FL
Florida House Bill H1127

Florida 2025 Regular Session

Florida House Bill H1127 Compare Versions

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1010 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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1414 A bill to be entitled 1
1515 An act relating to child welfare; amending s. 39.524, 2
1616 F.S.; requiring the Department of Children and 3
17-Families to provide to the Legislature specified 4
18-assessment data as part of a certain annual report 5
17+Families to provide specified assessment data to the 4
18+Legislature as part of a certain annual report 5
1919 relating to the commercial sexual exploitation of 6
20-children; requiring the department to maintain copies 7
21-of certain assessments or tools used to assess a child 8
22-for a certain placement; requiring such copies be 9
23-provided to the Legislature upon request; amending s. 10
24-39.905, F.S.; authorizing the department to waiv e a 11
25-specified requirement if there is an emergency need 12
26-for a new domestic violence center; authorizing the 13
27-department to issue a provisional certificate under 14
28-certain circumstances; authorizing the department to 15
29-adopt rules; amending ss. 402.305 and 409.1 75, F.S.; 16
30-removing authority for the department to grant 17
31-exemptions from working with children or the 18
32-developmentally disabled; authorizing the department 19
33-to grant limited exemptions to certain minimum 20
34-standards and requirements, respectively; amending s. 21
35-402.402, F.S.; requiring the department to develop a 22
36-child protective investigator and case manager 23
37-recruitment program for a specified purpose; 24
38-specifying requirements for the program; specifying 25
20+children; requiring the department to maintain certain 7
21+related data in a specified format; amending s. 8
22+402.402, F.S.; requiring the department to develop a 9
23+child protective investigator and case manager 10
24+recruitment program for a specified purpose; 11
25+specifying requirements for the program; specifying 12
26+duties of the department under the program, to be 13
27+completed in collaboration with community -based care 14
28+lead agencies; authorizing the department to adopt 15
29+rules to implement the program; amending s. 409.996, 16
30+F.S.; subject to an appropriation and beginning on a 17
31+specified date, requiring the department to develop a 18
32+4-year pilot program for treatment foster care; 19
33+requiring the department to implement the pilot 20
34+program by a specified date; limiting participation in 21
35+the pilot program to children meeting specified 22
36+criteria; requiring the department to identify two 23
37+judicial circuits determined to have the greatest need 24
38+for implementation of such pilot program; requiring 25
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4747 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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51-duties of the department under the program, to be 26
52-completed in collaboration with community -based care 27
53-lead agencies; authorizing the department to adopt 28
54-rules to implement the program; amending s. 409.987, 29
55-F.S.; removing the requirement that an entity post a 30
56-specified fidelity bond in order to serve as a lead 31
57-agency; amending s. 409.993, F.S.; providing immunity 32
58-from liability for subcontractors of lead agencies for 33
59-certain acts or omissions; providing applicability; 34
60-amending s. 409.996, F.S.; subject to an appropriation 35
61-and beginning on a specified date, requirin g the 36
62-department to develop a 4 -year pilot program for 37
63-treatment foster care; requiring the department to 38
64-implement the pilot program by a specified date; 39
65-limiting participation in the pilot program to 40
66-children meeting specified criteria; requiring the 41
67-department to identify two judicial circuits 42
68-determined to have the greatest need for 43
69-implementation of such pilot program; requiring the 44
70-department to arrange for an independent evaluation of 45
71-the pilot program to make specified determinations; 46
72-requiring the department to establish certain minimum 47
73-standards for the pilot program; requiring the 48
74-department, by a specified date, to submit a final 49
75-report to the Governor and the Legislature which 50
51+the department to arrange for an independent 26
52+evaluation of the pilot program to make specified 27
53+determinations; requiring the department to establish 28
54+certain minimum standards for the pilot program; 29
55+requiring the department, by a specified date, to 30
56+submit a final report to the Governor and the 31
57+Legislature which in cludes specified evaluations, 32
58+findings, and recommendations; requiring the 33
59+department to convene a case management workforce 34
60+workgroup by a specified date; providing for 35
61+membership of the work group; specifying duties of the 36
62+workgroup, to be completed in c ollaboration with the 37
63+Florida Institute for Child Welfare; providing for 38
64+meetings of the workgroup; providing for the operation 39
65+of the workgroup until a specified date; requiring the 40
66+workgroup to draft and submit a report to the Governor 41
67+and the Legislature by a specified date; providing 42
68+requirements for the report; requiring the department 43
69+to contract for a detailed study of bed capacity for 44
70+residential treatment services for child victims of 45
71+commercial sexual exploitation; requiring that the 46
72+study be completed by a specified date; providing 47
73+requirements for the study; providing effective dates. 48
74+ 49
75+Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 50
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8484 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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88-includes specified evaluations, findings, and 51
89-recommendations; amendi ng s. 1004.615, F.S.; 52
90-specifying that incentives provided to state employees 53
91-for participating in research or evaluation with the 54
92-Florida Institute for Child Welfare do not violate 55
93-certain laws or require certain reporting; amending 56
94-ss. 402.30501, 1002.57, and 1002.59, F.S.; conforming 57
95-cross-references; requiring the department to convene 58
96-a case management workforce workgroup by a specified 59
97-date; providing for membership of the work group; 60
98-specifying duties of the workgroup, to be completed in 61
99-collaboration with the Florida Institute for Child 62
100-Welfare; providing for meetings of the workgroup; 63
101-providing for the operation of the workgroup until a 64
102-specified date; requiring the workgroup to draft and 65
103-submit a report to the Governor and the Legislature by 66
104-a specified date; providing requirements for the 67
105-report; requiring the department to contract for a 68
106-detailed study of bed capacity for residential 69
107-treatment services for child victims of commercial 70
108-sexual exploitation; requiring that the study be 71
109-completed by a specified date; providing requirements 72
110-for the study; providing effective dates. 73
111- 74
112-Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 75
88+ 51
89+ Section 1. Subsection (3) of section 39.524, Florida 52
90+Statutes, is amended to read: 53
91+ 39.524 Safe-harbor placement.— 54
92+ (3)(a) By October 1 of each year, the department, with 55
93+information from community -based care agencies, shall report to 56
94+the Legislature on the prevalence of child commercial sexual 57
95+exploitation of children; the specialized services pro vided and 58
96+placement of such children; the local service capacity assessed 59
97+pursuant to s. 409.1754; the placement of children in safe 60
98+houses and safe foster homes during the year, including the 61
99+criteria used to determine the placement of children; the numbe r 62
100+of children who were evaluated for placement; the number of 63
101+children who were placed based upon the evaluation; the number 64
102+of children who were not placed; and the department's response 65
103+to the findings and recommendations made by the Office of 66
104+Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability in its 67
105+annual study on commercial sexual exploitation of children, as 68
106+required by s. 409.16791. The department shall also provide to 69
107+the Legislature the redacted assessments for children who are 70
108+assessed for placement in safe houses or safe foster homes. 71
109+ (b) The department shall maintain individual-level data of 72
110+all children assessed for placement in a safe house or safe 73
111+foster home and use this data to produce information that 74
112+specifies specifying the number of children who were verified as 75
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121121 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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125- 76
126- Section 1. Subsection (3) of section 39.524, Florida 77
127-Statutes, is amended to read: 78
128- 39.524 Safe-harbor placement.— 79
129- (3)(a) By October 1 of each year, the department, with 80
130-information from community -based care agencies, shall report to 81
131-the Legislature on the prevalence of child commercial sexual 82
132-exploitation of children; the specialized services provided and 83
133-placement of such children; the local service capacity assessed 84
134-pursuant to s. 409.1754; the placement of children in safe 85
135-houses and safe foster homes during the year, including the 86
136-criteria used to determine the placement of children; the number 87
137-of children who were evaluated for placement; the number of 88
138-children who were placed based upon the evaluation; the number 89
139-of children who were not placed; and the department's response 90
140-to the findings and recommendations made by the Office of 91
141-Program Policy Analysi s and Government Accountability in its 92
142-annual study on commercial sexual exploitation of children, as 93
143-required by s. 409.16791. The department must also maintain a 94
144-copy of any paper-based assessments or tools used to assess a 95
145-child for placement in safe ho uses or safe foster homes, which 96
146-must be provided to the Legislature upon request. 97
147- (b) The department shall maintain individual-level data of 98
148-all children assessed for placement in a safe house or safe 99
149-foster home and use this data to produce information that 100
125+victims of commercial sexual exploitation, who were referred to 76
126+nonresidential services in the community, who were placed in a 77
127+safe house or safe foster home, and who were referred to a safe 78
128+house or safe foster home for whom placement was unavailable, 79
129+and shall identify the counties in which such placement was 80
130+unavailable. The department shall include this data in its 81
131+report under this subsection so that the Legislature may 82
132+consider this information in developing the General 83
133+Appropriations Act. The department shall maintain collected 84
134+individual-level data in a format that allows for extraction and 85
135+analysis of anonymized individual -level and aggregate data upon 86
136+request by the Legislature. 87
137+ Section 2. Subsections (4) and (5) of section 402.402, 88
138+Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (5) and (6), 89
139+respectively, and a new subsection (4) is added to that section, 90
140+to read: 91
141+ 402.402 Child protection and child welfare personnel; 92
142+attorneys employed by the department. — 93
143+ (4) RECRUITMENT PROGRAM. —The department shall develop and 94
144+implement a child protective investigator and case manager 95
145+recruitment program for the purpose of recruiting individuals 96
146+who have previously held public safety and service positions, 97
147+such as former law enforcement officers, first responders, 98
148+military servicemembers, teachers, health care practitioners, 99
149+and emergency management professionals. This recruitment program 100
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158158 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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162-specifies specifying the number of children who were verified as 101
163-victims of commercial sexual exploitation, who were referred to 102
164-nonresidential services in the community, who were placed in a 103
165-safe house or safe foster home, and who were referred to a safe 104
166-house or safe foster home for whom placement was unavailable, 105
167-and shall identify the counties in which such placement was 106
168-unavailable. The department shall include this data in its 107
169-report under this subsection so that the Legislature may 108
170-consider this information in developing the General 109
171-Appropriations Act. The department shall maintain collected 110
172-individual-level data in a format that allows for extraction and 111
173-analysis of anonymized individual -level and aggregate data upon 112
174-request by the Legislature. 113
175- Section 2. Paragraph (h) of subsection (1) of section 114
176-39.905, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 115
177- 39.905 Domestic violence centers. — 116
178- (1) Domestic violence centers certified under this part 117
179-must: 118
180- (h) Demonstrate local need and ability to sustai n 119
181-operations through a history of 18 consecutive months' operation 120
182-as a domestic violence center, including 12 months' operation of 121
183-an emergency shelter as provided in paragraph (c), and a 122
184-business plan which addresses future operations and funding of 123
185-future operations. The department may waive this requirement if 124
186-there is an emergency need for a new domestic violence center to 125
162+must focus on the education and recruitment of individuals who 101
163+have held positions of pub lic trust and who wish to further 102
164+serve their communities as child welfare personnel. 103
165+ (a) The department, in collaboration with community -based 104
166+care lead agencies, shall: 105
167+ 1. Develop information pertaining to employment 106
168+opportunities, application proced ures, and training requirements 107
169+for employment within the child welfare system and distribute 108
170+such information to individuals who have previously held public 109
171+safety and service positions. 110
172+ 2. Develop and implement an employment referral system 111
173+with lead agencies for the case management population. 112
174+ 3. Collect the following information quarterly: 113
175+ a. The total number of individuals who sought information 114
176+from the program; were hired by the department as child 115
177+protective investigators; were referred by the program to a lead 116
178+agency for case management positions; and, based upon a referral 117
179+by the program, were hired by the lead agency as a case manager. 118
180+ b. The overall turnover rate for child protective 119
181+investigators and case managers compared to the turnover rate 120
182+for child protective investigators and case managers hired based 121
183+upon this program. 122
184+ (b) The department may adopt rules to implement this 123
185+subsection. 124
186+ Section 3. Subsection (27) is added to section 409.996, 125
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195195 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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199-provide services in an area and no other viable options exist to 126
200-ensure continuity of services. If there is such an emergency 127
201-need, the department may issue a provisional certificate to the 128
202-domestic violence center as long as the domestic violence center 129
203-meets all other criteria in this subsection. The department may 130
204-adopt rules to provide minimum standards for a provisional 131
205-certificate, including increased monitoring and site visits and 132
206-the time period such provisional certificate is valid. 133
207- Section 3. Subsection (2) of section 402.305, Florida 134
208-Statutes, is amended to read: 135
209- 402.305 Licensing standards; child care facilities. — 136
210- (2) PERSONNEL.—Minimum standards for child care personnel 137
211-shall include minimum requirements as to: 138
212- (a) Good moral character based upon screening as defined 139
213-in s. 402.302(15). This screening shall be conducted as provided 140
214-in chapter 435, using the level 2 standards for screening set 141
215-forth in that chapter, and include employment history checks, a 142
216-search of criminal history records, sexual predator and sexual 143
217-offender registries, and child abuse and neglect registry of any 144
218-state in which the current or prosp ective child care personnel 145
219-resided during the preceding 5 years. 146
220- (b) Fingerprint submission for child care personnel, which 147
221-shall comply with s. 435.12. 148
222- (c) The department may grant exemptions from 149
223-disqualification from working with children or the 150
199+Florida Statutes, to read: 126
200+ 409.996 Duties of the Department of Children and 127
201+Families.—The department shall contract for the delivery, 128
202+administration, or management of care for children in the child 129
203+protection and child welfare system. In doing so, the department 130
204+retains responsibility for the quality of contracted services 131
205+and programs and shall ensure that, at a minimum, services are 132
206+delivered in accordance with applicable federal and state 133
207+statutes and regulations and the performance standards and 134
208+metrics specified in the strategic p lan created under s. 135
209+20.19(1). 136
210+ (27)(a) Subject to appropriation, beginning July 1, 2025, 137
211+the department shall develop a 4 -year pilot program of treatment 138
212+foster care or a substantially similar evidence -based program of 139
213+professional foster care. The depar tment shall implement the 140
214+pilot program by January 1, 2026. 141
215+ (b) Participation in the pilot program is limited to 142
216+children who: 143
217+ 1. Are entering or continuing in foster care with high 144
218+resource indicators, as determined by the department. These high 145
219+resource indicators may include the potential for frequent 146
220+placement change due to current or past behavior or Department 147
221+of Juvenile Justice involvement; 148
222+ 2. Will require placement in foster care when the children 149
223+are discharged from inpatient residential tre atment; or 150
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232232 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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236-developmentally disabled as provided in s. 435.07. 151
237- (c)(d) Minimum age requirements. Such minimum standards 152
238-shall prohibit a person under the age of 21 from being the 153
239-operator of a child care facility and a person under the age of 154
240-16 from being employed a t such facility unless such person is 155
241-under direct supervision and is not counted for the purposes of 156
242-computing the personnel -to-child ratio. 157
243- (d)(e) Minimum training requirements for child care 158
244-personnel. 159
245- 1. Such minimum standards for training shall en sure that 160
246-all child care personnel take an approved 40 -clock-hour 161
247-introductory course in child care, which course covers at least 162
248-the following topic areas: 163
249- a. State and local rules and regulations which govern 164
250-child care. 165
251- b. Health, safety, and nutrit ion. 166
252- c. Identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect. 167
253- d. Child development, including typical and atypical 168
254-language, cognitive, motor, social, and self -help skills 169
255-development. 170
256- e. Observation of developmental behaviors, including using 171
257-a checklist or other similar observation tools and techniques to 172
258-determine the child's developmental age level. 173
259- f. Specialized areas, including computer technology for 174
260-professional and classroom use and early literacy and language 175
236+ 3. Are identified for residential or group home care and 151
237+who, based on a determination by the department, could be placed 152
238+in a foster home with higher level interventions. 153
239+ (c) The department shall identify two judicial circuits 154
240+within which the pilot program will be implemented. The 155
241+department shall use relevant removal and placement data to 156
242+identify areas with the greatest need for such a program. 157
243+ (d) The department shall arrange for an independent 158
244+evaluation of the pilot program to determ ine whether: 159
245+ 1. The pilot program is maintaining children in the least 160
246+restrictive and most appropriate family -like setting near the 161
247+child's home while he or she is in department care. 162
248+ 2. There is a long-term cost benefit associated with 163
249+continuation and expansion of a treatment or professional foster 164
250+care program. 165
251+ (e) The department shall establish standards for the pilot 166
252+program. Those standards must, at a minimum, ensure: 167
253+ 1. Placement of a child in a treatment foster care home is 168
254+intended to be a temporary holistic treatment option and may not 169
255+exceed 9 months. A one -time 3-month extension may be granted if 170
256+the department determines that the child is not ready for 171
257+discharge from treatment foster care at 9 months. 172
258+ 2. Development and implementation of specialized training 173
259+for treatment foster parents in care coordination, de -174
260+escalation, crisis management, and other identified relevant 175
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273-development of children from bir th to 5 years of age, as 176
274-determined by the department, for owner -operators and child care 177
275-personnel of a child care facility. 178
276- g. Developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum 179
277-disorder and Down syndrome, and early identification, use of 180
278-available state and local resources, classroom integration, and 181
279-positive behavioral supports for children with developmental 182
280-disabilities. 183
281- 184
282-Within 90 days after employment, child care personnel shall 185
283-begin training to meet the training requirements. Child care 186
284-personnel shall successfully complete such training within 1 187
285-year after the date on which the training began, as evidenced by 188
286-passage of a competency examination. Successful completion of 189
287-the 40-clock-hour introductory course shall articulate into 190
288-community college credit in early childhood education, pursuant 191
289-to ss. 1007.24 and 1007.25. Exemption from all or a portion of 192
290-the required training shall be granted to child care personnel 193
291-based upon educational credentials or passage of competency 194
292-examinations. Child care personnel possessing a 2 -year degree or 195
293-higher that includes 6 college credit hours in early childhood 196
294-development or child growth and development, or a child 197
295-development associate credential or an equivalent state -approved 198
296-child development associat e credential, or a child development 199
297-associate waiver certificate shall be automatically exempted 200
273+skills needed to care for children with high behavioral health 176
274+needs that cannot be or have not been met in traditio nal foster 177
275+care placements. 178
276+ 3. No more than two eligible children may be placed at any 179
277+time in a treatment foster care home. 180
278+ 4. At least one foster parent with specialized training is 181
279+available and dedicated to the care and treatment of placed 182
280+children. 183
281+ 5. A 24 hour on-call crisis person available to the child 184
282+and family to provide in -home crisis intervention and placement 185
283+stabilization services. 186
284+ (f) By January 1, 2030, the department shall submit to the 187
285+Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the 188
286+House of Representatives a final report that includes the 189
287+independent evaluation, the department's findings and 190
288+evaluation, recommendations as to whether the pilot program 191
289+should be continued and expanded statewide and, if so, fiscal 192
290+and policy recommendations to ensure effective expansion and 193
291+continued operation of the program. 194
292+ Section 4. Effective upon this act becoming a law, the 195
293+Department of Children and Families shall convene a case 196
294+management workforce workgroup by July 1, 2025 . The workgroup 197
295+shall be composed of persons with subject -matter expertise in 198
296+case management and child welfare policy. 199
297+ (1) The department shall ensure the workgroup has at least 200
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310-from the training requirements in sub -subparagraphs b., d., and 201
311-e. 202
312- 2. The introductory course in child care shall stress, to 203
313-the extent possible, an interdi sciplinary approach to the study 204
314-of children. 205
315- 3. The introductory course shall cover recognition and 206
316-prevention of shaken baby syndrome; prevention of sudden infant 207
317-death syndrome; recognition and care of infants and toddlers 208
318-with developmental disabilit ies, including autism spectrum 209
319-disorder and Down syndrome; and early childhood brain 210
320-development within the topic areas identified in this paragraph. 211
321- 4. On an annual basis in order to further their child care 212
322-skills and, if appropriate, administrative sk ills, child care 213
323-personnel who have fulfilled the requirements for the child care 214
324-training shall be required to take an additional 1 continuing 215
325-education unit of approved inservice training, or 10 clock hours 216
326-of equivalent training, as determined by the de partment. 217
327- 5. Child care personnel shall be required to complete 0.5 218
328-continuing education unit of approved training or 5 clock hours 219
329-of equivalent training, as determined by the department, in 220
330-early literacy and language development of children from birth 221
331-to 5 years of age one time. The year that this training is 222
332-completed, it shall fulfill the 0.5 continuing education unit or 223
333-5 clock hours of the annual training required in subparagraph 4. 224
334- 6. Procedures for ensuring the training of qualified child 225
310+two representatives with subject matter expertise in case 201
311+management from each of the following: 202
312+ (a) The Department of Children and Families. 203
313+ (b) Community-based care lead agencies. 204
314+ (c) Contracted case management organizations. 205
315+ (2) In collaboration with the Florida Institute for Child 206
316+Welfare, the workgroup shall do all o f the following: 207
317+ (a) Review and analyze existing statutes, rules, operating 208
318+procedures, and federal requirements relating to the provision 209
319+of case management. 210
320+ (b) Review and analyze legislative changes relating to 211
321+case management processes during the p receding 10 years and the 212
322+impact that those changes have had on workload and workforce. 213
323+ (c) Gather statewide data to assess all of the following: 214
324+ 1. Compliance with statutory requirements. 215
325+ 2. Variations in case management practices. 216
326+ 3. Current workforce capacity. 217
327+ 4. Barriers to successful implementation of any statutes, 218
328+rules, and operating procedures. 219
329+ (d) Solicit insight from stakeholders, including frontline 220
330+workers, supervisors, and administrators regarding challenges 221
331+and potential soluti ons. 222
332+ (e) Analyze findings of the work conducted under 223
333+paragraphs (a)-(d) to: 224
334+ 1. Identify any needed statutory changes. 225
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346346
347-care professionals to provide training of child care personnel, 226
348-including onsite training, shall be included in the minimum 227
349-standards. It is recommended that the state community child care 228
350-coordination agencies (central agencies) be contracted by the 229
351-department to coordinate such training when possible. Other 230
352-district educational resources, such as community colleges and 231
353-career programs, can be designated in such areas where central 232
354-agencies may not exist or are determined not to have the 233
355-capability to meet the coordination requirements set forth by 234
356-the department. 235
357- 7. Training requirements shall not apply to certain 236
358-occasional or part-time support staff, including, but not 237
359-limited to, swimming instructors, piano teachers, dance 238
360-instructors, and gymnastics instr uctors. 239
361- 8. The child care operator shall be required to take basic 240
362-training in serving children with disabilities within 5 years 241
363-after employment, either as a part of the introductory training 242
364-or the annual 8 hours of inservice training. 243
365- (e)(f) Periodic health examinations. 244
366- (f)(g) A credential for child care facility directors. The 245
367-credential shall be a required minimum standard for licensing. 246
368- 247
369-The department may grant limited exemptions to the minimum 248
370-standards provided in this subsection which autho rize a person 249
371-to work in a specified role or with a specified population. 250
347+ 2. Evaluate whether the current structure, processes, and 226
348+requirements of statute, rule, and operating procedure are 227
349+duplicative or unworkable. 228
350+ 3. Evaluate how effectively case managers are implementing 229
351+policy. 230
352+ (f) Develop clear and actionable recommendations to 231
353+streamline, clarify, standardize, and implement case management 232
354+processes and practices that address workforce retention and 233
355+allow for local community innovation. 234
356+ (3) The workgroup shall meet as often as necessary to 235
357+carry out these duties and responsibilities and shall operate 236
358+until December 1, 2025, by which time it shall submit to the 237
359+Governor, the President of the Sen ate, and the Speaker of the 238
360+House of Representatives a report that summarizes its work, 239
361+describes and details its analysis of data, and recommends clear 240
362+actionable policy. 241
363+ Section 5. Effective upon this act becoming a law, the 242
364+Department of Children an d Families shall contract for a 243
365+detailed study of bed capacity for residential treatment 244
366+services for child victims of commercial sexual exploitation 245
367+identified by the child welfare systems of care and those not 246
368+involved in the child welfare systems of car e. The study must 247
369+include analyses of current capacity, current and projected 248
370+future demand, and this state's current and projected future 249
371+ability to meet that demand. The study must be completed by 250
372372
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380380 F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
381381
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384- Section 4. Subsections (4) and (5) of section 402.402, 251
385-Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (5) and (6), 252
386-respectively, and a new subsection (4) is added to that sectio n, 253
387-to read: 254
388- 402.402 Child protection and child welfare personnel; 255
389-attorneys employed by the department. — 256
390- (4) RECRUITMENT PROGRAM. —The department shall develop and 257
391-implement a child protective investigator and case manager 258
392-recruitment program for the pu rpose of recruiting individuals 259
393-who have previously held public safety and service positions, 260
394-such as former law enforcement officers, first responders, 261
395-military servicemembers, teachers, health care practitioners, 262
396-and emergency management professionals. T his recruitment program 263
397-must focus on the education and recruitment of individuals who 264
398-have held positions of public trust and who wish to further 265
399-serve their communities as child welfare personnel. 266
400- (a) The department, in collaboration with community -based 267
401-care lead agencies, shall: 268
402- 1. Develop information pertaining to employment 269
403-opportunities, application procedures, and training requirements 270
404-for employment within the child welfare system and distribute 271
405-such information to individuals who have previously held public 272
406-safety and service positions. 273
407- 2. Develop and implement an employment referral system 274
408-with lead agencies for the case management population. 275
409-
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417-F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
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419-
420-
421- 3. Collect the following information quarterly: 276
422- a. The total number of individuals who sought information 277
423-from the program; were hired by the department as child 278
424-protective investigators; were referred by the program to a lead 279
425-agency for case management positions; and, based upon a referral 280
426-by the program, were hired by the lead agency as a case manager. 281
427- b. The overall turnover rate for child protective 282
428-investigators and case managers compared to the turnover rate 283
429-for child protective investigators and case managers hired based 284
430-upon this program. 285
431- (b) The department may adopt rules to impl ement this 286
432-subsection. 287
433- Section 5. Paragraph (b) of subsection (5) and paragraph 288
434-(e) of subsection (14) of section 409.175, Florida Statutes, are 289
435-amended to read: 290
436- 409.175 Licensure of family foster homes, residential 291
437-child-caring agencies, and child -placing agencies; public 292
438-records exemption.— 293
439- (5) The department shall adopt and amend rules for the 294
440-levels of licensed care associated with the licensure of family 295
441-foster homes, residential child -caring agencies, and child -296
442-placing agencies. The rules may include criteria to approve 297
443-waivers to licensing requirements when applying for a child -298
444-specific license. 299
445- (b) The requirements for licensure and operation of family 300
446-
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454-F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
455-
456-
457-
458-foster homes, residential child -caring agencies, and child -301
459-placing agencies shall include : 302
460- 1. The operation, conduct, and maintenance of these homes 303
461-and agencies and the responsibility which they assume for 304
462-children served and the evidence of need for that service. 305
463- 2. The provision of food, clothing, educational 306
464-opportunities, services, eq uipment, and individual supplies to 307
465-assure the healthy physical, emotional, and mental development 308
466-of the children served. 309
467- 3. The appropriateness, safety, cleanliness, and general 310
468-adequacy of the premises, including fire prevention and health 311
469-standards, to provide for the physical comfort, care, and well -312
470-being of the children served. 313
471- 4. The ratio of staff to children required to provide 314
472-adequate care and supervision of the children served and, in the 315
473-case of family foster homes, the maximum number of ch ildren in 316
474-the home. 317
475- 5. The good moral character based upon screening, 318
476-education, training, and experience requirements for personnel 319
477-and family foster homes. 320
478- 6. The department may grant exemptions from 321
479-disqualification from working with children or the 322
480-developmentally disabled as provided in s. 435.07. 323
481- 6.7. The provision of preservice and inservice training 324
482-for all foster parents and agency staff. 325
483-
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493-
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495- 7.8. Satisfactory evidence of financial ability to provide 326
496-care for the children in compliance with lic ensing requirements. 327
497- 8.9. The maintenance by the agency of records pertaining 328
498-to admission, progress, health, and discharge of children 329
499-served, including written case plans and reports to the 330
500-department. 331
501- 9.10. The provision for parental involvement to encourage 332
502-preservation and strengthening of a child's relationship with 333
503-the family. 334
504- 10.11. The transportation safety of children served. 335
505- 11.12. The provisions for safeguarding the cultural, 336
506-religious, and ethnic values of a child. 337
507- 12.13. Provisions to safeguard the legal rights of 338
508-children served. 339
509- 13.14. Requiring signs to be conspicuously placed on the 340
510-premises of facilities maintained by child -caring agencies to 341
511-warn children of the dangers of human traf ficking and to 342
512-encourage the reporting of individuals observed attempting to 343
513-engage in human trafficking activity. The signs must advise 344
514-children to report concerns to the local law enforcement agency 345
515-or the Department of Law Enforcement, specifying the ap propriate 346
516-telephone numbers used for such reports. The department shall 347
517-specify, at a minimum, the content of the signs by rule. 348
518- 349
519-The department may grant limited exemptions to the requirements 350
520-
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528-F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
529-
530-
531-
532-provided in this paragraph which authorize a person to work in a 351
533-specified role or with a specified population. 352
534- (14) 353
535- (e)1. In addition to any other preservice training 354
536-required by law, foster parents, as a condition of licensure, 355
537-and agency staff must successfully complete preservice training 356
538-related to human traf ficking which must be uniform statewide and 357
539-must include, but need not be limited to: 358
540- a. Basic information on human trafficking, such as an 359
541-understanding of relevant terminology, and the differences 360
542-between sex trafficking and labor trafficking; 361
543- b. Factors and knowledge on identifying children at risk 362
544-of human trafficking; and 363
545- c. Steps that should be taken to prevent at -risk youths 364
546-from becoming victims of human trafficking. 365
547- 2. Foster parents, before licensure renewal, and agency 366
548-staff, during each full year of employment, must complete 367
549-inservice training related to human trafficking to satisfy the 368
550-training requirement under subparagraph (5)(b)6. (5)(b)7. 369
551- Section 6. Paragraph (c) of subsection (4) of section 370
552-409.987, Florida Statutes, is amend ed to read: 371
553- 409.987 Lead agency procurement; boards; conflicts of 372
554-interest.— 373
555- (4) In order to serve as a lead agency, an entity must: 374
556- (c) Demonstrate financial responsibility through an 375
557-
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565-F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
566-
567-
568-
569-organized plan for regular fiscal audits and; the posting of a 376
570-performance bond; and the posting of a fidelity bond to cover 377
571-any costs associated with reprocurement and the assessed 378
572-penalties related to a failure to disclose a conflict of 379
573-interest under subsection (7) . 380
574- Section 7. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of s ection 381
575-409.993, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragraph (c), 382
576-paragraph (a) is amended, and a new paragraph (b) is added to 383
577-that subsection, to read: 384
578- 409.993 Lead agencies and subcontractor liability. — 385
579- (3) SUBCONTRACTOR LIABILITY. — 386
580- (a) A subcontractor of an eligible community -based care 387
581-lead agency that is a direct provider of foster care and related 388
582-services to children and families, and its employees or 389
583-officers, except as otherwise provided in paragraph (c) (b), 390
584-must, as a part of its contrac t, obtain a minimum of $1 million 391
585-per occurrence with a policy period aggregate limit of $3 392
586-million in general liability insurance coverage. The 393
587-subcontractor of a lead agency must also require that staff who 394
588-transport client children and families in their personal 395
589-automobiles in order to carry out their job responsibilities 396
590-obtain minimum bodily injury liability insurance in the amount 397
591-of $100,000 per person in any one automobile accident, and 398
592-subject to such limits for each person, $300,000 for all damage s 399
593-resulting from any one automobile accident, on their personal 400
594-
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602-F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
603-
604-
605-
606-automobiles. In lieu of personal motor vehicle insurance, the 401
607-subcontractor's casualty, liability, or motor vehicle insurance 402
608-carrier may provide nonowned automobile liability coverage. This 403
609-insurance provides liability insurance for automobiles that the 404
610-subcontractor uses in connection with the subcontractor's 405
611-business but does not own, lease, rent, or borrow. This coverage 406
612-includes automobiles owned by the employees of the subcontractor 407
613-or a member of the employee's household but only while the 408
614-automobiles are used in connection with the subcontractor's 409
615-business. The nonowned automobile coverage for the subcontractor 410
616-applies as excess coverage over any other collectible insurance. 411
617-The personal automobile policy for the employee of the 412
618-subcontractor shall be primary insurance, and the nonowned 413
619-automobile coverage of the subcontractor acts as excess 414
620-insurance to the primary insurance. The subcontractor shall 415
621-provide a minimum limit of $1 million in nonowned automobile 416
622-coverage. In a tort action brought against such subcontractor or 417
623-employee, net economic damages shall be limited to $2 million 418
624-per liability claim and $200,000 per automobile claim, 419
625-including, but not limited to, past and future medi cal expenses, 420
626-wage loss, and loss of earning capacity, offset by any 421
627-collateral source payment paid or payable. In a tort action 422
628-brought against such subcontractor, noneconomic damages shall be 423
629-limited to $400,000 per claim. A claims bill may be brought on 424
630-behalf of a claimant pursuant to s. 768.28 for any amount 425
631-
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639-F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
640-
641-
642-
643-exceeding the limits specified in this paragraph. Any offset of 426
644-collateral source payments made as of the date of the settlement 427
645-or judgment shall be in accordance with s. 768.76. 428
646- (b) A subcontractor of a lead agency that is a direct 429
647-provider of foster care and related services is not liable for 430
648-the acts or omissions of the lead agency, the department, or the 431
649-officers, agents, or employees of the lead agency or the 432
650-department. The limitation on li ability established in this 433
651-paragraph applies to contracts entered into or renewed after 434
652-July 1, 2025. 435
653- Section 8. Subsection (27) is added to section 409.996, 436
654-Florida Statutes, to read: 437
655- 409.996 Duties of the Department of Children and 438
656-Families.—The department shall contract for the delivery, 439
657-administration, or management of care for children in the child 440
658-protection and child welfare system. In doing so, the department 441
659-retains responsibility for the quality of contracted services 442
660-and programs and shall ensure that, at a minimum, services are 443
661-delivered in accordance with applicable federal and state 444
662-statutes and regulations and the performance standards and 445
663-metrics specified in the strategic plan created under s. 446
664-20.19(1). 447
665- (27)(a) Subject to appropriat ion, beginning July 1, 2025, 448
666-the department shall develop a 4 -year pilot program of treatment 449
667-foster care or a substantially similar evidence -based program of 450
668-
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676-F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
677-
678-
679-
680-professional foster care. The department shall implement the 451
681-pilot program by January 1, 2026. 452
682- (b) Participation in the pilot program is limited to 453
683-children who: 454
684- 1. Are entering or continuing in foster care with high 455
685-resource indicators, as determined by the department. These high 456
686-resource indicators may include the potential for frequent 457
687-placement change due to current or past behavior or Department 458
688-of Juvenile Justice involvement; 459
689- 2. Will require placement in foster care when the children 460
690-are discharged from inpatient residential treatment; or 461
691- 3. Are identified for residential or group home c are and 462
692-who, based on a determination by the department, could be placed 463
693-in a foster home with higher level interventions. 464
694- (c) The department shall identify two judicial circuits 465
695-within which the pilot program will be implemented. The 466
696-department shall use relevant removal and placement data to 467
697-identify areas with the greatest need for such a program. 468
698- (d) The department shall arrange for an independent 469
699-evaluation of the pilot program to determine whether: 470
700- 1. The pilot program is maintaining children in the least 471
701-restrictive and most appropriate family -like setting near the 472
702-child's home while he or she is in department care. 473
703- 2. There is a long-term cost benefit associated with 474
704-continuation and expansion of a treatment or professional foster 475
705-
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713-F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
714-
715-
716-
717-care program. 476
718- (e) The department shall establish standards for the pilot 477
719-program. Those standards must, at a minimum, ensure: 478
720- 1. Placement of a child in a treatment foster care home is 479
721-intended to be a temporary holistic treatment option and may not 480
722-exceed 9 months. A one-time 3-month extension may be granted if 481
723-the department determines that the child is not ready for 482
724-discharge from treatment foster care at 9 months. 483
725- 2. Development and implementation of specialized training 484
726-for treatment foster parents in care coordination, de-485
727-escalation, crisis management, and other identified relevant 486
728-skills needed to care for children with high behavioral health 487
729-needs that cannot be or have not been met in traditional foster 488
730-care placements. 489
731- 3. No more than two eligible chi ldren may be placed at any 490
732-time in a treatment foster care home. 491
733- 4. At least one foster parent with specialized training is 492
734-available and dedicated to the care and treatment of placed 493
735-children. 494
736- 5. A 24 hour on-call crisis person available to the child 495
737-and family to provide in -home crisis intervention and placement 496
738-stabilization services. 497
739- (f) By January 1, 2030, the department shall submit to the 498
740-Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the 499
741-House of Representatives a final report that includes the 500
742-
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750-F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
751-
752-
753-
754-independent evaluation, the department's findings and 501
755-evaluation, recommenda tions as to whether the pilot program 502
756-should be continued and expanded statewide and, if so, fiscal 503
757-and policy recommendations to ensure effective expansion and 504
758-continued operation of the program. 505
759- Section 9. Subsection (11) is added to section 1004.615 , 506
760-Florida Statutes, to read: 507
761- 1004.615 Florida Institute for Child Welfare. — 508
762- (11) An incentive provided to state employees for 509
763-participating in the institute's research or evaluation as 510
764-required by the institute's statutory mission under this section 511
765-may not be considered a violation of s. 112.313 or require 512
766-reporting under s. 112.3148. 513
767- Section 10. Section 402.30501, Florida Statutes, is 514
768-amended to read: 515
769- 402.30501 Modification of introductory child care course 516
770-for community college credit authorize d.—The Department of 517
771-Children and Families may modify the 40 -clock-hour introductory 518
772-course in child care under s. 402.305 or s. 402.3131 to meet the 519
773-requirements of articulating the course to community college 520
774-credit. Any modification must continue to pro vide that the 521
775-course satisfies the requirements of s. 402.305(2)(d) s. 522
776-402.305(2)(e). 523
777- Section 11. Subsections (3) and (4) of section 1002.57, 524
778-Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 525
779-
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788-
789-
790-
791- 1002.57 Prekindergarten director credential. — 526
792- (3) The prekindergarten director credential must meet or 527
793-exceed the requirements of the Department of Children and 528
794-Families for the child care facility director credential under 529
795-s. 402.305(2)(f) s. 402.305(2)(g), and successful completion of 530
796-the prekindergarten director credential satisfies these 531
797-requirements for the child care facility director credential. 532
798- (4) The department shall, to the maximum extent 533
799-practicable, award credit to a person who successfully completes 534
800-the child care facility director cre dential under s. 535
801-402.305(2)(f) s. 402.305(2)(g) for those requirements of the 536
802-prekindergarten director credential which are duplicative of 537
803-requirements for the child care facility director credential. 538
804- Section 12. Subsection (1) of section 1002.59, Flor ida 539
805-Statutes, is amended to read: 540
806- 1002.59 Emergent literacy and performance standards 541
807-training courses.— 542
808- (1) The department, in collaboration with the Just Read, 543
809-Florida! Office, shall adopt minimum standards for courses in 544
810-emergent literacy for prekin dergarten instructors. Each course 545
811-must consist of 5 clock hours and provide instruction in 546
812-strategies and techniques to address the age -appropriate 547
813-progress of prekindergarten students in developing emergent 548
814-literacy skills, including oral communication, knowledge of 549
815-print and letters, phonological and phonemic awareness, 550
816-
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825-
826-
827-
828-vocabulary and comprehension development, and foundational 551
829-background knowledge designed to correlate with the content that 552
830-students will encounter in grades K -12, consistent with the 553
831-evidence-based content and strategies grounded in the science of 554
832-reading identified pursuant to s. 1001.215(7). The course 555
833-standards must be reviewed as part of any review of subject 556
834-coverage or endorsement requirements in the elementary, reading, 557
835-and exceptional student educational areas conducted pursuant to 558
836-s. 1012.586. Each course must also provide resources containing 559
837-strategies that allow students with disabilities and other 560
838-special needs to derive maximum benefit from the Voluntary 561
839-Prekindergarten Educa tion Program. Successful completion of an 562
840-emergent literacy training course approved under this section 563
841-satisfies requirements for approved training in early literacy 564
842-and language development under ss. 402.305(2)(d)5. ss. 565
843-402.305(2)(e)5., 402.313(6), and 402.3131(5). 566
844- Section 13. Effective upon this act becoming a law, the 567
845-Department of Children and Families shall convene a case 568
846-management workforce workgroup by July 1, 2025. The workgroup 569
847-shall be composed of persons with subject -matter expertise in 570
848-case management and child welfare policy. 571
849- (1) The department shall ensure the workgroup has at least 572
850-two representatives with subject matter expertise in case 573
851-management from each of the following: 574
852- (a) The Department of Children and Families. 575
853-
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865- (b) Community-based care lead agencies. 576
866- (c) Contracted case management organizations. 577
867- (2) In collaboration with the Florida Institute for Child 578
868-Welfare, the workgroup shall do all of the following: 579
869- (a) Review and analyze existing statutes, rules, operating 580
870-procedures, and federal requirements relating to the provision 581
871-of case management. 582
872- (b) Review and analyze legislative changes relating to 583
873-case management processes during the preceding 10 years and the 584
874-impact that those changes have had on workload and work force. 585
875- (c) Gather statewide data to assess all of the following: 586
876- 1. Compliance with statutory requirements. 587
877- 2. Variations in case management practices. 588
878- 3. Current workforce capacity. 589
879- 4. Barriers to successful implementation of any statutes, 590
880-rules, and operating procedures. 591
881- (d) Solicit insight from stakeholders, including frontline 592
882-workers, supervisors, and administrators regarding challenges 593
883-and potential solutions. 594
884- (e) Analyze findings of the work conducted under 595
885-paragraphs (a)-(d) to: 596
886- 1. Identify any needed statutory changes. 597
887- 2. Evaluate whether the current structure, processes, and 598
888-requirements of statute, rule, and operating procedure are 599
889-duplicative or unworkable. 600
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902- 3. Evaluate how effectively case managers are implementing 601
903-policy. 602
904- (f) Develop clear and actionable recommendations to 603
905-streamline, clarify, standardize, and implement case management 604
906-processes and practices that address workforce retention and 605
907-allow for local community innovation. 606
908- (3) The workgroup shall meet as often as necessary to 607
909-carry out these duties and responsibilities and shall operate 608
910-until December 1, 2025, by which time it shall submit to the 609
911-Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the 610
912-House of Representatives a report that summarizes its w ork, 611
913-describes and details its analysis of data, and recommends clear 612
914-actionable policy. 613
915- Section 14. Effective upon this act becoming a law, the 614
916-Department of Children and Families shall contract for a 615
917-detailed study of bed capacity for residential tre atment 616
918-services for child victims of commercial sexual exploitation 617
919-identified by the child welfare systems of care and those not 618
920-involved in the child welfare systems of care. The study must 619
921-include analyses of current capacity, current and projected 620
922-future demand, and this state's current and projected future 621
923-ability to meet that demand. The study must be completed by 622
924-December 31, 2025, and, at a minimum, include all of the 623
925-following: 624
926- (1) By department region, the current number of 625
927-
928-CS/HB 1127 2025
929-
930-
931-
932-CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
933-hb1127-01-c1
934-Page 26 of 26
935-F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
936-
937-
938-
939-residential treatment beds in safe homes for treatment of child 626
940-victims of commercial sexual exploitation, the number of 627
941-individuals admitted and discharged annually, the types and 628
942-frequency of diagnoses, and the lengths of stays. 629
943- (2) By department region, the current number of 630
944-specialized safe therapeutic foster home placements for child 631
945-victims of commercial sexual exploitation, the number of 632
946-placements annually, and the lengths of stays. 633
947- (3) Policy recommendations for ensuring sufficient bed 634
948-capacity for residential trea tment beds and specialized safe 635
949-therapeutic foster home placements, and enhancing services for 636
950-child victims of commercial sexual exploitation which could 637
951-prevent the need for residential treatment beds. 638
952- Section 15. Except as otherwise expressly provid ed in this 639
953-act and except for this section, which shall take effect upon 640
954-this act becoming a law, this act shall take effect July 1, 641
955-2025. 642
384+December 31, 2025, and, at a minimum, include all of the 251
385+following: 252
386+ (1) By department region, the current number of 253
387+residential treatment beds in safe homes for treatment of child 254
388+victims of commercial sexual exploitation, the number of 255
389+individuals admitted and discharged annually, the types and 256
390+frequency of diagnoses, and the lengths of stays. 257
391+ (2) By department region, the current number of 258
392+specialized safe therapeutic foster home placements for child 259
393+victims of commercial sexual exploitation, the number of 260
394+placements annually, and the lengths of stays. 261
395+ (3) Policy recommendations for ensuring sufficient bed 262
396+capacity for residential treatment beds and specialized safe 263
397+therapeutic foster home placements, and enhancing services for 264
398+child victims of commercial sexual exploitation which could 265
399+prevent the need for residential treatment beds. 266
400+ Section 6. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this 267
401+act and except for this section, which shall take effect upon 268
402+this act becoming a law, this act shall take effect July 1, 269
403+2025. 270