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Child Caring Institutions and Group Homes
Purpose of the Bill
Click here to see the bill verbatim on "Indiana General Assembly"
The purpose of SB 169, Child caring institutions and Group Homes is a bill that attempts to improve and organize specified child caring institutions (CCI) and group homes. The bill has several parts that will better organize different things lime maintenance of personnel records, processes for medicinal administration, and requiring some CCIs and group homes to create qualifying factors for their staff.
In the year 2020, we had 1,035 children living in group homes in the state of Indiana according to the Child Welfare League of America. This would mean that 1,035 children were affected by these problems in 2022 in Indiana, and even more across the nation (CWLA, 2022)
Another issue that Senate Bill 169 will attempt to solve is the noncompliance of case load restrictions in the state of Indiana. As it stands currently, there are guidelines for caseload restrictions, though it is up to the department of child services to determine whether a caseload restriction is in or out of compliance during an audit at any CCI or group home. Currently, the rough guideline states that the case worker to child ratio should be around 1:18 (1:8 if 90% of the children in a caseload require extra supervision) according to “LCPA Guidelines for Blended and Enhanced Caseloads” published in May of 2021 and in effect as of January 1, 2022 (Holcomb & Stigdon, 2021).
Current Version of SB 169
The current version SB 169 is broken up into four parts. Each part will amend or change the current legislation in a different way. SB 169 says the following:
SB 169 requires specified types of residential care facilities to:
1) Have certain personnel policies, like minimum qualifications for staff and keeping staff records.
2) Follow specific limits on the number of children each staff member can care for.
3) Get health records, vaccinations, and medical check-ups for each child in their care.
4) Use specific procedures when giving medical care to the children, including when administering certain medications.
SB 169 also states that children aged 18-21 can be included in the definition of "child" for purposes of CHINS (Child In Need of Services), child abuse and neglect, and victim of child abuse and neglect.
These guidelines are very ideal, and would cause significant improvements in services for any children receiving them. The problem with this is that we have, for several years in a row, seen roughly 30% of the 18 districts being out of compliance for caseload restriction guidelines due to staffing issues.
The point here is simple: Child welfare cases are not going to stop happening, but we cannot deny services to children in need in order to abide by caseload restrictions.
Potential Issues in SB 169
It is very important to think about potential issues, or gaps in a bill when you are researching. There are many great aspects of SB 169, there is one slight issue that the bill does not take into account.
SB 169 requires specified CCIs and group homes to follow caseload restriction guidelines, meaning that each caseworker will follow the guidelines below:
Now What?
As of 13 March 2024, Senate Bill 169 has been signed into public law by the senate. It is very important now to look at the implications of this law.
As discussed prior, this law will directly affect children living in child caring institutions and group homes alongside the staff who work in these facilities. Those who are in charge at a child caring institution or group homes will be required to build out and implement a range of qualifications for different employee classifications. It will also require these facilities to obtain any and all medical records of the children who are admitted to the facility and follow specified healthcare administration processes for all residents in their facility. Additionally, this new law will require child caring facilities and group homes to service those between 18 and 21.
Problematically, this bill also forces child caring institutions and group homes to comply with new caseload restrictions. The caseload restrictions are as follows:
Max caseload ratio = 1:18
Children requiring enhanced supervision ratios = between 1:8 and 1:12 (No more than 1:15)
Casework Supervisor to caseworker rations = between 1:5 and 1:8
There is currently no information regarding the process for turned-away children in the event a facility is currently at "max capacity" meaning all caseworker to child ratios are capped out.
For more information and resources about how you can get involved with public law, visit the link below!
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