Bill > S1668

This bill aims to enhance child welfare services in Florida by establishing critical incident rapid response teams for immediate investigations of child deaths or serious incidents, requiring access to specified records in such cases, and mandating reasonable efforts to keep siblings together when placed in out-of-home care. It also introduces new definitions for "sibling" and establishes a framework for community-based child welfare services, including the procurement and duties of community-based care lead agencies, which are entities contracted by the Department of Children and Families to provide child protection and welfare services within designated areas. The bill further mandates that petitions for the termination of parental rights must be signed under oath, attesting to the petitioner's good faith, and requires the department to make certain child death information publicly available online. Additionally, it modifies provisions related to the Relative Caregiver Program to include nonrelatives as eligible caregivers and revises judicial review processes to include sibling contact and preparation for adulthood. The bill also repeals certain existing statutes and reorganizes others to create a new part of Florida Statutes dedicated to community-based child welfare.