Child care changes (new law)

Family care providers will have to comply with new regulations, under a new law.

Sponsored by Rep. Neva Walker (DFL-Mpls) and Sen. Patricia Torres Ray (DFL-Mpls), the law removes a loophole that allows families to receive paid assistance for caring for their own children in a child care setting.

Many changes are technical and are needed to comply with federal standards.

Changes include:

• creating a Child Care Advisory Task Force to make recommendations to the Legislature on removing barriers facing families applying for and receiving child care assistance;

• requiring participants in the Minnesota Family Investment Program to maintain eligibility by developing either an employment plan or family stabilization services plan;

• counties are allowed to do a background study on all household members age 13 and older of family child care providers;

• consolidating state laws with federal laws in regard to MFIP and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families;

• modifying the Basic Sliding Fee allocation formula to distribute funds to counties for unmet family needs;

• a sworn statement from an applicant and a sworn statement from another person with knowledge of circumstances or credible evidence are added as acceptable documentation of family violence;

• a definition of adult adoption is added;

• amends statutes regarding the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children to conform to national standards;

• requiring that every child in foster care or on a trial home visit be visited by a caseworker on a monthly basis, with a majority of the visits in the child’s residence;

• requiring an administrative review of a child in voluntary foster care for treatment; and

• the commissioner of human services is to seek an amendment to state plans to provide targeted case management service to children with developmental disabilities who are in need of activities that coordinate and link social and other services designed to help them gain access to medical, social and educational services.

The law has various effective dates.

HF3376*/SF3170/CH361