ENROLLED
2025 Legislature CS for SB 7012, 1st Engrossed
20257012er
1
2 An act relating to child welfare; amending s. 39.524,
3 F.S.; requiring the Department of Children and
4 Families to maintain copies of certain assessments and
5 tools used to assess children for certain placement;
6 requiring the department to maintain certain data in a
7 specified format; amending s. 39.905, F.S.;
8 authorizing the department to waive a specified
9 requirement if there is an emergency need for a new
10 domestic violence center; authorizing the department
11 to issue a provisional certificate under certain
12 circumstances; authorizing the department to adopt
13 rules; amending ss. 402.305 and 409.175, F.S.;
14 removing authority for the department to grant
15 exemptions from working with children or the
16 developmentally disabled; authorizing the department
17 to grant limited exemptions to certain minimum
18 standards and requirements, respectively; amending s.
19 402.402, F.S.; subject to an appropriation, requiring
20 the department to develop a child protective
21 investigator and case manager recruitment program for
22 a specified purpose; specifying requirements for the
23 program; specifying duties of the department under the
24 program, to be completed in collaboration with
25 community-based care lead agencies; authorizing the
26 department to adopt rules to implement the program;
27 amending s. 409.987, F.S.; removing the requirement
28 that an entity post a specified fidelity bond in order
29 to serve as a lead agency; amending s. 409.993, F.S.;
30 providing immunity from liability for subcontractors
31 of lead agencies for certain acts or omissions;
32 providing applicability; amending s. 409.996, F.S.;
33 subject to an appropriation and beginning on a
34 specified date, requiring the department to develop a
35 4-year pilot program for treatment foster care;
36 requiring the department to implement the pilot
37 program by a specified date; requiring the department
38 to coordinate with community-based care lead agencies
39 to develop a specified process; requiring community
40 based care lead agencies to recruit individuals and
41 families for a certain purpose; limiting participation
42 in the pilot program to children meeting specified
43 criteria; requiring the department to identify two
44 judicial circuits determined to have the greatest need
45 for implementation of such pilot program; requiring
46 the department to arrange for an independent
47 evaluation of the pilot program to make specified
48 determinations; requiring the department to establish
49 certain minimum standards for the pilot program;
50 requiring the department, by a specified date, to
51 submit to the Governor and the Legislature a final
52 report which includes specified evaluations, findings,
53 and recommendations; amending s. 1004.615, F.S.;
54 specifying that incentives provided to state employees
55 for participating in research or evaluation with the
56 Florida Institute for Child Welfare do not violate
57 certain laws or require certain reporting; amending
58 ss. 402.30501, 1002.57, and 1002.59, F.S.; conforming
59 cross-references; requiring the department to convene
60 a case management workforce workgroup by a specified
61 date; providing for membership of the workgroup;
62 specifying duties of the workgroup, to be completed in
63 collaboration with the Florida Institute for Child
64 Welfare; providing for meetings of the workgroup;
65 providing for the operation of the workgroup until a
66 specified date; requiring the workgroup to submit a
67 report to the Governor and the Legislature by a
68 specified date; providing requirements for the report;
69 requiring the department to contract for a detailed
70 study of certain services for child victims of
71 commercial sexual exploitation; requiring that the
72 study be completed by a specified date; providing
73 requirements for the study; providing effective dates.
74
75 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
76
77 Section 1. Subsection (3) of section 39.524, Florida
78 Statutes, is amended to read:
79 39.524 Safe-harbor placement.—
80 (3)(a) By October 1 of each year, the department, with
81 information from community-based care agencies, shall report to
82 the Legislature on the prevalence of child commercial sexual
83 exploitation of children; the specialized services provided and
84 placement of such children; the local service capacity assessed
85 pursuant to s. 409.1754; the placement of children in safe
86 houses and safe foster homes during the year, including the
87 criteria used to determine the placement of children; the number
88 of children who were evaluated for placement; the number of
89 children who were placed based upon the evaluation; the number
90 of children who were not placed; and the department’s response
91 to the findings and recommendations made by the Office of
92 Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability in its
93 annual study on commercial sexual exploitation of children, as
94 required by s. 409.16791; and must also maintain a copy of any
95 paper-based assessments or tools used to assess a child for such
96 placement, to be provided upon request of the Legislature.
97 (b) The department shall maintain individual-level data of
98 all children assessed for placement in a safe house or safe
99 foster home and use this data to produce information that
100 specifies specifying the number of children who were verified as
101 victims of commercial sexual exploitation, who were referred to
102 nonresidential services in the community, who were placed in a
103 safe house or safe foster home, and who were referred to a safe
104 house or safe foster home for whom placement was unavailable,
105 and shall identify the counties in which such placement was
106 unavailable. The department shall include this data in its
107 report under this subsection so that the Legislature may
108 consider this information in developing the General
109 Appropriations Act. The department shall maintain collected
110 individual-level data in a format that allows for extraction and
111 analysis of anonymized individual-level and aggregate data upon
112 request by the Legislature.
113 Section 2. Paragraph (h) of subsection (1) of section
114 39.905, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
115 39.905 Domestic violence centers.—
116 (1) Domestic violence centers certified under this part
117 must:
118 (h) Demonstrate local need and ability to sustain
119 operations through a history of 18 consecutive months’ operation
120 as a domestic violence center, including 12 months’ operation of
121 an emergency shelter as provided in paragraph (c), and a
122 business plan which addresses future operations and funding of
123 future operations. The department may waive this requirement if
124 there is an emergency need for a new domestic violence center to
125 provide services in an area and no other viable options exist to
126 ensure continuity of services. If there is an emergency need,
127 the department may issue a provisional certificate to the
128 domestic violence center as long as the center meets all other
129 criteria in this subsection. The department may adopt rules to
130 provide minimum standards for a provisional certificate,
131 including increased monitoring and site visits and the time
132 period such certificate is valid.
133 Section 3. Subsection (2) of section 402.305, Florida
134 Statutes, is amended to read:
135 402.305 Licensing standards; child care facilities.—
136 (2) PERSONNEL.—Minimum standards for child care personnel
137 shall include minimum requirements as to:
138 (a) Good moral character based upon screening as defined in
139 s. 402.302(15). This screening shall be conducted as provided in
140 chapter 435, using the level 2 standards for screening set forth
141 in that chapter, and include employment history checks, a search
142 of criminal history records, sexual predator and sexual offender
143 registries, and child abuse and neglect registry of any state in
144 which the current or prospective child care personnel resided
145 during the preceding 5 years.
146 (b) Fingerprint submission for child care personnel, which
147 shall comply with s. 435.12.
148 (c) The department may grant exemptions from
149 disqualification from working with children or the
150 developmentally disabled as provided in s. 435.07.
151 (c)(d) Minimum age requirements. Such minimum standards
152 shall prohibit a person under the age of 21 from being the
153 operator of a child care facility and a person under the age of
154 16 from being employed at such facility unless such person is
155 under direct supervision and is not counted for the purposes of
156 computing the personnel-to-child ratio.
157 (d)(e) Minimum training requirements for child care
158 personnel.
159 1. Such minimum standards for training shall ensure that
160 all child care personnel take an approved 40-clock-hour
161 introductory course in child care, which course covers at least
162 the following topic areas:
163 a. State and local rules and regulations which govern child
164 care.
165 b. Health, safety, and nutrition.
166 c. Identifying and reporting child abuse and neglect.
167 d. Child development, including typical and atypical
168 language, cognitive, motor, social, and self-help skills
169 development.
170 e. Observation of developmental behaviors, including using
171 a checklist or other similar observation tools and techniques to
172 determine the child’s developmental age level.
173 f. Specialized areas, including computer technology for
174 professional and classroom use and early literacy and language
175 development of children from birth to 5 years of age, as
176 determined by the department, for owner-operators and child care
177 personnel of a child care facility.
178 g. Developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum
179 disorder and Down syndrome, and early identification, use of
180 available state and local resources, classroom integration, and
181 positive behavioral supports for children with developmental
182 disabilities.
183
184 Within 90 days after employment, child care personnel shall
185 begin training to meet the training requirements. Child care
186 personnel shall successfully complete such training within 1
187 year after the date on which the training began, as evidenced by
188 passage of a competency examination. Successful completion of
189 the 40-clock-hour introductory course shall articulate into
190 community college credit in early childhood education, pursuant
191 to ss. 1007.24 and 1007.25. Exemption from all or a portion of
192 the required training shall be granted to child care personnel
193 based upon educational credentials or passage of competency
194 examinations. Child care personnel possessing a 2-year degree or
195 higher that includes 6 college credit hours in early childhood
196 development or child growth and development, or a child
197 development associate credential or an equivalent state-approved
198 child development associate credential, or a child development
199 associate waiver certificate shall be automatically exempted
200 from the training requirements in sub-subparagraphs b., d., and
201 e.
202 2. The introductory course in child care shall stress, to
203 the extent possible, an interdisciplinary approach to the study
204 of children.
205 3. The introductory course shall cover recognition and
206 prevention of shaken baby syndrome; prevention of sudden infant
207 death syndrome; recognition and care of infants and toddlers
208 with developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum
209 disorder and Down syndrome; and early childhood brain
210 development within the topic areas identified in this paragraph.
211 4. On an annual basis in order to further their child care
212 skills and, if appropriate, administrative skills, child care
213 personnel who have fulfilled the requirements for the child care
214 training shall be required to take an additional 1 continuing
215 education unit of approved inservice training, or 10 clock hours
216 of equivalent training, as determined by the department.
217 5. Child care personnel shall be required to complete 0.5
218 continuing education unit of approved training or 5 clock hours
219 of equivalent training, as determined by the department, in
220 early literacy and language development of children from birth
221 to 5 years of age one time. The year that this training is
222 completed, it shall fulfill the 0.5 continuing education unit or
223 5 clock hours of the annual training required in subparagraph 4.
224 6. Procedures for ensuring the training of qualified child
225 care professionals to provide training of child care personnel,
226 including onsite training, shall be included in the minimum
227 standards. It is recommended that the state community child care
228 coordination agencies (central agencies) be contracted by the
229 department to coordinate such training when possible. Other
230 district educational resources, such as community colleges and
231 career programs, can be designated in such areas where central
232 agencies may not exist or are determined not to have the
233 capability to meet the coordination requirements set forth by
234 the department.
235 7. Training requirements shall not apply to certain
236 occasional or part-time support staff, including, but not
237 limited to, swimming instructors, piano teachers, dance
238 instructors, and gymnastics instructors.
239 8. The child care operator shall be required to take basic
240 training in serving children with disabilities within 5 years
241 after employment, either as a part of the introductory training
242 or the annual 8 hours of inservice training.
243 (e)(f) Periodic health examinations.
244 (f)(g) A credential for child care facility directors. The
245 credential shall be a required minimum standard for licensing.
246
247 The department may grant limited exemptions to the minimum
248 standards provided in this subsection which authorize a person
249 to work in a specified role or with a specified population.
250 Section 4. Subsections (4) and (5) of section 402.402,
251 Florida Statutes, are renumbered as subsections (5) and (6),
252 respectively, and a new subsection (4) is added to that section,
253 to read:
254 402.402 Child protection and child welfare personnel;
255 attorneys employed by the department.—
256 (4) RECRUITMENT PROGRAM.—Subject to appropriation, the
257 department shall develop and implement a child protective
258 investigator and case manager recruitment program for the
259 purpose of recruiting individuals who have previously held
260 public safety and service positions, such as former law
261 enforcement officers, first responders, military servicemembers,
262 teachers, health care practitioners, and emergency management
263 professionals. This recruitment program must focus on the
264 education and recruitment of individuals who have held positions
265 of public trust and who wish to further serve their communities
266 as child welfare personnel.
267 (a) The department, in collaboration with community-based
268 care lead agencies, shall:
269 1. Develop information pertaining to employment
270 opportunities, application procedures, and training requirements
271 for employment within the child welfare system and distribute
272 such information to individuals who have previously held public
273 safety and service positions.
274 2. Develop and implement an employment referral system with
275 lead agencies for the case management population.
276 3. Collect the following information quarterly:
277 a. The total number of individuals who sought information
278 from the program; were hired by the department as child
279 protective investigators; were referred by the program to a lead
280 agency for case management positions; and, based upon a referral
281 by the program, were hired by the lead agency or contractor as a
282 case manager.
283 b. The overall turnover rate for child protective
284 investigators and case managers compared to the turnover rate
285 for child protective investigators and case managers hired based
286 upon this program.
287 (b) The department may adopt rules to implement this
288 subsection.
289 Section 5. Paragraph (b) of subsection (5) and paragraph
290 (e) of subsection (14) of section 409.175, Florida Statutes, are
291 amended to read:
292 409.175 Licensure of family foster homes, residential
293 child-caring agencies, and child-placing agencies; public
294 records exemption.—
295 (5) The department shall adopt and amend rules for the
296 levels of licensed care associated with the licensure of family
297 foster homes, residential child-caring agencies, and child
298 placing agencies. The rules may include criteria to approve
299 waivers to licensing requirements when applying for a child
300 specific license.
301 (b) The requirements for licensure and operation of family
302 foster homes, residential child-caring agencies, and child
303 placing agencies shall include:
304 1. The operation, conduct, and maintenance of these homes
305 and agencies and the responsibility which they assume for
306 children served and the evidence of need for that service.
307 2. The provision of food, clothing, educational
308 opportunities, services, equipment, and individual supplies to
309 assure the healthy physical, emotional, and mental development
310 of the children served.
311 3. The appropriateness, safety, cleanliness, and general
312 adequacy of the premises, including fire prevention and health
313 standards, to provide for the physical comfort, care, and well
314 being of the children served.
315 4. The ratio of staff to children required to provide
316 adequate care and supervision of the children served and, in the
317 case of family foster homes, the maximum number of children in
318 the home.
319 5. The good moral character based upon screening,
320 education, training, and experience requirements for personnel
321 and family foster homes.
322 6. The department may grant exemptions from
323 disqualification from working with children or the
324 developmentally disabled as provided in s. 435.07.
325 6.7. The provision of preservice and inservice training for
326 all foster parents and agency staff.
327 7.8. Satisfactory evidence of financial ability to provide
328 care for the children in compliance with licensing requirements.
329 8.9. The maintenance by the agency of records pertaining to
330 admission, progress, health, and discharge of children served,
331 including written case plans and reports to the department.
332 9.10. The provision for parental involvement to encourage
333 preservation and strengthening of a child’s relationship with
334 the family.
335 10.11. The transportation safety of children served.
336 11.12. The provisions for safeguarding the cultural,
337 religious, and ethnic values of a child.
338 12.13. Provisions to safeguard the legal rights of children
339 served.
340 13.14. Requiring signs to be conspicuously placed on the
341 premises of facilities maintained by child-caring agencies to
342 warn children of the dangers of human trafficking and to
343 encourage the reporting of individuals observed attempting to
344 engage in human trafficking activity. The signs must advise
345 children to report concerns to the local law enforcement agency
346 or the Department of Law Enforcement, specifying the appropriate
347 telephone numbers used for such reports. The department shall
348 specify, at a minimum, the content of the signs by rule.
349
350 The department may grant limited exemptions to the requirements
351 provided in this paragraph which authorize a person to work in a
352 specified role or with a specified population.
353 (14)
354 (e)1. In addition to any other preservice training required
355 by law, foster parents, as a condition of licensure, and agency
356 staff must successfully complete preservice training related to
357 human trafficking which must be uniform statewide and must
358 include, but need not be limited to:
359 a. Basic information on human trafficking, such as an
360 understanding of relevant terminology, and the differences
361 between sex trafficking and labor trafficking;
362 b. Factors and knowledge on identifying children at risk of
363 human trafficking; and
364 c. Steps that should be taken to prevent at-risk youths
365 from becoming victims of human trafficking.
366 2. Foster parents, before licensure renewal, and agency
367 staff, during each full year of employment, must complete
368 inservice training related to human trafficking to satisfy the
369 training requirement under subparagraph (5)(b)6. (5)(b)7.
370 Section 6. Paragraph (c) of subsection (4) of section
371 409.987, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
372 409.987 Lead agency procurement; boards; conflicts of
373 interest.—
374 (4) In order to serve as a lead agency, an entity must:
375 (c) Demonstrate financial responsibility through an
376 organized plan for regular fiscal audits and; the posting of a
377 performance bond; and the posting of a fidelity bond to cover
378 any costs associated with reprocurement and the assessed
379 penalties related to a failure to disclose a conflict of
380 interest under subsection (7).
381 Section 7. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section
382 409.993, Florida Statutes, is redesignated as paragraph (c),
383 paragraph (a) is amended, and a new paragraph (b) is added to
384 that subsection, to read:
385 409.993 Lead agencies and subcontractor liability.—
386 (3) SUBCONTRACTOR LIABILITY.—
387 (a) A subcontractor of an eligible community-based care
388 lead agency that is a direct provider of foster care and related
389 services to children and families, and its employees or
390 officers, except as otherwise provided in paragraph (c) (b),
391 must, as a part of its contract, obtain a minimum of $1 million
392 per occurrence with a policy period aggregate limit of $3
393 million in general liability insurance coverage. The
394 subcontractor of a lead agency must also require that staff who
395 transport client children and families in their personal
396 automobiles in order to carry out their job responsibilities
397 obtain minimum bodily injury liability insurance in the amount
398 of $100,000 per person in any one automobile accident, and
399 subject to such limits for each person, $300,000 for all damages
400 resulting from any one automobile accident, on their personal
401 automobiles. In lieu of personal motor vehicle insurance, the
402 subcontractor’s casualty, liability, or motor vehicle insurance
403 carrier may provide nonowned automobile liability coverage. This
404 insurance provides liability insurance for automobiles that the
405 subcontractor uses in connection with the subcontractor’s
406 business but does not own, lease, rent, or borrow. This coverage
407 includes automobiles owned by the employees of the subcontractor
408 or a member of the employee’s household but only while the
409 automobiles are used in connection with the subcontractor’s
410 business. The nonowned automobile coverage for the subcontractor
411 applies as excess coverage over any other collectible insurance.
412 The personal automobile policy for the employee of the
413 subcontractor shall be primary insurance, and the nonowned
414 automobile coverage of the subcontractor acts as excess
415 insurance to the primary insurance. The subcontractor shall
416 provide a minimum limit of $1 million in nonowned automobile
417 coverage. In a tort action brought against such subcontractor or
418 employee, net economic damages shall be limited to $2 million
419 per liability claim and $200,000 per automobile claim,
420 including, but not limited to, past and future medical expenses,
421 wage loss, and loss of earning capacity, offset by any
422 collateral source payment paid or payable. In a tort action
423 brought against such subcontractor, noneconomic damages shall be
424 limited to $400,000 per claim. A claims bill may be brought on
425 behalf of a claimant pursuant to s. 768.28 for any amount
426 exceeding the limits specified in this paragraph. Any offset of
427 collateral source payments made as of the date of the settlement
428 or judgment shall be in accordance with s. 768.76.
429 (b) A subcontractor of a lead agency that is a direct
430 provider of foster care and related services is not liable for
431 the acts or omissions of the lead agency, the department, or the
432 officers, agents, or employees thereof. The limitation on
433 liability established in this paragraph applies to contracts
434 entered into or renewed after July 1, 2025.
435 Section 8. Subsection (27) is added to section 409.996,
436 Florida Statutes, to read:
437 409.996 Duties of the Department of Children and Families.
438 The department shall contract for the delivery, administration,
439 or management of care for children in the child protection and
440 child welfare system. In doing so, the department retains
441 responsibility for the quality of contracted services and
442 programs and shall ensure that, at a minimum, services are
443 delivered in accordance with applicable federal and state
444 statutes and regulations and the performance standards and
445 metrics specified in the strategic plan created under s.
446 20.19(1).
447 (27)(a) Subject to appropriation, beginning July 1, 2025,
448 the department shall develop a 4-year pilot program of treatment
449 foster care or a substantially similar evidence-based program of
450 professional foster care. The department shall implement the
451 pilot program by January 1, 2026.
452 (b) The department shall implement and operate the pilot
453 program and coordinate with community-based care lead agencies
454 to develop a process for the placement of children in treatment
455 foster care homes and deliver payment to the licensed providers
456 operating the pilot treatment foster care homes.
457 (c) Community-based care lead agencies shall work with the
458 department to recruit individuals and families as licensed
459 providers and identify potential eligible children for placement
460 in the pilot treatment foster care homes.
461 (d) Participation in the pilot program is limited to
462 children who:
463 1. Are entering or continuing in foster care with high
464 resource indicators, as determined by the department. These high
465 resource indicators may include, but are not limited to, the
466 potential for frequent placement change due to current or past
467 behavior or Department of Juvenile Justice involvement; or
468 2. Are dependent and will require continued placement in
469 foster care when the children are discharged from inpatient
470 residential treatment.
471 (e) The department shall identify two judicial circuits
472 within which the pilot program will be implemented. The
473 department shall use relevant removal and placement data to
474 identify areas with the greatest need for such a program.
475 (f) The department shall arrange for an independent
476 evaluation of the pilot program to determine whether:
477 1. The pilot program is maintaining children in the least
478 restrictive and most appropriate family-like setting near the
479 child’s home while he or she is in department care.
480 2. There is a long-term cost benefit associated with
481 continuation and expansion of a treatment or professional foster
482 care program.
483 (g) The department shall establish standards for the pilot
484 program. Those standards must, at a minimum, ensure:
485 1. That placement of a child in a treatment foster care
486 home is a temporary holistic treatment option and may not exceed
487 9 months. A one-time 3-month extension may be granted if the
488 department determines that the child is not ready for discharge
489 from a treatment foster care home at 9 months.
490 2. Development and implementation of specialized training
491 for treatment foster parents in care coordination, de
492 escalation, crisis management, and other identified relevant
493 skills needed to care for children with high behavioral health
494 needs that cannot be or have not been met in traditional foster
495 care placements.
496 3. No more than two eligible children are placed at any
497 time in a treatment foster care home.
498 4. At least one foster parent with specialized training is
499 available and dedicated to the care and treatment of placed
500 children.
501 5. A 24 hour on-call crisis person is available to provide
502 in-home crisis intervention and placement stabilization
503 services.
504 (h) By January 1, 2030, the department shall submit to the
505 Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the
506 House of Representatives a final report that includes the
507 independent evaluation, the department’s findings and
508 evaluation, recommendations as to whether the pilot program
509 should be continued and expanded statewide and, if so, fiscal
510 and policy recommendations to ensure effective expansion and
511 continued operation of the program.
512 Section 9. Subsection (11) is added to section 1004.615,
513 Florida Statutes, to read:
514 1004.615 Florida Institute for Child Welfare.—
515 (11) An incentive provided to state employees for
516 participating in the institute’s research or evaluation as
517 required by the institute’s statutory mission under this section
518 may not be considered a violation of s. 112.313 or require
519 reporting under s. 112.3148.
520 Section 10. Section 402.30501, Florida Statutes, is amended
521 to read:
522 402.30501 Modification of introductory child care course
523 for community college credit authorized.—The Department of
524 Children and Families may modify the 40-clock-hour introductory
525 course in child care under s. 402.305 or s. 402.3131 to meet the
526 requirements of articulating the course to community college
527 credit. Any modification must continue to provide that the
528 course satisfies the requirements of s. 402.305(2)(d) s.
529 402.305(2)(e).
530 Section 11. Subsections (3) and (4) of section 1002.57,
531 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
532 1002.57 Prekindergarten director credential.—
533 (3) The prekindergarten director credential must meet or
534 exceed the requirements of the Department of Children and
535 Families for the child care facility director credential under
536 s. 402.305(2)(f) s. 402.305(2)(g), and successful completion of
537 the prekindergarten director credential satisfies these
538 requirements for the child care facility director credential.
539 (4) The department shall, to the maximum extent
540 practicable, award credit to a person who successfully completes
541 the child care facility director credential under s.
542 402.305(2)(f) s. 402.305(2)(g) for those requirements of the
543 prekindergarten director credential which are duplicative of
544 requirements for the child care facility director credential.
545 Section 12. Subsection (1) of section 1002.59, Florida
546 Statutes, is amended to read:
547 1002.59 Emergent literacy and performance standards
548 training courses.—
549 (1) The department, in collaboration with the Just Read,
550 Florida! Office, shall adopt minimum standards for courses in
551 emergent literacy for prekindergarten instructors. Each course
552 must consist of 5 clock hours and provide instruction in
553 strategies and techniques to address the age-appropriate
554 progress of prekindergarten students in developing emergent
555 literacy skills, including oral communication, knowledge of
556 print and letters, phonological and phonemic awareness,
557 vocabulary and comprehension development, and foundational
558 background knowledge designed to correlate with the content that
559 students will encounter in grades K-12, consistent with the
560 evidence-based content and strategies grounded in the science of
561 reading identified pursuant to s. 1001.215(7). The course
562 standards must be reviewed as part of any review of subject
563 coverage or endorsement requirements in the elementary, reading,
564 and exceptional student educational areas conducted pursuant to
565 s. 1012.586. Each course must also provide resources containing
566 strategies that allow students with disabilities and other
567 special needs to derive maximum benefit from the Voluntary
568 Prekindergarten Education Program. Successful completion of an
569 emergent literacy training course approved under this section
570 satisfies requirements for approved training in early literacy
571 and language development under ss. 402.305(2)(d)5. ss.
572 402.305(2)(e)5., 402.313(6), and 402.3131(5).
573 Section 13. (1) Effective upon this act becoming a law,
574 the Department of Children and Families shall convene a case
575 management workforce workgroup by July 1, 2025. The workgroup
576 shall be composed of persons with subject matter expertise in
577 case management and child welfare policy.
578 (2) The department shall ensure the workgroup has at least
579 two representatives with subject matter expertise in case
580 management from each of the following:
581 (a) The Department of Children and Families.
582 (b) Community-based care lead agencies.
583 (c) Contracted case management organizations.
584 (3) In collaboration with the Florida Institute for Child
585 Welfare, the workgroup shall do all of the following:
586 (a) Review and analyze existing statutes, rules, operating
587 procedures, and federal requirements relating to the provision
588 of case management.
589 (b) Review and analyze legislative changes relating to case
590 management processes during the preceding 10 years and the
591 impact that those changes have had on workload and workforce.
592 (c) Gather statewide data to assess all of the following:
593 1. Compliance with statutory requirements.
594 2. Variations in case management practices.
595 3. Current workforce capacity.
596 4. Barriers to successful implementation of any statutes,
597 rules, and operating procedures.
598 (d) Solicit insight from stakeholders, including frontline
599 workers, supervisors, and administrators, regarding challenges
600 and potential solutions.
601 (e) Analyze findings of the work conducted under paragraphs
602 (a)-(d) to do all of the following:
603 1. Identify any needed statutory changes.
604 2. Evaluate whether the current structure, processes, and
605 requirements of the statutes, rules, and operating procedures
606 are duplicative or unworkable.
607 3. Evaluate how well case managers are implementing policy.
608 (f) Develop clear and actionable recommendations to
609 streamline, clarify, standardize, and implement case management
610 processes and practices that address workforce retention and
611 allow for local community innovation.
612 (4) The workgroup shall meet as often as necessary to carry
613 out these duties and responsibilities and shall operate until
614 December 1, 2025, at which time it shall submit to the Governor,
615 the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
616 Representatives a report that summarizes its work, describes and
617 details its analysis of data, and recommends clear actionable
618 policy.
619 Section 14. Effective upon this act becoming law, the
620 Department of Children and Families shall contract for a
621 detailed study of bed capacity for residential treatment
622 services and a gap analysis of nonresidential treatment services
623 for child victims of commercial sexual exploitation identified
624 by the child welfare systems of care and those not involved in
625 the child welfare systems of care. The study must include
626 analyses of current capacity, current and projected future
627 demand, and the state’s current and projected future ability to
628 meet that demand. The study must be completed by December 31,
629 2025, and must, at a minimum, include all of the following:
630 (1) By department region, the current number of residential
631 treatment beds in safe homes for treatment of child victims of
632 commercial sexual exploitation, the number of individuals
633 admitted and discharged annually, the types and frequency of
634 diagnoses, and the lengths of stays.
635 (2) By department region, the current number of specialized
636 safe therapeutic foster home placements for child victims of
637 commercial sexual exploitation, the number of placements
638 annually, and the lengths of stays.
639 (3) By department region, an analysis of nonresidential
640 treatment services for child victims of commercial sexual
641 exploitation and the utilization of such services.
642 (4) Policy recommendations for ensuring sufficient bed
643 capacity for residential treatment beds, ensuring specialized
644 safe therapeutic foster home placements, and enhancing services
645 for child victims of commercial sexual exploitation which could
646 prevent the need for residential treatment beds.
647 Section 15. Except as otherwise expressly provided in this
648 act and except for this section, which shall take effect upon
649 this act becoming a law, this act shall take effect July 1,
650 2025.