REPORT TITLE:
Approp.; Child Protection


DESCRIPTION:
Appropriates funds for programs and services for the protection
of children and families.  (SB2446 SD2)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        2446
THE SENATE                              S.B. No.           S.D. 2
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
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                   HAWAII CHILDREN'S TRUST FUND
 
 3      SECTION 1.  The Hawaii children's trust fund, chapter 350B,
 
 4 Hawaii Revised Statutes, was established in 1993 to serve as a
 
 5 medium for a public-private partnership for family strengthening
 
 6 to prevent child abuse and neglect.  The fund makes grants to
 
 7 private, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, or qualified
 
 8 persons in order to provide community-based services and
 
 9 education designed to strengthen families and prevent child abuse
 
10 and neglect.  The fund also serves as a mechanism to maximize
 
11 financial resources for this endeavor by serving as a repository
 
12 for federal and state funds, as well as private contributions
 
13 from corporations and other businesses, foundations, individuals,
 
14 and other interested parties.
 
15      The purpose of this Part is to appropriate funds to the
 
16 Hawaii children's trust fund for child abuse and neglect
 
17 prevention services.
 
18      SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
19 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $          , or so
 

 
Page 2                                                     2446
                                     S.B. NO.           S.D. 2
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2000-2001, for
 
 2 the Hawaii children's trust fund, established under section
 
 3 350B-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes; provided that this sum shall be
 
 4 matched by private and federal sources.
 
 5      SECTION 3.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
 6 department of health for the purposes of this Act.
 
 7                              PART II
 
 8                           HEALTHY START
 
 9      SECTION 4.  The legislature finds that the prevention of
 
10 child abuse and neglect of young children during their formative
 
11 years is imperative as research on early brain development
 
12 indicates that "by age three, a child who has been seriously
 
13 abused or neglected bears scars that are difficult, if not
 
14 impossible, to erase."
 
15      The legislature further finds that the Healthy Start program
 
16 has been an integral factor in mitigating the number of child
 
17 abuse cases in the State by providing intensive support to
 
18 at-risk families from the onset.  In fact, the rate of children
 
19 hospitalized for abuse and neglect on Oahu is four times higher
 
20 per thousand, among families who do not receive support from
 
21 Healthy Start.  However, the legislature also finds that funding
 
22 for Healthy Start has been reduced by thirty per cent, and a
 
23 "sister program," Mother Infant Support Team, was cut entirely.
 

 
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                                     S.B. NO.           S.D. 2
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      The legislature recognizes the importance of funding these
 
 2 programs that provide necessary services to children and their
 
 3 families.  Although hospital-based risk screening is proposed to
 
 4 be increased to reach all families of newborns, as part of the
 
 5 Felix consent decree, there is no provision for funds for
 
 6 services for families identified as at-risk through this process.
 
 7      The purpose of this Part is to appropriate funds for
 
 8 services for families identified as "at risk".
 
 9      SECTION 5.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
10 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $         , or so much
 
11 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2000-2001, for the
 
12 Healthy Start program for services for families identified as
 
13 "at-risk"; provided that this sum shall be matched by private
 
14 sources, Medicaid, and other federal funding sources for the
 
15 purpose for which this sum is appropriated.
 
16      SECTION 6.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
17 department of health for the purposes of this Act.
 
18                             PART III
 
19                       BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE
 
20      SECTION 7.  The legislature finds that one of the
 
21 recommendations of a 1994-1996 task force on child protective
 
22 services reform was to implement a community partnership for
 

 
 
 
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                                     S.B. NO.           S.D. 2
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 child protection.  A major component of this partnership was to
 
 2 be the establishment of the neighborhood place to deliver
 
 3 diversion services and child protective services to targeted
 
 4 families.
 
 5      The neighborhood place provides a community-based center for
 
 6 services and community support for abused or neglected children
 
 7 and their families as well as for families at-risk of child
 
 8 abuse.  Each neighborhood place has been patterned around the
 
 9 needs of the specific community and has included a physical site
 
10 for these families to work with private and public service
 
11 providers.  A wide range of services and resources are available
 
12 from early response to continued services for families already
 
13 facing problems.
 
14      Limited start-up funding for neighborhood place sites in
 
15 West Hawaii and Waipahu were obtained through local foundation
 
16 grants and federal Title IVB moneys.  However, without continued
 
17 funding for the pilot period, the neighborhood places will not be
 
18 able to model the system reform that the task force and the
 
19 legislature recommended.
 
20      The purpose of this Part is to appropriate funds to develop
 
21 and maintain the two neighborhood places that currently exist.
 
22      SECTION 8.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
23 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $          , or so
 

 
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                                     S.B. NO.           S.D. 2
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2000-2001, for
 
 2 staffing and services for the neighborhood places; provided that
 
 3 this sum shall be matched by private or federal sources for the
 
 4 purposes for which this sum is appropriated.
 
 5      SECTION 9.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
 6 department of human services for the purposes of this Act.
 
 7      SECTION 10.  All specified sums in this Act shall be in
 
 8 addition to the respective departmental budgets.
 
 9      SECTION 11.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2000.