Kinship care; DSS shall review current policy governing placement of children to avoid foster care. (SB284)

Introduced By

Sen. Janet Howell (D-Reston)

Progress

Introduced
Passed Committee
Passed House
Passed Senate
Signed by Governor
Became Law

Description

Kinship care; regulations. Directs the Board of Social Services to promulgate regulations governing kinship care placements within 280 days. Read the Bill »

Outcome

Bill Has Passed

History

DateAction
01/06/2014Prefiled and ordered printed; offered 01/08/14 14100666D
01/06/2014Referred to Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services
01/24/2014Reported from Rehabilitation and Social Services with amendment (11-Y 0-N 1-A)
01/27/2014Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
01/27/2014Impact statement from DPB (SB284)
01/28/2014Passed by for the day
01/29/2014Motion to rerefer to committee agreed to
01/29/2014Rereferred to Finance
02/04/2014Reported from Finance with substitute (17-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/04/2014Committee substitute printed 14104559D-S1
02/05/2014Read second time
02/05/2014Reading of amendment waived
02/05/2014Committee amendment rejected
02/05/2014Reading of substitute waived
02/05/2014Committee substitute agreed to 14104559D-S1
02/05/2014Engrossed by Senate - committee substitute SB284S1
02/06/2014Read third time and passed Senate (40-Y 0-N)
02/08/2014Placed on Calendar
02/08/2014Read first time
02/08/2014Referred to Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions
02/10/2014Impact statement from DPB (SB284S1)
02/27/2014Reported from Health, Welfare and Institutions (22-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
02/28/2014Read second time
03/03/2014Read third time
03/03/2014Passed House BLOCK VOTE (94-Y 0-N)
03/03/2014VOTE: BLOCK VOTE PASSAGE (94-Y 0-N) (see vote tally)
03/06/2014Enrolled
03/06/2014Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB284ER)
03/06/2014Signed by Speaker
03/07/2014Impact statement from DPB (SB284ER)
03/09/2014Signed by President
04/03/2014G Approved by Governor-Chapter 530 (effective 7/1/14)
04/03/2014G Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0530)

Video

This bill was discussed on the floor of the General Assembly. Below is all of the video that we have of that discussion, 4 clips in all, totaling 4 minutes.

Comments

spotter writes:

This sounds like a good idea, assuming that it is intended to encourage placement with family members in lieu of foster care in abuse and neglect cases. Some agencies, including most notably the ever-dysfunctional Virginia Beach Department of Human Services, do not pursue family placements as other Social Services agencies do. Instead, VBDHS sets up phony obstacles like home studies that somehow never get completed despite the passage of up to a year and a half. That's why VBDHS has many, many more kids in residential foster care than other agencies, and why they fruitlessly pursue return to some parents who may be very dangerous to these kids. It's a three tiered system -- foster care, relative placement, and return to parent. VBDHS has completely eliminated the middle alternative, to the long-term detriment of many vulnerable children.

Here is an op-ed on the reality versus rhetoric of practice in Virginia Beach:

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/09/questions-again-death-beach-child

We have a limited number of foster care placements in any jurisdiction. Why are these placements being used by children who have a suitable grandmother or other relative willing to provide a loving home? Why are we trying so hard to return kids to parents who should not have custody, ever again? Government agencies are too unwilling to trust private parties, despite heartbreaking evidence that foster care sometimes leads to tragic, if unintended, outcomes for these kids.