The Florida Senate

409.1674  Alternate care plan incentives.--

(1)  To promote local innovation, the Secretary of ¹Health and Rehabilitative Services shall recommend to the Legislature in the department's fiscal year 1995-1996 and fiscal year 1996-1997 legislative budget requests a level of funding sufficient to effectively implement the district alternate care plans selected by the secretary as the most comprehensive and innovative for the redesign of the local continuum of an array of assessment and alternate care services for dependent children developed under s. 409.165.

(2)(a)  A state task force of child welfare professionals and advocates, appointed by the Secretary of ¹Health and Rehabilitative Services, shall, on or before July 1, 1994, assist the ²Deputy Secretary for Human Services in developing a detailed alternate care planning format based, at a minimum, on the selection criteria established in this section, and shall recommend to the ²Deputy Secretary for Human Services the most innovative district plans for alternate care for final selection by the secretary. The task force must give priority to district alternate care plans that effectively integrate and coordinate the efforts of public and private organizations and to plans that make the most flexible, efficient, and creative use of existing fiscal, financial, and personnel resources. The primary focus of the plans must be on alternate care services for dependent children, but districts may broaden the target population to nondependent children and may include a range of child welfare services beyond the alternate care options specified in s. 409.165.

(b)  The task force must consist of not more than 15 members, appointed for a period of 2 years who represent a statewide perspective, including a representative from associations of:

1.  Residential group care providers.

2.  Shelter care providers.

3.  Foster parents.

4.  Community mental health providers.

5.  Child advocates.

6.  Legal services providers.

7.  Early intervention and prevention service providers.

8.  Juvenile justice councils.

9.  Educators.

10.  Full-service school providers.

11.  Guardians ad litem.

12.  Foster care review boards.

13.  Children's services councils.

14.  Providers of mental health treatment services for adolescents.

15.  Former clients of alternate care services.

(3)  The department must evaluate the implementation of the funded district alternate care plans and report to the Legislature by December 1, 1997, the evaluation findings with recommendations for legislation and funding to improve alternate care for children on a statewide basis. An interim evaluation report shall be submitted by the department to the Legislature by December 1, 1996.

History.--s. 52, ch. 94-164.

¹Note.--The Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services was redesignated as the Department of Children and Family Services by s. 5, ch. 96-403, and the Department of Health was created by s. 8, ch. 96-403.

²Note.--Section 5, ch. 96-403, deletes all references to "Deputy Secretary for Human Services" from s. 20.19.