Relating to child placements, including the prioritization of certain persons for child placement and the implementation of the 30 days to family model, and making an appropriation

This bill relates to child placements, including the prioritization of certain persons for child placement and the implementation of the days to family model.102(1)(a) (transfer of legal custody of child and placement). The bill requires a court to prioritize an individual who provided child foster care to the child for at least nine months immediately preceding the date of the dispositional hearing higher than all other persons when determining a child’s placement.84 (transfer of custody —— notice to adult relatives) requires HHS, juvenile court services, or a private agency to exercise due diligence to identify and provide notice to certain adult relatives of a child if the child’s custody is transferred from the child’s parents. The bill appropriates $275,000 to HHS for FY 2025-2026 for the purpose of adding five HHS employees to perform CPS duties. HHS must assign each employee employed through the appropriation to a separate CPS service area.84 for the service area to which the employee was assigned. days to family is a short-term intervention model that recommends best practices for placing a child with a family member within days of the child entering foster care.