Placement Transition Plans for Children

The bill requires the department of human services (department) to develop and adopt a placement transition plan (plan) template that outlines how a county or district department of human or social services (county department) will transition a child from one out-of-home placement On or before July 1, 2026, absent an emergency placement change, the bill requires a county department child welfare caseworker (county caseworker) to create an individualized placement transition plan (plan) for a child any time the child is moved from one placement in a foster care home, kinship foster care home, or non-certified kinship care home (placement) to another or back to the child's home. The purpose of the plan is to create consistency in transitioning children from one placement to another and to prevent children from experiencing unnecessary or abrupt placement changes that affect their well-being or sense of security. The plan must prioritize the mental, emotional, and physical needs of the child while considering the needs of the parents, current providers, and future providers, as the needs of the parents, current providers, and future providers relate to the care of the child.

The plan, at a minimum, must include:

• A determination of pre-transition logistics to adequately prepare for the child's new placement;
• A framework plan for pre-transition and post-transition communications between the county department caseworker and individuals who are directly involved in the transition to ensure the transition is child-centered, trauma-informed, and in compliance with the rights of children and youth in foster care individuals who have relevant information for the transition ;
• A timeline to transition the child to a new placement;
• A plan to physically move the child to the new placement; and
• A framework for post-transition communications a county caseworker's post-transition communications .

The department of human services (department) , within existing resources, shall create a training on the importance of plans that is recorded and made available on a training system that can be accessed statewide. The training must focus on plans and individuals who have lived experience with placement transitions , including an emphasis on individuals who experienced placement transitions .

Newly employed county caseworkers must complete the training within the first year of employment as a county caseworker. All county caseworkers must may complete this training every 3 years. A foster care, kinship foster care, or non-certified kinship care provider (provider) may complete the training and may receive support from the department or the county department to improve the provider's skills in transitioning a child in the provider's care from one placement to another. The department may adopt rules for purposes of the plans.

(Note: Italicized words indicate new material added to the original summary; dashes through words indicate deletions from the original summary.)

(Note: This summary applies to the reengrossed version of this bill as introduced in the second house.)