The bill amends Section 42-72-5 of the General Laws, focusing on the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) and its role in ensuring children's welfare. It introduces a requirement for the department to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment of its services every five years, with the first assessment due by March 31, 2026. This assessment is to be conducted by an in-state academic institution or consulting firm and overseen by a newly established committee consisting of various stakeholders. The committee will meet monthly during the assessment period and provide guidance, with the final report being made publicly available and submitted to key government officials. The bill also details the director's responsibilities, including licensing group homes, recruiting community resources, and establishing staff training requirements. It outlines the department's duties in child welfare services, foster care, education, and mental health services, including a pilot juvenile-restitution program, goals to reduce long-term foster care, and fee schedules for adoption services.

The bill mandates the DCYF to create a comprehensive continuum of care for children, emphasizing family-centered and community-based services. The director must report annually to the general assembly on the status of these efforts. The bill also addresses the delivery of mental health services to children with serious emotional disturbances or functional developmental disabilities, defining these terms and outlining funding mechanisms. Transition planning for children aging out of services is required to begin twelve months before their twenty-first birthday. Furthermore, the bill establishes a hiring process for social caseworkers and child protective investigators at DCYF, including candidate screening and interview procedures, with an interim report on the hiring process due by March 15, 2024. It notes the deletion of subsections (d) and (e) from previous legislation and states that the act will take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
2705  SUB A: 42-72-5
2705: 42-72-5