Bill Summary: SF2240

• Modifies the Northstar Care for Children program by changing terminology from "guardianship assistance" to "Northstar kinship assistance" and updating eligibility requirements for kinship placements and adoption assistance.

• Expands background study requirements for child foster care, kinship custody transfers, and adoptions to include multi-state criminal history checks and child abuse/neglect registry reviews for the past five years.

• Allows prospective adoptive parents and relatives seeking custody who hold current child foster care licenses to use existing background studies completed after July 1, 2007, instead of requiring new studies if certain conditions are met.

• Streamlines permanency planning procedures by requiring kinship placement agreements documenting agency determinations before court finalization of permanent legal and physical custody transfers to relatives.

• Removes the "special at-risk monthly payment" provision and establishes that at-risk children receiving adoption assistance receive no payment unless a qualified expert documents that the potential disability has manifested.