finds that to ensure the restoration
 
10 of psychological health of the victim and the family, the child
 
11 victim must access treatment to resolve the abusive incident;
 
12 however, many families who care for the child victim cannot
 
13 access treatment or are provided insufficient treatment.
 
14 Families who are not under the child protective services system
 
15 of the department of human services are not eligible to receive
 
16 treatment services provided within the system.
 
17      The purpose of this part is to make an appropriation to
 
18 provide sex abuse treatment, including psychological treatment
 
19 and case management services for child victims of intrafamilial
 
20 sexual abuse and their families who are not a part of the child
 
21 protective services system.
 
22      SECTION 13.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
23 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $500,000 or so much
 

 
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 1 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2000-2001 to provide
 
 2 sex abuse treatment, including psychological treatment and case
 
 3 management services for child victims of intrafamilial sexual
 
 4 abuse and their families who are not covered under the child
 
 5 protective services system of the department of human services.
 
 6      SECTION 14.  The sum appropriated by this part shall be
 
 7 expended by the department of human services for the purposes of
 
 8 this part.
 
 9      SECTION 15.  All sums appropriated in this Act shall be in
 
10 addition to the respective departmental budgets.
 
11      SECTION 16.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2000.