HF1918

The bill, H.F. No. 1918, introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives, focuses on policy updates related to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families. It includes changes to early childhood programs, child welfare policies, foster care placement, and economic assistance. Key provisions include:

1) Economic Assistance (Article 1)

• Extends contract terms for the issuance of electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards up to 10 years.

2) Child Care Provider Programs (Article 2)

• Updates the Great Start Compensation Support Payment Program by establishing data privacy rules for child care and early learning programs.

3) Child Welfare (Article 3)

• Foster Care & Relative Placement:

  • Requires active efforts to place African American and other disproportionately impacted children with noncustodial parents or relatives before foster care.
  • Strengthens relative search and notification efforts, ensuring families are included in placement planning.
  • Restricts defining a foster family as the permanent home until all reasonable efforts for relative placement have been exhausted.

• African American Child & Family Well-Being Initiatives:

  • Establishes an African American Child and Family Well-Being Advisory Council and a Well-Being Unit within the Department of Children, Youth, and Families.
  • Monitors racial disparities in child welfare, conducts case reviews, and makes policy recommendations.

• Juvenile Protection Proceedings & Case Planning:

  • Expands court review requirements and case planning for children in foster care, ensuring consideration of their race, culture, and heritage.
  • Mandates early permanency planning for children in out-of-home placement.

• Reestablishment of Parental Rights:

  • Allows parents whose parental rights were previously terminated to petition for reestablishment of those rights under certain conditions (e.g., if the child has not been adopted).

• School Attendance Monitoring:

  • Requires mandatory reporting for children with seven or more unexcused absences, triggering a child welfare response before truancy escalates.

4) Transfers to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (Article 4)

• Transfers certain powers and responsibilities from the Department of Human Services (DHS) to the new Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).

This comprehensive bill strengthens Minnesota’s child welfare system by reinforcing relative placements, parental rights restoration, racial equity efforts, and economic/child care support programs.