Bill > HB473

This bill aims to improve the stability and living conditions for children in the foster care system by prohibiting their housing in vehicles, state offices, hotels, motels, or short-term rentals, except for emergencies lasting no more than 24 hours. Instead, children must be placed in kinship care (relatives), fictive kin care (close family friends), licensed foster family homes, or licensed child-caring facilities. The bill also restricts the number of times a child can be moved within a year to a maximum of two times, unless there are extenuating circumstances like safety concerns, and requires a written explanation from a cabinet employee for any placement changes beyond the initial one, which must be approved by the secretary. Furthermore, the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS), the state agency responsible for child welfare, is directed to create regulations to prioritize stable housing and minimize disruptions for foster youth. Finally, the State Citizen Foster Care Review Board will now be required to report on the number of children moved more than twice in a 12-month period, providing crucial data on placement instability.

Health and Social Services

https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/hb473.html