Legislature(2017 - 2018)CAPITOL 106
03/16/2017 03:00 PM House HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Facing Foster Care in Alaska | |
| HB151 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | HB 151 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 103 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 174 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE
March 16, 2017
4:23 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Ivy Spohnholz, Chair
Representative Bryce Edgmon, Vice Chair
Representative Sam Kito
Representative Geran Tarr
Representative Jennifer Johnston
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative David Eastman
Representative Colleen Sullivan-Leonard
Representative Matt Claman (alternate)
Representative Dan Saddler (alternate)
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: FACING FOSTER CARE IN ALASKA
- HEARD
HOUSE BILL NO. 151
"An Act relating to the duties of the Department of Health and
Social Services; relating to training and workload standards for
employees of the Department of Health and Social Services;
relating to foster care licensing; relating to placement of a
child in need of aid; relating to the rights and
responsibilities of foster parents; relating to subsidies for
adoption or guardianship of a child in need of aid; requiring
the Department of Health and Social Services to provide
information to a child or person released from the department's
custody; and providing for an effective date."
- HEARD & HELD
HOUSE BILL NO. 103
"An Act relating to the practice of optometry."
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
HOUSE BILL NO. 174
"An Act extending the governor's declaration of disaster
emergency to address the opioid epidemic; and providing for an
effective date."
- BILL HEARING CANCELED
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 151
SHORT TITLE: DHSS; CINA; FOSTER CARE; CHILD PROTECTION
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) GARA
03/01/17 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/01/17 (H) HSS, FIN
03/16/17 (H) HSS AT 3:00 PM CAPITOL 106
WITNESS REGISTER
AMANDA METIVIER, Statewide Coordinator
Facing Foster Care in Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a discussion on Facing Foster
Care in Alaska and answered questions during discussion of HB
151.
REPRESENTATIVE LES GARA
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented HB 151 as the sponsor of the
bill.
NAVEAH INGAM
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 151.
RACHAEL BESSLER
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 151.
ACTION NARRATIVE
4:23:39 PM
CHAIR IVY SPOHNHOLZ called the House Health and Social Services
Standing Committee meeting to order at 4:23 p.m.
Representatives Spohnholz, Tarr, Johnston, and Edgmon were
present at the call to order. Representative Kito arrived as
the meeting was in progress.
^Presentation: Facing Foster Care in Alaska
Presentation: Facing Foster Care in Alaska
4:24:45 PM
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ announced that the first order of business would
be a presentation from Facing Foster Care in Alaska.
4:25:04 PM
AMANDA METIVIER, Statewide Coordinator, Facing Foster Care in
Alaska, explained that young people with Facing Foster Care from
all over Alaska came to the Alaska State Legislature in Juneau
each year to learn about government and how the Legislature
worked, and to become advocates and have a say in what happens
to them. She pointed out that the State of Alaska was the
guardian of young people in foster care. She shared the
experiences of each of the youth, including their time in foster
care, the number of placements, the number of siblings in
different foster care placements, and the number of case
workers. She stated that Facing Foster Care in Alaska was a
non-profit organization of young people in and from the foster
care system, and they worked to promote positive changes to
child welfare in Alaska. She declared that young people who had
experience in the system were the experts. She reported that
the numbers of children coming into the system was on the rise,
and was now at a record high, as more than 1 percent of the
overall child population in the state lived in foster care. She
explained that Facing Foster Care taught young people how to be
advocates for themselves and about their rights. These young
people then train child welfare staff and care givers, and share
their experiences in the system with social workers, foster
parents, judges, and lawmakers. She added that this was also a
peer support organization, as foster care could be very lonely.
Groups of foster kids were able to meet to talk about their
fears and problems, as well as help each other with basic life
skills. She noted that the group also performed a larger scale
advocacy role, which included proposals for specific legislative
items and meetings with judges and the Director of the Office of
Children's Services (OCS).
MS. METIVIER said that she wanted to review the Foster Youth
Bill of Rights [included in members' packets]. She shared that
federal law ensured that young people, ages 14 and older, were
notified of their rights while in the foster care system. She
stated that Facing Foster Care had worked with youth and the
department to put together this bill of rights. She pointed out
that youth had the right to attend their court hearings, to be
part of the process for planning on their own permanency, and
for knowing why they were in foster care. Foster youth were
instructed about the need to leave the foster care system with
their documents, including social security card, birth
certificate, and medical records. She shared that OCS was
diligently working to ensure that youth had received a copy of
the bill of rights, and that youth signed off that they had
received it.
MS. METIVIER reported that there had been a long term push for
resources for young people transitioning out of the system and
into adulthood. These resources were intended to create support
systems and teach skills to preclude homelessness,
incarceration, and early pregnancy. She stated that youth don't
need as many social services and resources when they have a
family or a connection to an adult who can help them navigate.
She pointed out that you would do better having someone who was
pushing you to do things. She declared that the goal was a push
for permanency, so that youth were no longer simply aging out of
foster care, but instead had a permanent family. She reported
that there had been a conversation with the Director of OCS, who
would now make the final decision for a youth to age out of the
system.
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ lauded the Facing Foster Care program for its
leadership in the move toward advocacy and consideration of
youth rights.
4:37:38 PM
REPRESENTATIVE TARR asked how Facing Foster Care got financial
support.
MS. METIVIER reported that the organization started in 2003 as a
small youth advisory group to OCS, with support from the Casey
Family Programs and the independent living program. She said
that the group had worked toward becoming its own entity, and
worked to become a non-profit. She reported that the majority
of funding was from local foundations and private donors, as
well as fund raising through Pick, Click, Give. She added that
there was also grant funding. She said there was a very small
budget, and most of the work was performed by volunteers. She
stated that the youth were elected for two years as regional
representatives from each of the five OCS regions. She added
that youth had to campaign and the youth members voted for the
representatives. The youth board planned with the governance
board of directors and helped with fund raising, and this group
worked with adults in the community. She said that a lot of
time was spent in writing grants and searching for funding.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON asked about the governance in addition
to the five regions.
MS. METIVIER explained that in addition to the youth
representing the five OCS regions, there was governance by the
non-profit board of directors, which included volunteer
attorneys, and business and financial people from the community.
In response to Representative Johnston, she said that the
governance board term limits were staggered for two, three, and
four years to allow for smoother transition.
HB 151-DHSS; CINA; FOSTER CARE; CHILD PROTECTION
4:41:39 PM
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ announced that the final order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 151, "An Act relating to the duties of the
Department of Health and Social Services; relating to training
and workload standards for employees of the Department of Health
and Social Services; relating to foster care licensing; relating
to placement of a child in need of aid; relating to the rights
and responsibilities of foster parents; relating to subsidies
for adoption or guardianship of a child in need of aid;
requiring the Department of Health and Social Services to
provide information to a child or person released from the
department's custody; and providing for an effective date."
4:42:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE EDGMON moved to adopt the proposed committee
substitute (CS) for HB 151, labeled 30-LS0451\R, Glover, 3/7/17,
as the working document.
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ objected for discussion.
4:42:30 PM
REPRESENTATIVE LES GARA, Alaska State Legislature, paraphrased
from the Sponsor Statement [included in members' packets], which
read:
Foster youth in Alaska are not getting the chances
they deserve. The Children Deserve a Loving Home Act
aims to increase the likelihood that foster youth will
have the same opportunities in life, and same health
and well-being, as their peers. When roughly 40% of
our foster youth end up homeless at some point in
their lives after leaving care, and roughly 20% end up
in jail, it's a call for reform. The nation's leading
foster care non-profit, Casey Family Programs, has the
correct goal to reduce the number of youth languishing
in foster care by 50% by 2020. Alaska should join that
effort. We should achieve it not by leaving youth in
neglect and abuse to keep our foster care numbers
down, but by getting neglected and abused youth out of
the foster care system, into a permanent, loving home,
much more quickly than we do now. Many Alaskans
recognize that our child welfare system has room to
improve; this bill seeks to make real positive changes
that support youth and families, as well as the
caseworkers who serve them. It's been well documented
by many sources that when case workers are overworked,
outcomes for children and families suffer. The Office
of Children's Services (OCS) recommends standards of
approximately 12 cases or families per worker but
today, most caseworkers are carrying caseloads that
vastly exceed that amount (as high as 43 families in
Wasilla, 36 in Homer, and 30 or more in six of the
state's main OCS offices). Conditions in rural Alaska,
especially the challenges of remote travel, make even
a 12 family caseload overwhelming for workers in such
regions. Beyond the risk of poorer outcomes, high
caseloads contribute to high worker turnover, a costly
problem that slows timelines to permanency. This bill
seeks to improve both caseload levels and worker
retention by implementing significant new training and
workforce standards. New workers would receive a
minimum of six weeks of training and would carry no
more than six cases/families in the first three
months, and 12 families in the first 12 months. The
bill also provides for the employment of mentors to
help caseworkers become more effective and make the
transition from training to a full caseload. These
standards are recognized to improve outcomes, enable
faster timelines to permanency, and allow case workers
to perform their duties as intended. In addition, this
bill provides for a number of other changes to support
the well-being of youth in care, and to promote
quicker timelines for children returning to, or
finding new, permanent homes. The bill extends
subsidies for adoptions and guardianships to age 21,
to incentivize permanency and the closing of cases,
and promotes contact with siblings and with previous
out of-home caregivers to promote the well-being of
children and maintain a network of support for them.
Another important tenet of this bill is enacting
timelines for waivers and exemptions to licensing
requirements for relatives who may want to care for a
child, but are not licensed foster parents.
The bill also makes it easier for youth and foster
parents to engage in normal day to day activities,
such as going on vacation without prior caseworker
approval, with fewer requirements. In addition, youth
at age 14 are empowered to participate in their case
plan with a larger role. This bill also strengthens
the requirement to search for relatives before placing
a child with foster parents, recognizing that
placements with family are often the best and most
loving option for youth. Providing support, and a
voice, for youth and families who need our help is
perhaps one of our most important duties in public
service. This bill seeks to give caseworkers the tools
they need to carry out their duties to the best of
their abilities, and it seeks to support youth and
families with provisions that support well-being, make
it easier for children to move out of the system and
into a permanent home more quickly, and provide the
necessary resources for a system that can function
well. This bill is intended to create an environment
where loving homes are the priority for all youth.
5:01:15 PM
AMANDA METIVIER, Statewide Coordinator, Facing Foster Care in
Alaska, stated that a major provision of the proposed bill was
for setting standards to workloads for case workers, as many of
the issues would be "wiped away" if case workers had the time to
do what was necessary. She reported that, although there was an
initial cost, there would be a long term savings of millions of
dollars when not having to pay a daily rate for the cost of care
for a young person in the foster care system, as well as for
attorneys, the court system, and the long term social services.
She declared that an earlier move into permanency was much more
cost effective versus staying in the system. She pointed out
that so many of the young people leaving the foster care system
had not been prepared, and now, these young people had children
who were moving into the foster care system. She explained that
there were five protective factors that young parents were
supposed to have, which included: concrete social support in
times of need and someone to call when you are stressed. She
shared stories of her interactions with case workers coming to
her home, as she was now a foster parent, and she spoke about
her earlier dream for becoming a case worker at OCS, until she
saw the high numbers of case worker turnover. She opined that
this setting allowed for the loss of many good social workers.
She declared that improving the caseload levels would make all
the other problems solvable. She offered her belief that it was
important to engage youth in planning, at 14 years of age. She
offered a quote: "it's better to plan for the battle than battle
the plan," and opined that having the youth engaged in the
process would make it more successful. She reiterated that the
most important pieces of the proposed bill were to lower the
workload and increase the training for workers.
5:07:11 PM
NAVEAH INGAM offered her belief that the proposed bill would
help both the youth in care, as well as those youth that were
going to be in care. She shared her experience when
communication was lost with her younger sibling when they were
placed separately, and the current feelings of abandonment. She
opined that the opportunity for communication among siblings
would have positive mental health ramifications.
5:08:59 PM
RACHAEL BESSLER shared that Amanda Metivier was her foster
parent and how positive it was to have permanency. She shared
her story of how difficult life had been, and that she was
"going down a wrong road." She did not want anybody in her
life, and she did not want any connections. She went through 47
foster homes because she felt abandoned and alone. She said
that Amanda helped her see a future, and that Amanda's daughter
was like her little sister. She relayed that permanency and
connection can bring a much easier life, and allowed youth to do
something earlier in life. She declared that permanency could
change the lives of so many people, and that she was here to
advocate for those who still did not have a permanent
connection. She said that having a person you can talk to at
the end of the day was so important. She emphasized that HB 151
could dramatically change the lives of many children, noting
that without a permanent connection, she would either be on the
street or incarcerated.
5:12:10 PM
CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ announced that HB 151 would be held over.
[The objection to the proposed CS, Version R, was maintained.]
5:12:58 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Health and Social Services Standing Committee meeting was
adjourned at 5:12 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 151 vers. U Sponsor Statement 3.1.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Draft Proposed Blank CS ver R 3.7.2017.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Sectional Analysis ver R 3.15.2017.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Explanation of Changes ver R 3.15.2017.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Fiscal Note DHSS-CSM 03.10.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Fiscal Note DHSS-CST 03.10.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Fiscal Note DHSS-FCBR 03.10.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Fiscal Note DHSS-FLSW 03.10.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Fiscal Note DHSS-SAG 03.10.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Supporting Document 1. OCS Office by Office Caseloads 3.1.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Supporting Document 2. High Caseloads How Do They Impact Health and Human Services 3.1.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Supporting Document 3. Children Waiting to be Adopted 2014.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Supporting Document 4. Applying the Science of Child Development in Child Welfare Systems (Excerpt).pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Supporting Document 5. NJ DCF Workforce Report (Excerpt).pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Supporting Document 6. Why the Workforce Matters.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Supporting Document 7. Creating a Permanence Driven Organization - Anu (Excerpt).pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Supporting Document 8. DHSS Memo OOH Growth.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Supporting Document 9. DHSS Memo NJ Standard and Workforce.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Supporting Document 10. Relevant Statistics.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Supporting Document 11. Supporting Article.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Supporting Document - Casey Family Programs Letter 3.15.2017.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 151 Supporting Document-Letters of Support 3.15.2017.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/21/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/23/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 151 |
| HB 103 Draft Proposed Blank CS ver D 3.13.2017.pdf |
HHSS 3/14/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/18/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 103 |
| HB 103 Explanation of Changes (CS) 2.22.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/14/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/18/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 103 |
| SB 36 Opposition Letter Coulter MD vs. SB36 HB103.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/18/2017 3:00:00 PM SFIN 3/14/2017 9:00:00 AM |
HB 103 SB 36 |
| HB 103 Letters of Support 2.22.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/14/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/18/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 103 |
| HB 103 Fiscal Note DCCED--DCBPL 3.13.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/14/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/18/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 103 |
| HB 103 Sectional Analysis (CS) 2.22.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/14/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/18/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 103 |
| HB 103 Sponsor Statement 2.22.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/14/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/18/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 103 |
| HB 103 Supporting Document Ohio State Optometry Curriculum 2.22.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/14/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/18/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 103 |
| HB 103 Supporting Document Medical Liability Premiums Fact Sheet 2.22.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/14/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/18/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 103 |
| HB 103 Supporting Document Regulation Flow Chart 3-10-17.pdf |
HHSS 3/14/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/18/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 103 |
| HB 103 Supporting Document-Board of the Examiners in Optometry.pdf |
HHSS 3/14/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/18/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 103 |
| HB 103 Supporting Document-Optometrists Practicing in AK 2.22.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/14/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/18/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 103 |
| HB 103 Supporting Documents Optometry Education Flyer 2.22.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/14/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/18/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 103 |
| HB103 Career Guide Optometry 2.22.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/14/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/18/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 103 |
| HB103 Letters of Opposition-Support.pdf |
HHSS 3/14/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/18/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 103 |
| HB 103 Opposing Document--Letters 3.15.17.pdf |
HHSS 3/16/2017 3:00:00 PM HHSS 3/18/2017 3:00:00 PM |
HB 103 |