A House panel Tuesday approved a proposal aimed at tightening the sweeping reforms that lawmakers placed into Florida's child-welfare system last year.
The House Children, Families and Seniors Subcommittee unanimously approved a bill (PCB FCSS 15-02) that would tweak the new law, which passed after a series of child deaths due to abuse and neglect.
For instance, last year's measure created what are known as Critical Incident Rapid Response Teams. The teams are deployed by the secretary of the Department of Children and Families to quickly investigate child deaths in which there have been verified reports of maltreatment during the past year. Now, the subcommittee's bill would allow the teams to participate in open child-abuse investigations as well.
Additionally, the bill spells out that child protective services must be "trauma informed" --- that is, based on the idea that children can be rehabilitated by addressing the painful experiences they’ve endured, such as family violence or addicted parents.
[For more of this story, written by Margie Menzel, go to http://health.wusf.usf.edu/pos...d-protection-reforms]
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