Family Stability & Kinship Care

In disputes concerning parenting time, the bill adds payment of a monetary penalty to the aggrieved party, community service, and the use of court-approved parenting time tracking or communication tools to the list of orders a court may issue to address noncompliance with an existing parenting time order. The bill clarifies that orders in these disputes must be proportionate to the frequency and severity of intentional noncompliance.

The bill requires the state department of human services, in coordination with the county departments of human or social services (county departments) and their delegate child support enforcement units, to develop protocols for referring a noncustodial parent who is in compliance with a child support obligation to supervised or facilitated family-time services.

When a child or youth is removed from the home, the bill requires the court to prioritize the child's or youth's temporary placement with a relative or kin, unless the court finds by a preponderance of the evidence that temporary placement with the relative or kin is not in the best interests of the child. The bill authorizes modified safety and suitability assessments and a one-time placement stipend for approved emergency placement kinship caregivers under certain circumstances.

The bill requires a court, before entering a final adoption decree, to make written findings regarding any existing grandparent-grandchild relationship. The court may order a post-adoption contact agreement (agreement) granting reasonable contact or family time to the grandparent. The bill specifies procedures for the denial, modification, enforcement, or termination of the agreement.

The bill creates the foster care prevention services pilot program, which allows participating county departments to implement expedited kinship placement approval pathways, kinship navigator programs, one-time placement stipends for approved emergency placement kinship caregivers, and tools for tracking family time.

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