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