The House Committee on Family, Children and Human Affairs heard SB 171 on a reunification plan for a child in need of services authored by Sen. G. Walker, Sen. Donato, and Sen. Johnson and sponsored by Rep. Lauer, Rep. Ledbetter, Rep. Patterson, and Rep. Olthoff. The bill amends the circumstances under which reasonable efforts to reunify a child with the child’s parent, guardian, or custodian or preserve a child’s family are not required. The bill adds three additional circumstances which a court may determine that reasonable efforts to reunify are not required: 1.) the child’s parent, guardian, or custodian is listed on the Indiana Sex and Violent Offender Registry; 2.) the child’s parent, guardian, or custodian has been convicted of sexually abusing the child; or 3.) the child has been removed from the parent, guardian, or custodian’s home due to abuse and/or neglect by the parent, guardian, or custodian on two or more prior occasions.
Indiana Department of Child Services and the Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana testified in support of the bill. The Indiana Public Defender Council testified against it. The bill passed 11-0.
Read the bill at: https://iga.in.gov/legislative/2024/bills/senate/171