HF 832

as introduced - 79th Legislature (1995 - 1996) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to health; requiring planning for a program 
  1.3             to promote the long-term development of children and 
  1.4             to prevent abuse; proposing coding for new law in 
  1.5             Minnesota Statutes, chapter 145. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [145.951] [CHILDREN HELPED IN LONG-TERM 
  1.8   DEVELOPMENT; IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.] 
  1.9      The commissioner of health, in consultation with the 
  1.10  commissioners of education and human services, shall develop an 
  1.11  implementation plan for the establishment of a statewide program 
  1.12  to assist families in developing the full potential of their 
  1.13  children.  The program must be designed to strengthen the 
  1.14  family, to reduce the risk of abuse to children, and to promote 
  1.15  the long-term development of children in their home 
  1.16  environments.  The program must also be designed to use 
  1.17  volunteers to provide support to parents, and to link parents 
  1.18  with existing public health, education, and social services as 
  1.19  appropriate. 
  1.20     Sec. 2.  [145.952] [DEFINITIONS.] 
  1.21     Subdivision 1.  [SCOPE.] The definitions in this section 
  1.22  apply to sections 145.951 to 145.957. 
  1.23     Subd. 2.  [ABUSE.] "Abuse" means physical abuse, sexual 
  1.24  abuse, neglect, mental injury, and threatened injury, as those 
  1.25  terms are defined in section 626.556, subdivision 2. 
  2.1      Subd. 3.  [CHILD PROGRAM OR PROGRAM.] "CHILD program" or 
  2.2   "program" means the children helped in long-term development 
  2.3   program that the commissioner shall plan to be implemented under 
  2.4   sections 145.951 to 145.957. 
  2.5      Subd. 4.  [COMMISSIONER.] "Commissioner" means the 
  2.6   commissioner of health or the commissioner's designee. 
  2.7      Subd. 5.  [LOCAL ORGANIZATION.] "Local organization" means 
  2.8   an organization that contracts with the commissioner under 
  2.9   section 145.953, subdivision 1, to administer the CHILD program 
  2.10  on a local level. 
  2.11     Sec. 3.  [145.953] [PROGRAM STRUCTURE.] 
  2.12     Subdivision 1.  [LOCAL ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM.] The 
  2.13  implementation plan must require the commissioner to contract 
  2.14  with private nonprofit and governmental organizations to 
  2.15  administer the CHILD program on a local level.  The local 
  2.16  organization shall be responsible for recruiting, screening 
  2.17  training, and overseeing volunteers for the program. 
  2.18     Subd. 2.  [VOLUNTEER COMPONENT.] The implementation plan 
  2.19  must provide that a volunteer will be matched with a family to 
  2.20  provide ongoing support in parenting.  The volunteer shall 
  2.21  provide the family with information on the CHILD program and 
  2.22  other social services available.  Through home visits and 
  2.23  frequent contact, the volunteer shall provide support and 
  2.24  guidance on raising the child and coping with stresses that may 
  2.25  increase the risk of abuse.  The volunteer shall also assist the 
  2.26  family in obtaining other needed services from existing social 
  2.27  services programs. 
  2.28     Sec. 4.  [145.954] [STANDARDS FOR PROGRAM.] 
  2.29     In planning for the implementation of the program, the 
  2.30  commissioner shall: 
  2.31     (1) establish mechanisms to encourage families to 
  2.32  participate in the CHILD program; 
  2.33     (2) establish mechanisms to identify families who may wish 
  2.34  to participate in the CHILD program and to match volunteers with 
  2.35  these families either before or as soon as possible after a 
  2.36  child is born; 
  3.1      (3) ensure that local organizations coordinate with 
  3.2   services already provided by the departments of health, human 
  3.3   services, and education to ensure that participating families 
  3.4   receive a continuum of care; 
  3.5      (4) coordinate with local social services agencies, local 
  3.6   health boards, and community health boards; 
  3.7      (5) ensure that services provided through the program are 
  3.8   community-based and that the special needs of minority 
  3.9   communities are addressed; 
  3.10     (6) develop and implement appropriate systems to gather 
  3.11  data on participating families and to monitor and evaluate their 
  3.12  progress; and 
  3.13     (7) evaluate the program's effectiveness.  
  3.14     Sec. 5.  [145.955] [DUTIES OF LOCAL ORGANIZATION.] 
  3.15     The implementation plan shall require the local 
  3.16  organizations to: 
  3.17     (1) recruit and train volunteers to serve families under 
  3.18  the program, according to section 145.956; 
  3.19     (2) provide ongoing supervision and consultation to 
  3.20  volunteers; and 
  3.21     (3) develop resource and referral booklets that volunteers 
  3.22  can distribute to families served by the program.  The booklets 
  3.23  shall contain comprehensive information on the spectrum of 
  3.24  services available to assist the family and to reduce the risk 
  3.25  of abuse. 
  3.26     Sec. 6.  [145.956] [TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT OF 
  3.27  VOLUNTEERS.] 
  3.28     Subdivision 1.  [TRAINING REQUIREMENTS.] (a) The 
  3.29  implementation plan shall require the local organization to 
  3.30  carefully screen and train volunteers to provide program 
  3.31  services.  Training must prepare volunteers to: 
  3.32     (1) identify signs of abuse or other indications that a 
  3.33  child may be at risk of abuse; 
  3.34     (2) help families develop communications skills; 
  3.35     (3) teach and reinforce healthy discipline techniques; 
  3.36     (4) provide other support a family needs to cope with 
  4.1   stresses that increase the risk of abuse; and 
  4.2      (5) refer the family to other appropriate public health, 
  4.3   education, and social services. 
  4.4      (b) The implementation plan shall also include procedures 
  4.5   whereby the local agency will provide ongoing support, 
  4.6   supervision, and training for all volunteers.  Training must be 
  4.7   culturally appropriate and community-based, and must incorporate 
  4.8   input from parents who will be using the program's services.  
  4.9      Subd. 2.  [RECRUITMENT OF VOLUNTEERS.] The implementation 
  4.10  plan must require that the local organization recruit minority 
  4.11  volunteers to serve communities of color. 
  4.12     Sec. 7.  [145.957] [ELIGIBILITY.] 
  4.13     The implementation plan must ensure that all residents of 
  4.14  Minnesota are eligible for services under the program.  The plan 
  4.15  must make services available on a sliding fee basis.  The 
  4.16  commissioner shall develop a sliding fee scale for the program. 
  4.17     Sec. 8.  [REPORT ON CHILD PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.] 
  4.18     By February 15, 1996, the commissioner of health shall 
  4.19  present to the legislature an implementation plan for the 
  4.20  establishment of a statewide CHILD program.  The implementation 
  4.21  plan must incorporate the requirements for program structure and 
  4.22  standards, duties of participating local organizations, training 
  4.23  and recruitment of volunteers, and eligibility, as provided in 
  4.24  sections 145.953 to 145.957.  The report must also include 
  4.25  estimates of the cost of implementing the CHILD program 
  4.26  statewide, and of any increase in the complement of the 
  4.27  department of health that may be required to oversee the program.
  4.28     Sec. 9.  [PLAN FOR COORDINATION OF HOME VISITING PROGRAMS.] 
  4.29     By February 15, 1996, the commissioner of health, in 
  4.30  consultation with the commissioners of education and human 
  4.31  services and the director of the office for strategic and 
  4.32  long-range planning, shall recommend to the legislature a plan 
  4.33  for coordination of all home visiting programs to prevent child 
  4.34  abuse.  The recommendations must include the development of 
  4.35  minimum standards, coordination of and information exchange 
  4.36  between home visiting programs, training requirements for home 
  5.1   visiting staff, the development of a coordinated data system for 
  5.2   all home visiting programs, and an evaluation for home visiting 
  5.3   programs.