REPORT TITLE:
Child Protection


DESCRIPTION:
Permits the Director of Human Services, rather than the Governor,
to appoint members to the Blueprint Pilot Project, to expand the
size of the committee, and to extend the project through the year
2002.  Creates a social worker support demonstration project.
(HB1119 CD1)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        1119
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII                                            C.D. 1
                                                        
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1                              PART I
 
 2      SECTION 1.  Act 302, Session Laws of Hawaii 1996, is amended
 
 3 by amending section 4 to read as follows:
 
 4      "SECTION 4.  There is established a child protective
 
 5 services reform coordinating committee which shall be attached to
 
 6 the department of human services for administrative purposes
 
 7 only.  It shall be the duty of the committee to make
 
 8 recommendations to the public agencies participating in the pilot
 
 9 project regarding its implementation, which shall include:
 
10      (1)  Development of requests for proposals from the
 
11           community;
 
12      (2)  Site selection of two neighborhood places, and the
 
13           development of requests for proposals from the
 
14           community;
 
15      (3)  Identification of pilot project goals, including the
 
16           identification of a schedule and evaluation process;
 
17      (4)  Development and implementation of systems-change
 
18           training programs; and
 
19      (5)  Coordination of financial resources, excluding the use
 
20           of state funds, that may be necessary to effectuate the
 

 
Page 2                                                     1119
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 1           pilot project.
 
 2 The committee, with the consent of the director of human
 
 3 services, may seek grants, receive gifts, funds, or donations of
 
 4 services-in-kind to effectuate the purposes of this Act.  The
 
 5 child protective services reform coordinating committee shall
 
 6 consist of [thirteen] at least fifteen members appointed by the
 
 7 [governor.] director of human services.  The members shall
 
 8 include:
 
 9      (1)  The director of human services, or a designated
 
10           representative;
 
11      (2)  The director of health, or a designated representative;
 
12      (3)  The superintendent of education, or a designated
 
13           representative;
 
14      (4)  The executive director of the office of youth services,
 
15           or a designated representative;
 
16      (5)  One representative from the family court, who shall be
 
17           selected from a list of nominees submitted by the chief
 
18           justice of the supreme court;
 
19      (6)  One representative from the blueprint for change task
 
20           force created by Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 89,
 
21           H.D. 1, as adopted by the legislature during the 1994
 
22           regular session;
 
23      (7)  One representative from the Alliance for Health and
 

 
Page 3                                                     1119
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 1           Human Services;
 
 2      (8)  One representative from a community service
 
 3           organization with experience with child protective or
 
 4           child welfare services;
 
 5      (9)  [Three] Five representatives at-large; of which one
 
 6           person shall be employed at the department of human
 
 7           services child protective services unit; two persons
 
 8           shall be line staff of the child protective services
 
 9           unit, selected by the designated representative of the
 
10           applicable collective bargaining unit; and one person
 
11           shall be from each neighborhood place once the sites
 
12           have been selected;
 
13     (10)  One member of the house of representatives, who shall
 
14           be selected from a list of nominees submitted by the
 
15           speaker of the house; and
 
16     (11)  One member of the senate, who shall be selected from a
 
17           list of nominees submitted by the president of the
 
18           senate.
 
19 The [governor shall appoint the] director of human services [as]
 
20 shall be the chairperson of the committee.  The members of the
 
21 committee shall serve without compensation and shall be exempt
 
22 from the requirements of section 26-34, Hawaii Revised Statutes.
 
23 The committee may adopt [rules] procedures necessary for the
 

 
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 1 purposes of this Act[; provided that such rules shall be exempt
 
 2 from the public notice and public hearing requirements of chapter
 
 3 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes]."
 
 4     SECTION 2.  Act 302, Session Laws of Hawaii 1996, is amended
 
 5 as follows:
 
 6     1.    By adding a new section to read:
 
 7     "SECTION 6.  Notwithstanding sections 346-10 and 350-1.4,
 
 8 Hawaii Revised Statutes, the department of human services may
 
 9 share information with the neighborhood places; provided that the
 
10 shared information shall remain confidential in accordance with
 
11 section 350-1.4, Hawaii Revised Statutes."
 
12     2.    By amending section 6 to read:
 
13     "SECTION [6.] 7.  The child protective services reform
 
14 coordinating committee shall[:
 
15     (1)   Submit progress reports regarding the pilot project to
 
16           the legislature on a semi-annual basis; provided that
 
17           copies of the report shall be made available to
 
18           interested community groups; and
 
19     (2)   Submit a] submit an annual progress report regarding
 
20           the pilot project including legislative recommendations
 
21           no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the
 
22           [1997, 1998, and 1999] 2000, 2001, and 2002 regular
 
23           sessions[.]; provided that copies of the reports shall
 

 
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 1           be made available to interested community groups."
 
 2     3.    By amending section 7 to read as follows:
 
 3     "SECTION [7.] 8.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 1996,
 
 4 and shall be repealed on June 30, [1999.] 2002."
 
 5                              PART II
 
 6     SECTION 3.  The legislature finds that the department of
 
 7 human services requires additional resources to improve the
 
 8 delivery of child welfare services.  Certain child protective
 
 9 services units have experienced high vacancies or extended
 
10 employees' leaves of absence, and resources are needed to
 
11 supplement existing staff resources to meet workload
 
12 requirements.  In particular, child welfare social workers need
 
13 assistance in performing essential but non-emergency tasks, which
 
14 include:
 
15     (1)   Returning routine calls on behalf of social workers;
 
16     (2)   Assisting with securing Med-QUEST applications and
 
17           other information for foster parents;
 
18     (3)   Transporting children for appointments or visits;
 
19     (4)   Delivering documents to the courts and other agencies
 
20           or providers; and
 
21     (5)   Filing documents in case files. 
 
22     SECTION 4.  There is established in the department of human
 
23 services the child welfare services demonstration project to
 

 
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 1 assist and support social workers to improve the delivery of
 
 2 child welfare services.  The department of human services may
 
 3 hire employees for this demonstration project without regard to
 
 4 chapters 76, 77, and 78, Hawaii Revised Statutes.  The
 
 5 demonstration project shall be supervised by child welfare
 
 6 services staff, who shall be responsible for assignments and
 
 7 supervision of the demonstration project employees and
 
 8 coordination with the other units.  The child welfare services
 
 9 demonstration project shall cease to exist on June 28, 2001.
 
10     SECTION 5.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
11 New statutory material is underscored.
 
12     SECTION 6.  This Act shall take effect on June 29, 1999.