Department of Child Services

The House Family, Children & Human Affairs Committee heard HB 1123 on child advocacy centersauthored by Rep. DeVon. The bill provides that DCS may use a child advocacy center to coordinate a multidisciplinary team for responding to reports involving child abuse or neglect.  The bill requires the child advocacy center to: The bill provides the child advocacy center's … [Read more...] about Child advocacy centers

H.E.A. 1001, P.L. 201 Effective: May 4, 2023 §300 - Urges study, during the 2023 legislative interim, of DCS contracting with private attorneys to perform legal services and provide representation in CHINS, termination of parental rights and delinquency cases instead of employing staff attorneys within DCS. Read the bill at: … [Read more...] about State Budget – §300

H.E.A. 1169, P.L. 65 Effective: July 1, 2023  Provides that if a child is placed in a temporary out-of-home placement in a location in which a sibling of the child resides, DCS shall, before changing the placement of the child, consider whether separating the child from the child's sibling is in the child's best interest. Provides that if a child is placed under a … [Read more...] about Separation of siblings in child placement