House File 2567 - Introduced
HOUSE FILE
BY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RESOURCES
(SUCCESSOR TO HF 2204)
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act creating a multidimensional treatment level foster care
2 program.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
4 TLSB 5671HV 81
5 jp/sh/8
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. MULTIDIMENSIONAL TREATMENT LEVEL FOSTER CARE
1 2 PROGRAM.
1 3 1. PURPOSE. The department of human services shall
1 4 establish a multidimensional treatment level foster care
1 5 program on a pilot project basis in accordance with this
1 6 section. The purpose of the multidimensional treatment level
1 7 foster care program is to provide a family=based treatment and
1 8 support program for children who are transitioning from a
1 9 psychiatric medical institution for children to a family
1 10 foster care placement while preparing for family
1 11 reunification.
1 12 2. DEFINITIONS. For the purposes of this section:
1 13 a. "Department" means the department of human services.
1 14 b. "Family foster care" means foster care provided by an
1 15 individual person or a married couple who is licensed under
1 16 chapter 237 to provide child foster care in a single=family
1 17 home environment.
1 18 c. "Multidimensional treatment level foster care program"
1 19 or "treatment program" means the program established pursuant
1 20 to this section.
1 21 d. "Psychiatric institution" means a psychiatric medical
1 22 institution for children licensed under chapter 135H.
1 23 3. ELIGIBILITY. A child is eligible for the treatment
1 24 program if at the time of discharge from a psychiatric
1 25 institution the child is unable to return to the child's
1 26 family home and one of the following conditions is applicable:
1 27 a. The child has treatment issues which cause the child to
1 28 be at high risk of failing in a foster care placement unless
1 29 targeted support services are provided.
1 30 b. The child has had multiple previous out=of=home
1 31 placements.
1 32 4. ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION. Children who are
1 33 potentially eligible for a treatment program shall be
1 34 identified by the administrator of a treatment program at the
1 35 time of the child's admission to a psychiatric institution.
2 1 In order to be admitted to the treatment program, the
2 2 treatment program administrator must determine the child has a
2 3 need that can be met by the program, the child can be placed
2 4 with an appropriate family foster care provider, and
2 5 appropriate services to support the child are available in the
2 6 family foster care placement. The determination shall be made
2 7 in coordination with the child's family, department staff, and
2 8 other persons involved with decision making for the child's
2 9 out=of=home placement.
2 10 5. SERVICES. The services provided by a treatment program
2 11 shall include but are not limited to all of the following:
2 12 a. Foster family recruitment, training, and retention,
2 13 which may include support groups, family recreational
2 14 activities, and certification programs.
2 15 b. Placement services, which may include intake screening
2 16 and initial assessment of children and foster families,
2 17 matching of child and foster family needs and strengths,
2 18 transition assistance, placement staffing, and an initial
2 19 treatment plan.
2 20 c. Foster care treatment=related services, which may
2 21 include any of the following:
2 22 (1) Making home visits to monitor progress in implementing
2 23 the child's treatment plan.
2 24 (2) Providing counseling to the child, the child's family,
2 25 and the foster family.
2 26 (3) Making an initial visit within two business days of
2 27 the child's placement in the foster family.
2 28 (4) Providing weekly treatment sessions with the child and
2 29 the foster family.
2 30 (5) Providing later treatment sessions involving the
2 31 child, the child's family, and the foster family as provided
2 32 in the child's treatment or case permanency plan.
2 33 (6) Providing services to support the child's successful
2 34 reunification with the child's family, which may include
2 35 parent training, supervised visitation, intensive
3 1 reunification work, and psychological or psychiatric
3 2 consultation.
3 3 d. Indirect services, which may include any of the
3 4 following:
3 5 (1) Developing a child and family treatment plan.
3 6 (2) Developing a foster family care plan designed to
3 7 assist the child in having a successful family foster care
3 8 placement.
3 9 (3) Providing for the treatment program administrator to
3 10 attend child=related court hearings and school conferences.
3 11 (4) Preparing written reports on the initial thirty days
3 12 of the child's treatment program participation, each quarter,
3 13 and a summary of the child's treatment program participation
3 14 upon the child's discharge from the treatment program.
3 15 (5) Assembling a life book for the child.
3 16 e. Crisis intervention available on a twenty=four=hours=
3 17 per=day, seven=days=per=week basis and respite services
3 18 available to participating family foster care providers of at
3 19 least five hours per month.
3 20 6. AGENCY QUALIFICATIONS. The department shall select two
3 21 agencies to implement the treatment program pilot project.
3 22 One of the agencies shall be a psychiatric institution
3 23 provider licensed for more than 100 beds that is located in a
3 24 county with a population in excess of 300,000. The other
3 25 agency shall be a psychiatric institution provider licensed
3 26 for 60 or more but less than 65 beds that is located in a
3 27 county with a population between 189,000 and 196,000.
3 28 7. REIMBURSEMENT PROVISIONS. The families providing the
3 29 family foster care services under the treatment program shall
3 30 be directly reimbursed by the department in accordance with
3 31 the requirements for family foster care reimbursement. In
3 32 addition, the treatment program shall provide a per diem
3 33 reimbursement to the family foster care providers
3 34 participating in the treatment program.
3 35 8. EVALUATION. The treatment program shall be evaluated
4 1 over a twenty=four=month period commencing on the
4 2 implementation date of the pilot project which shall be as
4 3 close to July 1, 2006, as possible. The evaluation shall be
4 4 conducted by a person who is independent of the department and
4 5 the agencies participating in the pilot project. The
4 6 evaluation components shall include but are not limited to the
4 7 following information associated with the children and
4 8 families participating in the treatment program pilot project:
4 9 quantity and quality of out=of=home placements, family foster
4 10 care retention and satisfaction, and the participating
4 11 children's relative length of stay in a psychiatric
4 12 institution.
4 13 EXPLANATION
4 14 This bill directs the department of human services to
4 15 create a multidimensional treatment level foster care program
4 16 pilot project for a two=year period.
4 17 The bill states the purpose of the program is to serve
4 18 children to be discharged from a psychiatric medical
4 19 institution for children (PMIC) who are either unable to
4 20 return to the family home and have treatment issues which
4 21 cause the children to be at high risk of failing in a foster
4 22 care placement or who are children with multiple previous out=
4 23 of=home placements.
4 24 The bill provides requirements for eligibility
4 25 determination, services included, qualifications of the two
4 26 agencies to be selected to participate in the pilot project,
4 27 reimbursement of family foster care providers participating in
4 28 the program, and for an independent evaluation to be performed
4 29 of the pilot project.
4 30 LSB 5671HV 81
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