Assembly Bill 491 authorizes group homes, shelter care facilities, and child welfare agencies operating residential care centers for children and youth to utilize video surveillance and recording in common areas, entrances, and exits without obtaining consent from the children being monitored. However, these facilities are required to inform the children and their guardians about the surveillance. The bill mandates that all such agencies adopt a safety monitoring policy that may include video surveillance, while also stipulating that this surveillance cannot replace one-on-one monitoring for children at high risk of self-harm.

Additionally, the bill amends existing law regarding the rights of individuals receiving mental health services, allowing patients in residential care centers, group homes, or shelter care facilities to be subject to video surveillance without their consent, as specified in the new section 48.672. The bill maintains confidentiality for the video data, which is not open to public inspection, but allows for exceptions consistent with current law regarding records held by child welfare agencies. The Department of Children and Families (DCF) is granted the authority to review any recordings made under this new provision.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 51.61(1)(o), 51.61