SF 898

as introduced - 81st Legislature (1999 - 2000) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to health; authorizing Dakota county to 
  1.3             establish home visiting programs to promote child 
  1.4             safety and healthy development; appropriating money; 
  1.5             amending Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 145A.15, by 
  1.6             adding a subdivision. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 145A.15, is 
  1.9   amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  1.10     Subd. 5.  [PILOT PROJECT ESTABLISHED.] (a) Of the estimated 
  1.11  63,000 births that occur annually in Minnesota, studies show 
  1.12  that approximately ten percent of these infants are at 
  1.13  significant risk of being maltreated by a parent or caregiver.  
  1.14  In Dakota county there are approximately 5,000 births a year 
  1.15  with an estimated 600 newborns at risk of being maltreated by a 
  1.16  parent or caregiver.  The legislature finds that promoting 
  1.17  healthy child development and safety requires a continuum of 
  1.18  integrated responses for at-risk children and their families, 
  1.19  from prevention efforts to promote secure attachment and normal 
  1.20  growth and development to mandated interventions to ensure 
  1.21  safety and permanence.  The legislature also finds that 
  1.22  providing early intervention for at-risk families in the form of 
  1.23  home visiting programs is an effective way to prevent child 
  1.24  abuse and neglect and results in increased tax revenues and cost 
  1.25  savings in the criminal justice system and in special education, 
  1.26  health care, and welfare programs. 
  2.1      (b) The purpose of the home visiting program to promote 
  2.2   child safety and healthy development is to establish the front 
  2.3   end of the maltreatment response continuum by expanding the 
  2.4   existing, targeted home visiting program to apply to families 
  2.5   statewide.  The goals of the home visiting program are to 
  2.6   promote child safety and healthy development and prevent child 
  2.7   abuse and neglect by routinely assessing for health and safety 
  2.8   risk factors, providing aggressive outreach to families with 
  2.9   multiple risk factors, and delivering sustained home visiting 
  2.10  services to families. 
  2.11     (c) The commissioner of health shall establish a program in 
  2.12  Dakota county to promote child safety and healthy development, 
  2.13  prevent child abuse and neglect, and reduce juvenile delinquency 
  2.14  by promoting positive parenting, resiliency in children, and a 
  2.15  healthy beginning for children by providing early intervention 
  2.16  services for families in need.  
  2.17     (d) The program shall include: 
  2.18     (1) creation of home visiting programs or expansion of 
  2.19  current public health nurse and family aide home visiting 
  2.20  programs and public health home visiting projects that prevent 
  2.21  child abuse and neglect, prevent juvenile delinquency, and build 
  2.22  resiliency in children; 
  2.23     (2) early intervention to promote a healthy and nurturing 
  2.24  beginning; 
  2.25     (3) provision of educational and public information 
  2.26  programs and materials in appropriate locations; and 
  2.27     (4) training of home visitors in skills necessary for 
  2.28  comprehensive home visiting which promotes a healthy and 
  2.29  nurturing beginning for the child. 
  2.30     (e) Home visiting services are available to an eligible 
  2.31  family until the child's third birthday. 
  2.32     (f) The following services must be part of the program: 
  2.33     (1) contact with families prenatally or after the birth of 
  2.34  the child through a public health nurse or trained program 
  2.35  representative who will meet the family, provide information, 
  2.36  describe the benefits of the program, and offer a home visit to 
  3.1   the family in the home setting; 
  3.2      (2) visit the pregnant woman or family and child in the 
  3.3   home setting at which time the public health nurse or trained 
  3.4   individual will answer parents' questions, give information, 
  3.5   including information on breast feeding, and make referrals to 
  3.6   any other appropriate services; 
  3.7      (3) conduct an assessment by a public health nurse to 
  3.8   determine if families need additional support or are at risk for 
  3.9   child abuse and neglect and provide additional home visiting 
  3.10  services needed by the families including, but not limited to, 
  3.11  education on parenting skills, secure attachment, child 
  3.12  development and stages of growth, communication skills, stress 
  3.13  management, problem-solving skills, positive child discipline 
  3.14  practices, methods to improve parent-child interactions and 
  3.15  enhance self-esteem, community support services and other 
  3.16  resources, and how to nurture and have fun with your children; 
  3.17     (4) establish clear objectives and protocols for the home 
  3.18  visits; 
  3.19     (5) determine the frequency and duration of home visits 
  3.20  based on a risk-need assessment of the family, except that home 
  3.21  visits may begin as early as the first trimester of pregnancy 
  3.22  and continue based on the need of the family until the child 
  3.23  reaches age three; 
  3.24     (6) refer and actively assist the family in accessing 
  3.25  additional services available in the community; 
  3.26     (7) develop and distribute educational resource materials 
  3.27  in appropriate locations and offer presentations on the 
  3.28  prevention of child abuse and neglect to schools, community 
  3.29  groups, and faith communities; and 
  3.30     (8) coordinate with other local home visitation programs, 
  3.31  particularly those offered by school boards under section 
  3.32  124D.13, subdivision 4, so as to avoid duplication. 
  3.33     (g) The Dakota county board may: 
  3.34     (1) operate a home visiting program independently or 
  3.35  jointly with one or more other county boards; and 
  3.36     (2) directly provide services to eligible families or 
  4.1   contract with an appropriate agency or organization to provide 
  4.2   services. 
  4.3      (h) At Dakota county's request, the commissioner of health 
  4.4   shall conduct training programs for the county.  Training must 
  4.5   include the information required in subdivision 3, paragraph 
  4.6   (b), plus: 
  4.7      (1) skills for outreach and engagement of families with 
  4.8   multiple risk factors; 
  4.9      (2) fetal development including brain development; and 
  4.10     (3) attachment theory. 
  4.11     Sec. 2.  [EVALUATION.] 
  4.12     Dakota county shall evaluate the effectiveness of the 
  4.13  program in promoting child safety and healthy development and 
  4.14  preventing child abuse and neglect, using a program evaluation 
  4.15  tool developed by the commissioner of health.  Outcomes for each 
  4.16  home visiting program must be annually reported to the 
  4.17  commissioner. 
  4.18     Sec. 3.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  4.19     $1,641,250 in fiscal year 2000 and $2,233,000 in fiscal 
  4.20  year 2001 are appropriated from the general fund to Dakota 
  4.21  county to carry out sections 1 and 2.