SB80 Summary

• Requires the Department of Human Resources to conduct a diligent search when seeking relatives or other individuals to serve as caregivers for children found dependent by juvenile courts, including interviews with the child and relatives, records searches, and inquiries regarding criminal history, employment, and residence.

• Mandates juvenile courts grant permanent custody to current caregivers if a dependent child has lived with them for at least 12 months and removal would be detrimental to the child's emotional well-being.

• Establishes requirements for notifying identified relatives about child removal, their participation options, foster family home processes, and available financial assistance.

• Authorizes kinship guardian and successor guardian appointments with specified qualification requirements, rights, responsibilities, and procedures for revocation or modification.

• Provides foster care caregivers authority to allow children to participate in age-appropriate activities using a reasonable and prudent parent standard, with immunity from civil liability for decisions made in good faith.