SB 592 Relative to the Child Welfare System
SB 592 continues New Hampshire's commitment to reform of the Child Welfare system.
It includes funding to re-build the workforce and would re-establish voluntary prevention
programs to stop child abuse and neglect before it happens.
References
SB 479
(New Title) relative to the oversight commission on children's services and relative
to the commission to review child abuse fatalities.
SB 479 clarifies the role of the Oversight Commission on Children’s Services and its relationship
with the Office of the Child Advocate. It makes the Commission to Review Child Abuse Fatalities
permanent. It also makes the Office of the Child Advocate more accessible by allowing anyone to
bring complaints about DCYF to the Child Advocate. It protects the privacy of persons and
records whom the Child Advocate serves, and it allows the Child Advocate to disclose some
information publicly when it is in a child’s or the public’s interest to make our system a better
system.
References
H.R.5456
The Federal Family First Prevention Services Act was signed into law as part of the
Bipartisan Budget Act on February 9, 2018. It transforms child welfare from a
reactive to a preventive process. Federal funding streams will target at risk
families with prevention services to minimize the need for foster care. It will
also incentivize better placement of children than institutional settings. We are
watching for changes at the state level.
References