Bill > S1666

This bill aims to strengthen child welfare services in Florida by establishing an Assistant Secretary for Child Welfare within the Department of Children and Families, requiring specialized training for child protective investigators, and mandating the use of critical incident rapid response teams for investigating child deaths or serious incidents involving children who have previously been reported for abuse or neglect. It also mandates that alleged incidents of juvenile sexual abuse involving children in state custody be reported to the department's central abuse hotline and investigated by rapid response teams, and requires the implementation of safety plans in child protection investigations when there is a present or impending danger to a child. The bill also introduces new definitions for "present danger" and "impending danger" to clarify when immediate action is needed and expands provisions for medically complex children, sibling placements, and the relative caregiver program to include non-relatives. Furthermore, it revises the grounds for termination of parental rights, enhances accountability for community-based care lead agencies, and establishes programs for tuition exemption and student loan forgiveness for child protection and child welfare personnel to improve recruitment and retention.