Equal Access Services For Out-of-home Placements

The act requires a provider of services related to child and youth out-of-home placement (service provider) to provide fair and equal access to all available programs, benefits, and services offered by the service provider. Services related to out-of-home placement must be provided in a manner that is culturally responsive to the complex social identity of the child or youth receiving such services.

A service provider is prohibited from denying any person the opportunity to become an adoptive or a foster parent, or delaying or denying the placement of a child or youth for adoption or into foster care, on the basis of the real or perceived disability, race, creed, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, or any communicable disease, including HIV, of the prospective adoptive or foster parent or the child unless the delay or denial of the placement is not detrimental to the health or welfare of the child or youth.

The act requires that foster parent training include instruction on the right of a foster child or youth to have fair and equal access to all available services and other health and educational services available to foster children and foster youth, including siblings in foster care.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)