HB 2538 — Requiring usage of child welfare information technology systems

WEST VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION IntroducedCommittee Substitute for House Bill 2538 By Delegates Summers, Shamblin, Forsht, Miller, Hite, Heckert, Petitto, Pinson, Mazzocchi, Burkhammer and Kimble [Introduced[Originating Januaryin 13,the 2023;Committee on Health and Human Resources;

ReferredReported to the Committee on Senior,January Children,31, and2023] Family Issues then Health and Human Resources] Intr HB 2023R2284 A BILL to amend and reenact §49-1-203 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, to amend and reenact §49-2-111c of said code, all relating to fosterthe care.creation of a child welfare information technology systems;

requiring the Bureau of Social Services to implement of a child welfare information technology system;

providing access to the system;

setting forth the requirements of the system.

"Certificate of registration" means a statement issued by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources to a family child care home, informal family child care home, or CS for HB 2538 relative family child care home to provide specified services for a limited period in accordance with the terms of the certificate.

“Child welfare information technology systems” means an operational web-based communications system.

Intr HB 2023R2284 "Portal" means information drawn from various data sources and shared as needed with individuals involved in a particular child’s case.

(4) Expand a tiered foster care system that provides higher payments for foster parents providing care to, and child placing agencies providing services to, foster children who have 1 CS for HB 2538 severe emotional, behavioral, or intellectual problems or disabilities, with particular emphasis upon removing children in congregate care and placing them with suitable foster parents;

This program shall be operational no later than December 1, 2020 and (5) Develop a pilot program to increase payment to uncertified kinship parents for the Intr HB 2023R2284 purpose of further helping families who have accepted kinship placements.

(c) On or before July 1, 2022 and onOn or before July 1 of every year thereafter, the secretary of the department shall present a report to the Joint Standing Committee on Government and Finance regarding the expenditures made pursuant to subsection (b) of this section and the department’s progress in meeting the priorities and objectives listed in subsection (a) of this section:

(d)(b) The bureau shallshall: incorporate into the PATH system or through the purchase of additional products an operational web-based portal.

This(1) Incorporate into child welfare information technology systems or through the purchase isof exemptadditional fromproducts §5-3A-1an etoperational seq.web-based communications system which shall facilitate communications including, but not limited to, foster parent requests and responses to requests to staff of the Bureau for Social Services and their contractual designees;

ofupdates thisregarding code.foster child movement, visitation, and travel;

NOTE:scheduled court, guardian ad litem, and multidisciplinary team hearings and meetings;

Theand purposeother ofcommunications thisthat billmay isimprove tocare developfor anthe online portal to support foster placementschild andamongst kinshipdesignated placementsparties with thelegal specificresponsibilities needsto care for theirthe foster children.child.

Strike-throughs(2) indicateEnsure language that wouldpermission beaccess strickento fromutilize the child welfare information technology systems about a headingfoster orchild theis presentgranted lawto andonly underscoringthose indicatesparties newwith languagelegal thatresponsibilities wouldto becare added.for and support the foster child;

and 2 CS for HB 2538 (3) Ensure that the child welfare information technology systems has the capacity to archive communications for the purpose of running reports on responsiveness by actors in the child welfare system.