Establishes the office of the child welfare advocate to provide support to youth, biological parents, kinship caregivers and foster parents including prospective kinship caregivers or foster parents.
Provides legal assistance to youth ordered by the court into the custody of the office of children and family services and placed or committed to a state operated juvenile detention center.
Expands the right to assistance of counsel to include respondents in guardianship proceedings and kinship caregivers in custody and guardianship proceedings.
Establishes a division of early childhood within the office of children and family services to coordinate, consolidate and integrate early childhood programs.
Establishes a division of early childhood within the office of children and family services to coordinate, consolidate and integrate early childhood programs.