Establishes a council on children and families within the executive department; moves such council from the office of children and family services; defines terms; authorizes the governor to designate the executive director of such council; makes related provisions.
Requires inspections of child day care homes, programs and facilities include the full premises; requires providers of a family day care home or group family day care home to disclose to the office of children and family services all persons who reside in the home where child day care is being provided; requires all providers of child day care to receive training for, provide and maintain onsite opioid antagonists for use during emergencies.
Requires each social services district to maintain a waiting list of eligible families who have applied for child care assistance; requires the local districts to report such list to the office of children and family services who shall then compile such reports and issue one report to the legislature annually; requires the social services districts to collect data regarding the income of families who have applied, were denied and received child care assistance and issue a report to the office of children and family services who shall then compile such reports and issue one report to the legislature annually.
Authorizes and directs the office of children and family services to conduct a study on the family assessment response program; provides for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof.
Enacts "Melanie's law"; relates to orders of protection; allows courts to issue orders of protection for immediate family members or household members of the named victims, regardless of age.
Allows for child protective services workers to complete the required training on the fundamentals of child protection through distance learning methods beginning April 1, 2025.
Establishes the independent office of the child advocate to ensure the protection and promotion of the rights of children in the care of any state agency or local social services district.
Requires statewide training for mandated reporters to include how to identify an abused or maltreated child with an intellectual or developmental disability.
Prohibits forensic child custody evaluators who have been terminated for cause from appearing as an expert witness in family court custody and visitation proceedings.
Relates to the discovery provisions applicable to juvenile delinquency proceedings in family court with regard to the timing of discovery, disclosure prior to certain guilty pleas, DNA evidence, court orders, and the admissibility of discovery.
Modifies the definition of disorderly conduct for family offense proceedings to not require an intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof, but merely an intent to cause annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof.