HB3261 Summary

• Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to implement a mandatory differential response program that determines whether to conduct a family assessment or investigation upon receiving child abuse or neglect reports.

• Makes reports not involving physical or sexual abuse eligible for family assessment track, specifically those alleging only inadequate supervision or injurious environment conditions, with no exclusion based on prior family history.

• Mandates the Department offer families in assessments in-home Intact Family Services (counseling, substance abuse treatment, mental health services, housing) plus Norman Emergency Cash Assistance and Housing Locator Services when applicable; families may decline services and cases close unless Department finds cause for investigation.

• Establishes that family assessments must be completed within 45 days (extendable to 60 days) and outcomes documented but not reported to the central register of abuse and neglect.

• Creates a direct cash assistance program under the Department of Human Services providing at least $1,100 monthly for up to 2 years to youth ages 18-23 experiencing or at-risk of homelessness, with cash assistance excluded from income calculations for public aid eligibility.