Senate Bill sb0670

    Florida Senate - 2003                                   SB 670

    By Senator Bennett





    21-651-03

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the licensure of family

  3         foster homes; amending s. 409.175, F.S.;

  4         revising requirements for an assessment that

  5         must be completed before additional children

  6         are placed in a home; requiring that the

  7         assessment be conducted by a certified family

  8         counselor; providing an effective date.

  9  

10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

11  

12         Section 1.  Subsection (3) of section 409.175, Florida

13  Statutes, is amended to read:

14         409.175  Licensure of family foster homes, residential

15  child-caring agencies, and child-placing agencies.--

16         (3)(a)  The total number of children placed in each

17  family foster home shall be based on the recommendation of the

18  department, or the community-based care lead agency where one

19  is providing foster care and related services, based on the

20  needs of each child in care, the ability of the foster family

21  to meet the individual needs of each child, including any

22  adoptive or biological children living in the home, the amount

23  of safe physical plant space, the ratio of active and

24  appropriate adult supervision, and the background, experience,

25  and skill of the family foster parents.

26         (b)  If the total number of children in a family foster

27  home will exceed five, including the family's own children, an

28  a comprehensive behavioral health assessment by a certified

29  family counselor of each child to be placed in the home must

30  be completed prior to placement of any additional children in

31  the home. The comprehensive behavioral health assessment must

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2003                                   SB 670
    21-651-03




 1  comply with Medicaid rules and regulations, assess and

 2  document the mental, physical, and psychosocial needs of the

 3  child, and recommend the maximum number of children in a

 4  family foster home that will allow the child's needs to be

 5  met.

 6         (c)  For any licensed family foster home, the

 7  appropriateness of the number of children in the home must be

 8  reassessed annually as part of the relicensure process. For a

 9  home with more than five children, if it is determined by the

10  licensure study at the time of relicensure that the total

11  number of children in the home is appropriate and that there

12  have been no substantive licensure violations and no

13  indications of child maltreatment or child-on-child sexual

14  abuse within the past 12 months, the relicensure of the home

15  shall not be denied based on the total number of children in

16  the home.

17         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

18  law.

19  

20            *****************************************

21                          SENATE SUMMARY

22    Revises the requirements for placing additional children
      in a family foster home if there will be more than five
23    children in that home. Requires a certified family
      counselor to conduct an assessment before additional
24    children are placed in the home.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.