1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to foster care; adding requirements for 
  1.3             foster care agencies and foster care providers related 
  1.4             to children who rely on medical equipment to sustain 
  1.5             life or monitor a medical condition; proposing coding 
  1.6             for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 245A. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  [245A.155] [REQUIREMENTS FOR FOSTER CARE 
  1.9   AGENCIES AND FOSTER PARENTS RELATED TO CHILDREN WHO RELY ON 
  1.10  MEDICAL EQUIPMENT TO SUSTAIN LIFE OR MONITOR A MEDICAL 
  1.11  CONDITION.] 
  1.12     Subdivision 1.  [LICENSED FOSTER CARE AND RESPITE 
  1.13  CARE.] This section applies to foster care agencies and licensed 
  1.14  foster care providers who place, supervise, or care for children 
  1.15  who rely on medical monitoring equipment to sustain life or 
  1.16  monitor a medical condition in respite care or foster care. 
  1.17     Subd. 2.  [FOSTER CARE AGENCY REQUIREMENTS.] In order for 
  1.18  an agency to place a child who relies on medical equipment to 
  1.19  sustain life or monitor a medical condition with a foster care 
  1.20  provider, the agency must ensure that the foster care provider 
  1.21  can competently operate such equipment as observed and confirmed 
  1.22  by a qualified source, and that the provider: 
  1.23     (1) is currently caring for a child who is using the same 
  1.24  equipment in the foster home; 
  1.25     (2) has written documentation that the foster care provider 
  1.26  has cared for a child who relied on such equipment within the 
  2.1   past six months; or 
  2.2      (3) has successfully completed training or a refresher 
  2.3   course on the use of such equipment within the past 12 months. 
  2.4      For purposes of this section, a "qualified source" includes 
  2.5   a health care professional or an individual who provides 
  2.6   training on such equipment. 
  2.7      Subd. 3.  [FOSTER CARE PROVIDER REQUIREMENTS.] A foster 
  2.8   care provider shall not care for a child who relies on medical 
  2.9   equipment to sustain life or monitor a medical condition unless 
  2.10  the provider can competently operate such equipment as observed 
  2.11  and confirmed by a qualified source, and:  
  2.12     (1) is currently caring for a child who is using the same 
  2.13  equipment in the foster home; 
  2.14     (2) has written documentation that the foster care provider 
  2.15  has cared for a child who relied on such equipment within the 
  2.16  past six months; or 
  2.17     (3) has successfully completed training or a refresher 
  2.18  course on the use of such equipment within the past 12 months. 
  2.19     For purposes of this section, a "qualified source" includes 
  2.20  a health care professional or an individual who provides 
  2.21  training on such equipment. 
  2.22     Subd. 4.  [FOSTER CARE PROVIDER TRAINING AND SKILLS FORM.] 
  2.23  The agency placing the child and the agency supervising the 
  2.24  foster care provider shall keep a training and skills form on 
  2.25  file for each foster care provider and update the form annually 
  2.26  in order to competently and properly place a child who relies on 
  2.27  medical equipment to sustain life or monitor a medical 
  2.28  condition.  The form shall provide a comprehensive list of the 
  2.29  potential foster care provider's medical training, equipment 
  2.30  training, and certifications, or the like, and also where and 
  2.31  when the training or certifications were received.  The form 
  2.32  shall be made available to the parents of the child in order for 
  2.33  the parents to make an informed placement decision for their 
  2.34  child.  
  2.35     Sec. 2.  [TRAINING AND SKILLS FORM.] 
  2.36     The commissioner of human services shall create a training 
  3.1   and skills form for foster care agencies that place foster 
  3.2   children and supervise foster care providers.  The form must 
  3.3   allow for a comprehensive list of all the medical training and 
  3.4   training on medical equipment that a foster care provider has 
  3.5   completed, and when and where the training was completed.