HB 27-DHSS DUTIES; CINA; FOSTER CARE; ADOPTION  1:51:14 PM CHAIR MCGUIRE announced the consideration of HB 27. [SCS CSSSHB 27(HSS) is before the committee.] 1:51:20 PM REPRESENTATIVE LES GARA, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, sponsor of HB 27, said the goal of the legislation is to get youths out of foster care and into loving, permanent homes. Alaska has more youth per capita waiting for an adoptive home than all other states but Oklahoma. Alaska has 700 youth waiting for adoption while Wyoming, that has a similar population, has 81 children in foster care. Many children linger in the foster care system or are bounced between foster homes. He mentioned a university student who transitioned through 47 foster homes and stressed that you shouldn't need to be a hero to survive the foster care system. He talked about the stresses within the Office of Children's Services (OCS) and related that the bill aims to provide a double safety check to ensure that the most important things regarding foster care are done right. During the regular status hearings, the court will ask the caseworker what he/she has done to get the child into a permanent home, such as a family search. If the caseworker hasn't done anything, the court will direct them to come back in 20 days to show the family search has been done. He described two brothers who were 16 and in foster care their whole lives before a caseworker found out they had a grandparent, an aunt, and an uncle. The bill requires OCS at every placement change to make sure that the family search is updated. He described the Casey Family Foundation that worked to allow youth to stay in foster care as long as they need to, up to age 21. He stressed that a youth that isn't ready to go out on their own shouldn't be dumped out of the system. About 25 percent of foster youth end up in jail at some point and roughly 40 percent end up couch surfing or homeless. Another part of HB 27 is that caseworkers must now show, at the regular status hearing, that it is in the youth's best interest to exit the foster care system. REPRESENTATIVE GARA said the bill also recognizes the importance of school stability for a foster child. It provides that the department will attempt to keep the child in the same school, if feasible, because on average, every school bounce moves the child four months behind in their education. 1:58:24 PM CHAIR MCGUIRE commented that if there isn't stability in the family, it's needed in the school. REPRESENTATIVE LES GARA said another important provision allows OCS to let a child live in a dorm while they're in foster care if they still need to be in foster care. Right now that's illegal. The bill also says that OCS should help the child with education or vocational training. It removes the term "basic education" which he described as somewhat reminiscent of Charles Dickens. The bill also asks the department when its members are in front of a large group to let the crowd know they have a shortage of foster families and adoptive families. The department has frequent access to large crowds on a regular basis which makes it a good venue for getting the message out, and it doesn't cost money. REPRESENTATIVE GARA concluded with a quote from the Alaska Children's Trust that said, "This bill will help reduce the impact of trauma by taking steps to get youth out of foster care into loving homes. It reduces new incidences of adverse childhood experiences and builds resilience among Alaska's children." CHAIR MCGUIRE expressed appreciation for the bill and the sponsor's work in the area of foster care. She spoke of her frustration about the pro-life mandate in the building when there isn't sufficient work once the child is born. If every life matters we need to find ways that the child has a great chance at life, she said. This bill is a terrific step in that direction. 2:05:53 PM SENATOR COSTELLO referenced a chart in the bill packets and asked if he knows what Maryland has done since 2005 to reduce the number of kids in the foster care system from 2,000 to 500. REPRESENTATIVE LES GARA said he didn't know but he'd make it a summer project to find out. CHAIR MCGUIRE requested he consider using interns and law students to work toward changing the system. 2:07:23 PM SENATOR COGHILL expressed appreciation for the legislation and noted it aligns with the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). Directing attention to the new language in Section 5 relating to transfers of a child from one out-of-home placement to another, he asked if it's in keeping with existing requirements or a new requirement that an adult family member or family friend must meet the foster care licensing requirements established by the department. REPRESENTATIVE GARA replied the licensing requirements are the same. This section is to make sure that a search for a family member or family friend is done with each transfer in placement. SENATOR COGHILL said he wanted to make sure this didn't create a new hurdle for families and make it more difficult to take in family members. REPRESENTATIVE GARA said the licensing requirements are the same including the lower level licensing requirements for a relative placement, but in all cases there is a criminal background check and a finding that it's in the best interest of the child. SENATOR COGHILL questioned the change in Section 9 that increases the upper limit of state oversight of a child in state custody from 18 years of age to 21 years of age. He noted that in most cases, a person who is 18 is considered an adult. REPRESENTATIVE GARA said the bill doesn't change the age of consent and a child is already able to stay in foster care up to 21 years of age. Existing law requires the department to continue to search for a suitable adoptive or permanent placement of a child up to 18 years of age and the bill would require the department to continue that search up to 21 years of age. After age 18, the child is called a person. He said he knows of older children who still want to be adopted. SENATOR COGHILL expressed satisfaction with the bill and opined that this codifies what the department is already doing. REPRESENTATIVE GARA clarified that the department believes in these things and wants their caseworkers to be doing these things. But because it's not always happening, the bill has the court double check and ask at every status hearing whether or not the caseworker has tried to find a permanent home or if it's in the best interest of the child to drop him/her out of foster care against their will. CHAIR MCGUIRE commented on the potential to have a broader spectrum of foster parents for older youths, and expressed hope that the sponsor's efforts lead to new grants. 2:16:24 PM TRACY SPARTZ CAMPBELL, Deputy Director, Office of Children Services, Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), stated that HB 27 offers a double check by the court to ensure that the work that caseworkers should be doing is being done. Other provisions include the addition to the permanency report requiring the department to report to the court that reasonable efforts have been made to find a permanent home and when older youth are exiting care there will need to be a report that outlines it is in the best interest of the youth to exit care. She highlighted that the bill aligns federal mandates with current statutory requirements, which will allow the department to streamline their mandates. She emphasized the effort OCS puts into looking for relatives with every placement transfer. She related that they often talk about first placement/best placement being with a relative, and the bill reinforces that. When a placement transfer is necessary they also strive for educational stability. Because much of what is presented in the bill is already being done, the division has presented a zero fiscal note. 2:19:00 PM AMANDA METIVIER, Executive Director, Facing Foster Care in Alaska, testified in support of HB 27. She said foster youth throughout the state have been asking for this legislation for some time and her organization requested certain provisions. In particular is the continued search for permanent, loving families. She shared that she has a foster youth in her home who has been in the foster care system for about 12 years and has moved through 47 different foster care placements. HB 27 aims to help situations like this by continuing to search for a permanent family or relatives. SENATOR COSTELLO expressed appreciation for the work Ms. Metivier and her daughter have done to help move the bill along. 2:21:40 PM CHAIR MCGUIRE closed public testimony on HB 27. SENATOR COGHILL clarified the working document is version S that was reported from the Senate Health and Social Services Standing Committee on CHAIR MCGUIRE asked the sponsor if he had any other changes to highlight. REPRESENTATIVE LES GARA explained that the amendment that passed the House floor was refined in the Senate committee substitute, version S, to ensure that decisions regarding school placement don't add costs unnecessarily. These decisions will be addressed during team decision meetings, where all stakeholders meet to discuss foster placement changes. He noted that OCS would like to extend the team decision making model statewide but it is currently limited to the larger urban areas. This is addressed on page 7, lines 13-16. 2:25:48 PM SENATOR COGHILL moved to report the Senate CS for HB 27 from committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). CHAIR MCGUIRE announced that without objection, SCS CSSSHB 27(HSS) is reported from the Senate Judiciary Standing Committee.