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