The proposed bill would update current statutes by establishing a requirement for the Department of Child Safety (DCS) to maintain a minimum number of licensed foster homes that corresponds to the number of children in its care. This includes the introduction of annual estimates for the required number of foster homes, a recruitment campaign, and progress reporting to legislative leaders. Additionally, the bill stipulates that DCS cannot reduce the minimum number of licensed foster homes until the next fiscal year's estimate is completed and allows for the use of an estimator tool for calculations. It also introduces new reporting requirements regarding children in congregate care placements, categorized by various demographics.

Moreover, the bill modifies the existing Foster Youth Permanency Pilot Project Team by renaming it to the Foster Youth Permanency Project Team, thereby making it a permanent entity. It expands the team's membership to include individuals with personal foster care experience and allows the team to contract with nonprofit organizations that have a successful history in establishing permanency for at-risk youth. The bill also defines "congregate care" and makes technical changes to existing statutes, ensuring that these updates align with the overarching goal of improving foster care and permanency outcomes for children in DCS custody.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 8-469.02, 8-509, 8-509.02, 8-526, 8-530.08, 8-521.02, 8-503, 41-1758.07, 8-515.03, 13-3623.01, 8-516, 8-530.04, 8-201