HB 879 Summary

• Clarifies the purpose of Hawaii's child protective act to prioritize the safety, health, and physical, mental, and emotional well-being of children who have been harmed or are threatened with harm.

• Grants grandparents certain visitation rights with children in foster care if denial of reasonable visitation would cause significant harm to the child.

• Expands safe family home factors to include evaluations or assessments by domestic violence service providers with specialized training in treating effects of abuse.

• Requires foster placement preference to be given to approved relatives when in the best interest of the child.

• Establishes that the Department of Human Services must provide written responses to complainants within 45 days of completing child abuse or neglect investigations, while maintaining confidentiality as required by federal law.