Florida Senate - 2017                             CS for SB 1694
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Rules; and Senator Torres
       
       
       
       
       
       595-03524-17                                          20171694c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to support for parental victims of
    3         child domestic violence; amending s. 984.071, F.S.;
    4         deleting obsolete language; requiring the Department
    5         of Juvenile Justice, in collaboration with specified
    6         organizations, to develop and maintain updated
    7         information and materials regarding specified services
    8         and resources; requiring the department to make the
    9         information and materials available through specified
   10         means; amending s. 943.171, F.S.; requiring domestic
   11         violence training for law enforcement officers to
   12         include training concerning child-to-parent cases;
   13         providing an effective date.
   14          
   15  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   16  
   17         Section 1. Section 984.071, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   18  read:
   19         984.071 Resources and information packet.—
   20         (1) The Department of Juvenile Justice, in collaboration
   21  with the Department of Children and Families and the Department
   22  of Education, shall develop and publish an information packet
   23  that explains the current process under this chapter for
   24  obtaining assistance for a child in need of services or a family
   25  in need of services and the community services and resources
   26  available to parents of troubled or runaway children. In
   27  preparing the information packet, the Department of Juvenile
   28  Justice shall work with school district superintendents,
   29  juvenile court judges, county sheriffs, and other local law
   30  enforcement officials in order to ensure that the information
   31  packet lists services and resources that are currently available
   32  within the county in which the packet is distributed. Each
   33  information packet shall be annually updated and shall be
   34  available for distribution by January 1, 1998. The school
   35  district shall distribute this information packet to parents of
   36  truant children and to other parents upon request or as deemed
   37  appropriate by the school district. In addition, the Department
   38  of Juvenile Justice shall distribute the information packet to
   39  state and local law enforcement agencies. Any law enforcement
   40  officer who has contact with the parent of a child who is locked
   41  out of the home or who runs away from home shall make the
   42  information available to the parent.
   43         (2) The department, in collaboration with organizations
   44  that provide expertise, training, and advocacy in the areas of
   45  family and domestic violence, shall develop and maintain updated
   46  information and materials describing resources and services
   47  available to parents and legal custodians who are victims of
   48  domestic violence committed by children or who fear that they
   49  will become victims of such acts and to children who have
   50  committed acts of domestic violence or who demonstrate behaviors
   51  that may escalate into domestic violence. Such resources and
   52  services shall include, but are not limited to, those available
   53  under this chapter, domestic violence services available under
   54  chapter 39, and juvenile justice services available pursuant to
   55  chapter 985, including prevention, diversion, detention, and
   56  alternative placements. The materials shall describe how parents
   57  and legal custodians may access the resources and services in
   58  their local area. The department shall post this information on
   59  its website and make the materials available to certified
   60  domestic violence centers, other organizations serving victims
   61  of domestic violence, clerks of court, law enforcement agencies,
   62  and other appropriate organizations for distribution to the
   63  public.
   64         Section 2. Subsection (1) of section 943.171, Florida
   65  Statutes, is amended to read:
   66         943.171 Basic skills training in handling domestic violence
   67  cases.—
   68         (1) The commission shall establish standards for
   69  instruction of law enforcement officers in the subject of
   70  domestic violence. Every basic skills course required in order
   71  for law enforcement officers to obtain initial certification
   72  shall, after January 1, 1986, include a minimum of 6 hours of
   73  training in handling domestic violence cases. Such training must
   74  include training in the recognition and determination of the
   75  primary aggressor in domestic violence cases and the issues
   76  involved in child-to-parent cases.
   77         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.