SB 634 — Residential Treatment Center Requirements

Florida Senate - 2018 CS for SB 634 By Senatorthe SteubeCommittee 23-00896-18on 2018634__Children, AFamilies, billand toElder beAffairs; entitled An act relating to trauma-informed services for children;

and Senator Steube 586-03441-18 2018634c1 A bill to be entitled An act relating to residential treatment center requirements;

394.495,409.1678, F.S.;

prohibitingeliminating acertain childrequirements whofor hasresidential sufferedtreatment sexualcenters exploitationthat fromprovide beingservices placedto incommercially asexually genericexploited shelterchildren; setting when safe-harbor or trauma-informed housing is not available;

requiring the Department of Children and Families to assemble a team of specified experts to determine the safest placement for the child;

providing criteria for placement;

128 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

1410 Section 1. Paragraph1. Subsection (p)(3) of subsection (4) of section 394.495,409.1678, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

394.495 Child409.1678 Specialized andresidential adolescentoptions mentalfor healthchildren systemwho are victims of care;commercial sexual exploitation.— (3) SERVICES WITHIN A RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT CENTER OR HOSPITAL.—Residential treatment centers licensed under s.

programs394.875, and services.—hospitals (4) Thelicensed arrayunder chapter 395 that provide residential mental health treatment, shall provide specialized treatment for commercially sexually exploited children in the custody of servicesthe maydepartment include,who butare isplaced notin limitedthese to:facilities pursuant to s.

(p) Trauma-informed39.407(6), services for children who have suffered sexual exploitation as defined in s.

39.01(71)(g).394.4625, or s.

If394.467. there is no safe-harbor or trauma-informed housing available, the child may not be placed in a generic shelter setting.

The(a) The departmentspecialized shalltreatment assemblemust ameet teamthe consistingrequirements of atsubparagraphs least(2)(c)1., two3., experts6., in anti-trafficking and sexual7. violence and at least one licensed psychiatrist or psychologist who has experience working with children who have suffered sexual exploitation.

The(2)(c)1. team shall determine the safest placement for the child until an appropriate out-of-home care placement option becomes available.

Theand child’s3.-7., placementparagraph must(2)(d), matchand histhe ordepartment’s hertreatment individualstandards needs,adopted avoidpursuant revictimizationto ofthis thesection. child, and provide safety.

However, a residential treatment center or hospital may prioritize the delivery of certain services among those required under paragraph (2)(d) to meet the specific treatment needs of the child.

(b) The facilities shall ensure that children are served in single-sex groups and that staff working with such children are adequately trained in the effects of trauma and sexual exploitation, the needs of child victims of commercial sexual exploitation, and how to address those needs using strength based and trauma-informed approaches.