Minnesota Legislature
HF 595
1st Engrossment - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am
Current Version - 1st Engrossment
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A bill for an act
relating to health; changing provisions for family visiting programs;
appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 145A.17.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Section 1.
Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 145A.17, is amended to read:
145A.17 FAMILY HOME VISITING PROGRAMS.
Subdivision 1.
Establishment; goals.
The commissioner shall establish a program
to fund family home visiting programs designed to foster deleted text begin adeleted text end healthy deleted text begin beginning for children
in families at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelinesdeleted text end new text begin beginnings, promote
improved pregnancy outcomes, promote school readinessnew text end , prevent child abuse and neglect,
reduce juvenile delinquency, promote positive parenting and resiliency in children, and
promote family health and economic self-sufficiencynew text begin for children and families. The
commissioner shall promote partnerships, collaboration, and multidisciplinary visiting
done by teams of professionals and paraprofessionals from the fields of public health
nursing, social work, and early childhood educationnew text end . A program funded under this section
must serve families at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, and other
families determined to be at risk, including but not limited to being at risk for child abuse,
child neglect, or juvenile delinquency. Programs new text begin should begin prenatally whenever
possible and new text end must give priority for services to new text begin the lowest-income new text end families deleted text begin considered
to be in need of services, including but not limited todeleted text end new text begin , including those families at risk
of long-term welfare dependency or family instability due to employment barriers and
those new text end families with:
(1) adolescent parents;
(2) a history of alcohol or other drug abuse;
(3) a history of child abuse, domestic abuse, or other types of violence;
(4) a history of domestic abuse, rape, or other forms of victimization;
(5) reduced cognitive functioning;
(6) a lack of knowledge of child growth and development stages;
(7) low resiliency to adversities and environmental stresses; deleted text begin or
deleted text end
(8) insufficient financial resources to meet family needsnew text begin ;
new text end
new text begin
(9) experiencing homelessness; or
new text end
new text begin (10) other risk factors as determined by the commissionernew text end .
Subd. 3.
Requirements for programs; process.
(a) deleted text begin Before a community health
board or tribal government may receive an allocation under subdivision 2, a community
health board or tribal government must submit a proposal to the commissioner that
includes identification, based on a community assessment, of the populations at or below
200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines that will be served and the other populations
that will be served. Each program that receives funds mustdeleted text end new text begin Community health boards
and tribal governments that receive an allocation must write a plan to the commissioner
describing a multidisciplinary approach to home visiting for families. At a minimum,
programs receiving allocations must demonstrate the followingnew text end :
new text begin
(1) systematic outreach to families prenatally or at birth;
new text end
new text begin
(2) seamless delivery of health, safety, and early learning services; and
new text end
new text begin
(3) continuity of services when families move within the state.
new text end
new text begin
(b) The multidisciplinary partners may include public health, ECFE, Head Start,
community health workers, social workers, community home visiting programs, and
other relevant partners. Each program that receives funds must accomplish the following
program requirements:
new text end
(1) use deleted text begin eitherdeleted text end a deleted text begin broaddeleted text end community-based deleted text begin or selective community-baseddeleted text end strategy to
provide preventive and early intervention home visiting services;
(2) offer a home visit by a trained home visitor. If a home visit is accepted, the first
home visit must occur prenatally or as soon after birth as possible and must include a
public health nursing assessment by a public health nurse;
(3) offer, at a minimum, information on infant care, child growth and development,
positive parenting, preventing diseases, preventing exposure to environmental hazards,
and support services available in the community;
(4) provide information on and referrals to health care services, if needed, including
information on health care coverage for which the child or family may be eligible;
and provide information on preventive services, developmental assessments, and the
availability of public assistance programs as appropriate;
(5) provide youth development programsnew text begin when appropriatenew text end ;
(6) recruit home visitors who will represent, to the extent possible, the races,
cultures, and languages spoken by families that may be served;
(7) train and supervise home visitors in accordance with the requirements established
under subdivision 4;
(8) maximize resources and minimize duplication by coordinating deleted text begin activitiesdeleted text end with
new text begin or contracting new text end local social and human services organizations, education organizations,
and other appropriate governmental entities and community-based organizations and
agencies; deleted text begin and
deleted text end
(9) utilize appropriate racial and ethnic approaches to providing home visiting
servicesnew text begin ; and
new text end
new text begin (10) connect eligible families, as needed, to additional resources available in the
community including, but not limited to, high quality early care and education programs,
health or mental health services, family literacy programs, employment agencies, social
services, and child care resources and referral agenciesnew text end .
new text begin
When available, programs that receive funds must offer, refer to, or connect with
center-based or group meetings at least once per month with greater frequency of
services for those eligible families identified with additional needs to further enhance
the information, activities, and skill-building addressed during home visitation, offer
opportunities for parents to meet with and support each other, and to offer infants and
toddlers a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment for socialization and supervised
play with qualified teachers.
new text end
deleted text begin (b)deleted text end new text begin (c) new text end Funds available under this section shall not be used for medical services. The
commissioner shall establish an administrative cost limit for recipients of funds. The
outcome measures established under subdivision 6 must be specified to recipients of
funds at the time the funds are distributed.
deleted text begin (c)deleted text end new text begin (d) new text end Data collected on individuals served by the home visiting programs must
remain confidential and must not be disclosed by providers of home visiting services
without a specific informed written consent that identifies disclosures to be made.
Upon request, agencies providing home visiting services must provide recipients with
information on disclosures, including the names of entities and individuals receiving the
information and the general purpose of the disclosure. Prospective and current recipients
of home visiting services must be told and informed in writing that written consent for
disclosure of data is not required for access to home visiting services.
Subd. 4.
Training.
The commissioner shall establish training requirements for
home visitors and minimum requirements for supervision deleted text begin by a public health nursedeleted text end . The
requirements for nurses must be consistent with chapter 148. new text begin The commissioner must
provide training for home visitors. new text end Training deleted text begin mustdeleted text end new text begin shall new text end include deleted text begin child development, positive
parenting techniques, screening and referrals for child abuse and neglect, and diverse
cultural practices in child rearing and family systemsdeleted text end new text begin the following:
new text end
new text begin
(1) effective relationships for engaging and retaining families and ensuring family
health, safety, and early learning;
new text end
new text begin
(2) effective methods of implementing parent education, conducting home visiting,
and promoting quality early childhood development;
new text end
new text begin
(3) early childhood development from birth to age five;
new text end
new text begin
(4) diverse cultural practices in child rearing and family systems;
new text end
new text begin
(5) recruiting, supervising, and retaining qualified staff;
new text end
new text begin
(6) increasing services for underserved populations; and
new text end
new text begin (7) relevant issues related to child welfare and protective services, with information
provided being consistent with state child welfare agency trainingnew text end .
Subd. 5.
Technical assistance.
The commissioner shall provide administrative
and technical assistance to each program, including assistance in data collection and
other activities related to conducting short- and long-term evaluations of the programs
as required under subdivision 7. The commissioner may request research and evaluation
support from the University of Minnesota.
Subd. 6.
Outcome new text begin and performance new text end measures.
The commissioner shall establish
deleted text begin outcomesdeleted text end new text begin measures new text end to determine the impact of family home visiting programs funded
under this section on the following areas:
(1) appropriate utilization of preventive health care;
(2) rates of substantiated child abuse and neglect;
(3) rates of unintentional child injuries;
(4) rates of children who are screened and who pass early childhood screening; deleted text begin and
deleted text end
(5) new text begin rates of children accessing high quality early care and educational services;
new text end
new text begin
(6) program retention rates;
new text end
new text begin
(7) number of home visits provided compared to the number of home visits planned;
new text end
new text begin
(8) participant satisfaction; and
new text end
new text begin (9) new text end any additional qualitative goals and quantitative measures established by the
commissioner.
Subd. 7.
Evaluation.
Using the qualitative goals and quantitative outcome new text begin and
performance new text end measures established under subdivisions 1 and 6, the commissioner shall
conduct ongoing evaluations of the programs funded under this section. Community
health boards and tribal governments shall cooperate with the commissioner in the
evaluations and shall provide the commissioner with the information necessary to conduct
the evaluations. As part of the ongoing evaluations, the commissioner shall rate the impact
of the programs on the outcome measures listed in subdivision 6, and shall periodically
determine whether home visiting programs are the best way to achieve the qualitative
goals established under subdivisions 1 and 6. If the commissioner determines that home
visiting programs are not the best way to achieve these goals, the commissioner shall
provide the legislature with alternative methods for achieving them.new text begin Children participating
in the home visiting programs must be assigned a MARSS number.
new text end
Subd. 8.
Report.
By January 15, 2002, and January 15 of each even-numbered
year thereafter, the commissioner shall submit a report to the legislature on the family
home visiting programs funded under this section and on the results of the evaluations
conducted under subdivision 7.
Subd. 9.
No supplanting of existing funds.
Funding available under this section
may be used only to supplement, not to replace, nonstate funds being used for home
visiting services as of July 1, 2001.
new text begin Subd. 10. new text end
new text begin Submitted plans. new text end
new text begin
Plans must be submitted on forms provided by the
commissioner and must include the following information:
new text end
new text begin
(1) a description of the community demographics;
new text end
new text begin
(2) a plan for meeting outcome measures; and
new text end
new text begin
(3) a proposed work plan that includes:
new text end
new text begin
(i) a coordination plan to ensure nonduplication of services for children and families;
new text end
new text begin
(ii) a description of the strategies to ensure that children and families at greatest risk
receive appropriate services; and
new text end
new text begin
(iii) a plan for collaboration with partnering multidisciplinary agencies,
organizations, and school districts.
new text end
new text begin
Letters of intent from partnering multidisciplinary agencies, organizations, and school
districts must be submitted with the plan.
new text end
Sec. 3. new text begin APPROPRIATIONS.
new text end
new text begin
$....... is appropriated for the biennium beginning July 1, 2007, from the general
fund to the commissioner of health for the family home visiting grant program. The
commissioner shall distribute funds to community health boards and tribal governments
using a formula developed in conjunction with the State Community Health Services
Advisory Committee and tribal governments. The commissioner may use five percent
of the funds appropriated in each fiscal year to conduct the ongoing evaluations required
under Minnesota Statutes, section 145A.17, subdivision 7, and may use ten percent of the
funds appropriated each fiscal year to provide training and technical assistance as required
under Minnesota Statutes, section 145A.17, subdivisions 4 and 5.
new text end