The bill SB 142-FN establishes the Department of Children's Services and Juvenile Justice (DCSJJ) in New Hampshire, transferring responsibilities from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), specifically the Division for Children, Youth, and Families, and the Bureau of Children’s Behavioral Health. It creates a new chapter in the law, Chapter 21-W, detailing the department's purpose, definitions, and functions, including the appointment of a commissioner by the governor. The DCSJJ will oversee a comprehensive range of services related to child welfare, juvenile justice, and children's behavioral health, with four divisions: Administration Support, Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice, and Children’s Behavioral Health Services. The bill also mandates the transfer of all relevant personnel, records, and funds to the new department, ensuring that employees remain classified state employees with associated benefits.

Additionally, the bill introduces significant changes to the management and disclosure of information regarding child abuse and neglect cases, defining "near fatality" and outlining specific conditions for information disclosure while protecting the identities of reporters and siblings. It establishes a quality early learning initiative for families within certain income thresholds and emphasizes inter-departmental collaboration for complex cases involving developmental disabilities. The bill also updates various legal references, replacing mentions of the DHHS with the DCSJJ, and mandates the creation of a Governor’s Commission on Children’s Services to enhance collaboration among state agencies. The act is projected to incur significant costs, estimated to exceed $11 million in the first year, and is set to take effect on January 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 21-V:2, 126-A:39, 161:2, 170-H:1, 28-B:3, 126-A:5, 186-C:14, 187-A:20-b, 490-C:2, 597:2, 6:12-c, 621-A:11, 651-E:2, 47:11-b, 170-G:4