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Gov. Eric Holcomb has signed several bills into law following the Indiana General Assembly’s adjournment Friday night.
Some of those new laws make adjustments to children in need of services, with one going into effect upon passage.
House Enrolled Act 1310 creates concurrent planning in children in need of services cases cases if the child has been removed from the parent for at least 12 of the most recent 22 months at the time of a periodic case review.
The bill states that the child’s permanency plan must include at least one intended permanent or long-term arrangement for care and custody of the child other than reunification of the child with the child’s parent, guardian or custodian.
The second part of the bill provides that the department may not take adverse action against a foster parent’s license or remove a child from the home of a foster parent, relative of the child or de facto custodian on the basis that filing a notice with the court that a petition is required to be filed but has not been filed to terminate the parent-child relationship with regard to the child.
“House Bill 1310 will help more foster children get into permanent homes. When children are uprooted from their lives, they are not being set up for success. This bill ensures that long-term arrangement for a child must include a plan of will serve as a guardian if reunification is not possible,” Rep. Renee Pack, D-Indianapolis, said in a news release following the passage of the bill out of committee.
Holcomb signed the bill March 11 and it is now in effect.
Rep. Ryan Lauer, R-Columbus, authored the bill and sponsored another reunification plan for CHINS.
Senate Enrolled Act 171 amends the circumstances in which reasonable efforts to reunify a child with the child’s parent, guardian or custodian or preserve a child’s family are not required.
“We know that family reunification should be the top priority in most child welfare cases, but there are special exceptions that need to be made when it’s not in the best interest of the child,” Lauer said in a news release “This bill will expand the state’s list of exceptions, which allow courts to bypass reunification in extreme cases so that the child can be moved to a safe and permanent home more quickly.”
The change will go into effect on July 1. Holcomb also signed that bill March 11.
Another bill authored by Lauer was House Enrolled Act 1101, which established a safe baby court as a type of problem-solving court.
The legislation provides that a CHINS is an eligible individual for purposes of a problem-solving court program.
“In these cases, it takes time and effort from all parties to reach the best decision for the child,” Lauer said in a news release when the bill headed to the Senate. “By taking these proceedings through a problem-solving court focused on these issues, a permanency decision can be made more quickly and judges can also work closely with the guardians to help ensure they’re on the right track.”
The Senate amended the legislation in the Senate Judiciary Committee where it removed the term “at-risk family” from the bill.
Holcomb signed the bill March 11 and it will go into effect July 1.
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