SAFE bill

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Title I: Requiring Consideration of the Health and Safety of

a Child in Foster Care and Adoption Placements

Title II: Enhancing Public Agency and Community

Accountability for the Health and Safety of Children

Title III: Incentives for Providing Permanent Families for

Children

Title IV: Promotion of Innovation in Ensuring Safe and

Permanent Families

Title V: Miscellaneous

Safe Adoptions and Family Environments Act - Title I: Requiring Consideration of the Health and Safety of a Child in Foster Care and Adoption Placements - Amends the Social Security Act to include a child's safety among the requisite features of a State plan for child welfare services addressing foster care and adoption placements.

(Sec. 102) States that to be eligible for Federal payments a State shall enact and enforce laws that specify cases in which: (1) the State is not required to make efforts at reunification of the child with its parents because of circumstances that endanger the child's health or safety; and (2) there are grounds for expedited termination of parental rights without prior reunification attempts due to such circumstances.

(Sec. 104) Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a Federal child death review team, and States to establish their own State child death review teams, meeting specified criteria, in order to remain eligible for Federal funds.

Title II: Enhancing Public Agency and Community Accountability for the Health and Safety of Children - Directs the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Administration for Children, Youth and Families and the Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, to disseminate to State child welfare agencies and substance abuse prevention and treatment agencies an inventory of all Federal programs that may provide funds for substance abuse prevention and treatment services for families receiving services from public child welfare agencies.

Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Social Security Act to condition Federal grant eligibility upon a report by State substance abuse prevention and treatment agencies and State child welfare agencies to the Secretary on their joint conduct of prevention and treatment services for their clientele. Requires the Secretary to report to certain congressional committees on their programs.

(Sec. 203) Amends the Social Security Act to authorize foster care maintenance payments for children placed with a parent in certain residential treatment programs.

(Sec. 204) Modifies the guidelines governing Federal reimbursement of State staff training expenditures.

(Sec. 205) Requires State plans for foster care and adoption assistance to: (1) provide procedures for criminal records checks for any prospective foster parent, adoptive parent, or for any employee of a child-care institution; and (2) develop and implement State guidelines to ensure safe, quality care for children residing in out-of-home care settings.

Title III: Incentives for Providing Permanent Families for Children - Mandates that State plans for foster care and adoption assistance include: (1) requirement of reasonable efforts to place the child in a permanent home in a timely manner; and (2) documentation of such efforts within the case plan and case review system. Mandates permanency planning hearings.

(Sec. 303) Redraws the eligibility guidelines governing children with special needs.

(Sec. 304) Includes within permissible foster care maintenance payments reimbursement to the State for reunification services.

(Sec. 305) Directs the Secretary to appoint an advisory panel to study and report on specified interjurisdictional adoption issues.

Title IV: Promotion of Innovation in Ensuring Safe and Permanent Families - Sets forth procedural guidelines for innovation grants awards to reduce the backlogs of children awaiting adoption or long-term foster care.

(Sec. 602) Increases from 10 to 15 the authorized number of State child protection demonstration projects.

Title V: Miscellaneous - Sets forth the effective dates of this Act.