SB 1473 Summary

• Requires the department to use due diligence within 30 days of taking a child into temporary custody to identify and notify adult relatives and persons with significant relationships with the child.

• Adds "best interests of the child" as the primary standard for kinship foster care placement decisions, replacing language that promoted placement with relatives.

• Establishes new notice requirement that the department must provide written notice at least 15 days before disposition hearing if it intends to present evidence of aggravating circumstances.

• Modifies disposition hearing options to prioritize placement with extended family members, including persons with significant relationships, as second option after parents.

• Adds new grounds for skipping reunification services when an infant under six months was exposed to dangerous drugs and the parent has chronic substance abuse history unlikely to improve, based on licensed health care provider assessment.