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.
Limits the experiential qualifications of group teachers for preschool classes and groups teachers for infant or toddler classes to what was required for their educational qualifications.
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.
Allows the court to enter an order regarding a destitute minor freeing the child for adoption and granting guardianship and custody to the commissioner of social services for the purposes of consenting to an adoption; authorizes certain commissioners of public welfare and city public welfare officers to consent to such adoptions.
Provides that a caregiver shall be eligible for assistance for child care under the child care block grant regardless of the hours the parent actually works.
Requires additional investigation when three or more claims of abuse or maltreatment of a child are made relating to the same person; requires such person to be investigated and evaluated at least once a year for the next five years from the date of the last report.
Establishes alternative living arrangements for children who are at a substantial risk of abuse; defines an alternative living arrangement as a temporary, written and agreed upon out of home living arrangement developed as a result of an investigation of child maltreatment by the child protective service that would allow for a relative or suitable person to temporarily care for a child who is at a substantial risk of abuse or in imminent danger of neglect; requires annual reporting.
Provides that when the state central register of child abuse and maltreatment receives a report by means of a telephone call from a physician, registered nurse or registered physician's assistant or from a social worker or psychologist, or by a law enforcement official, such telephone calls shall not be screened by the hotline but shall be immediately transmitted to the appropriate child protective service for investigation; provides for the child protective service of each county to establish procedures for communication and cooperation with local hospitals and law enforcement to better protect the interests of at risk children and to better provide essential services to their families.
Establishes the statewide childcare workforce living wage fund to improve workforce conditions for employees of childcare services and programs through grants for salary increases, workforce retention bonuses and recruitment bonuses, indirect costs associated with implementing salary increases and bonuses, costs associated with employee health and fringe benefits and provider pay in certain circumstances; makes an appropriation therefor.
Requires child day care centers, family day care homes, and any child day care provider notify the municipality in which they intend to operate of their intent to request such a license or registration provided such child day care center, family day care home, or child day care provider is located within a city with a population of one million or more.
Requires child protective services to orally and in writing disclose certain information to parents and caretakers who are the subject of a child protective services investigation; requires such oral and written disclosure to contain certain information regarding the rights of the person under investigation.
Relates to differential response programs for child protection assessments or investigations; requires social services districts to establish such programs upon authorization from the office of children and family services.
Allows previous investigations in which the subject was indicated for child abuse or maltreatment using a credible evidence standard to be re-examined using a fair preponderance of the evidence standard.