Bill > HB1654

This bill aims to prioritize the placement of children in foster care or adoption with their grandparents, unless there are health or safety concerns. The key provisions include: 1. Requiring preferential consideration to be given to an appropriate grandparent if the child's biological parents are unable to care for them. 2. Providing grandparents with preferential consideration for adoption when the parental rights of the biological parents are terminated, regardless of the grandparent's age. 3. Reducing the stress experienced by children in foster care and providing them with continuity of care by allowing family members, including grandparents, to raise them. 4. Amending existing laws to explicitly include grandparents in the definition of "relative" for the purposes of placement preference in foster care and adoption cases. The bill aims to address the shortage of foster homes in Arkansas, especially for sibling groups, and to improve the outcomes for children in the foster care system by prioritizing placement with their grandparents when appropriate.