Senate Committee on Health & Human Services (04/22/2015)

Final
STAFF SUMMARY OF MEETING

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Date:	04/22/2015	ATTENDANCE

Time:	11:29 AM to 12:14 PM	Aguilar	X
		Martinez Humenik	*
Place:	SCR 352	Newell	*
		Crowder	X
This Meeting was called to order by		Lundberg	X
	Senator Lundberg

This Report was prepared by
	Elizabeth Haskell
		X = Present, E = Excused, A = Absent, * = Present after roll call

Bills Addressed:		Action Taken:
HB15-1248		Referred to Appropriations

11:29 AM -- HB 15-1248

Senator Hill presented House Bill 15-1248, concerning child welfare checks for potential foster parents. The bill permits one representative at each child placement agency in the state to access information concerning current or prospective foster parent, an adult residing in the home of a current or prospective foster parent, or a specialized group facility. The information that a representative of a child placement agency may access is limited to information concerning:

whether a report of child abuse or neglect has been made regarding the person;
the general nature of the alleged incident of child abuse or neglect, including the category of the allegation, and the name and relationship of the perpetrator and victim;
whether the report of child abuse or neglect was screened for assessment;
the outcome of any investigation, including an investigator's summary of the reason or reasons for his or her finding or conclusions; and
child care and child welfare licensing history related to the individual.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) must monitor the access of the representative of each child placement agency in the state to ensure compliance.

11:31 AM -- Dr. Robert Werthwein, DHS, spoke in opposition to the bill. He discussed the department's concern about how individuals who are not fully trained to identify relevant information might use the information available in the TRAILS system and the department's responsibility to maintain confidential records. He discussed the department's concerns that the child placement agencies will be able to review information about allegations that are unsubstantiated.

Committee discussion and questions followed about the need to keep children safe, training case workers to identify information in TRAILS that is useful in making a placement determination, and the department's concern about the use of unsubstantiated information to make child placement decisions.

11:45 AM

Committee discussion continued about the merits of allowing employees of child placement agencies to have access to confidential information within DHS records, the difference in professional training between employees of child placement agencies and county child placement personnel, and the rules governing child placement.

11:57 AM -- Amy Taylor, Fostering Colorado, spoke in support of the bill. She explained that child placement agencies will use the information from TRAILS as one tool when making a decision about child placement. She told the committee that child placement agency employees who make placement decisions have experience and training to properly evaluate the information available from DHS. She stated that, in the past, child placement agencies have had access to this information.

12:01 PM -- Amy Harder, Fostering Colorado, spoke in support of the bill. She stated that, in accordance with existing DHS rules, child placement agencies are permitted to have access to the information contained in TRAILS. Ms. Harder responded to questions from the committee regarding the information that child placement agencies use when making a placement decision, and the relationship between child placement agencies and the county child protective services offices. She told the committee that El Paso County maintains private contracts for all child placement services.

12:11 PM

Senator Hill made closing comments. Committee members commented on the bill.


BILL:	HB15-1248
TIME:	12:13:25 PM
MOVED:	Crowder
MOTION:	Refer House Bill 15-1248 to the Committee on Appropriations. The motion passed on a vote of 5-0.
SECONDED:
		VOTE
	Aguilar	Yes
	Martinez Humenik	Yes
	Newell	Yes
	Crowder	Yes
	Lundberg	Yes


Final YES: 5 NO: 0 EXC: 0 ABS: 0 FINAL ACTION: PASS

12:13 PM

The committee adjourned.