This bill amends existing Iowa law regarding the placement of children who are subjects of pending delinquency petitions. It allows courts to place these children in a supervised apartment living arrangement as part of a consent decree, provided that the court determines this option to be the least restrictive. Specifically, the bill adds the option of supervised apartment living arrangements to the list of permissible placements, which previously included only group or family foster care settings.

Additionally, the bill establishes that the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be responsible for funding these supervised apartment living arrangements, but only if they meet specific requirements set by HHS through rulemaking. This change aims to provide more flexible and appropriate living arrangements for children in the juvenile justice system while ensuring that state funding is contingent upon compliance with established standards.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 232.46, 234.35