HOUSE BILL NO. 5444
February 04, 2020, Introduced by Reps. Liberati, Brixie, Ellison, Lasinski, Love, Sabo, Cynthia Johnson, Haadsma, Coleman, Sneller, Manoogian, Yancey, Stone, Hood, Sowerby, Kuppa, Gay-Dagnogo, Bolden, Wittenberg, Kennedy, Chirkun, Hope, O'Malley, Webber, Garrett, Garza, Clemente, Hammoud, Shannon, Pohutsky, Rendon, Vaupel, Wozniak, Calley and Kahle and referred to the Committee on Families, Children, and Seniors.
the people of the state of michigan enact:
Sec. 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "kinship caregiver navigator act".
Sec. 2. As used in this act:
(a) "Advisory council" means "council" as that term is defined in the kinship caregiver advisory council act.
(b) "Department", "kinship caregiver", "kinship family", and "relative" mean those terms as defined in the kinship caregiver advisory council act.
(c) "Navigator" means an individual, knowledgeable about the social and child welfare system, who is hired by the navigator services provider to provide support services to kinship caregivers.
(d) "Navigator program" means the kinship caregiver navigator program established in section 3.
(e) "Navigator services provider" or "provider" means the entity with whom the department contracts under section 3 to provide navigator services to kinship caregivers.
Sec. 3. (1) The department shall establish and maintain the kinship caregiver navigator program.
(2) Before participating in the navigator program, the department must submit to the United States Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Children, Youth and Families an attachment to the state title IV-E plan. The attachment must include, at a minimum, all of the following:
(a) The kinship navigator model the department shall utilize to create the program. The department must provide an assurance that this model meets the requirements of federal law.
(b) The date the navigator program began or will begin.
(c) Information describing the navigator program target population and service area.
(d) Information on how the department will implement the navigator program.
(3) The department shall enter into a contract with a third party to provide navigator services to kinship caregivers.
(4) In addition to providing navigator services, the navigator services provider shall establish a website regarding local support groups, resources, and services for kinship caregivers. The website must provide, at a minimum, information on the following:
(a) Outreach.
(b) Educational information.
(c) Training materials.
(d) Financial assistance.
(e) Legal services, including, but not limited to, pro bono and low bono legal aid providers, forms needed to file a petition in court, guides to kinship care legal issues, and any other information the provider considers necessary.
(f) Health care, mental health, and substance use disorder services.
(g) Child and respite care.
(h) Support groups.
(i) Parenting tips.
(j) Resources for caring for children with special needs.
(5) The navigator services provider shall establish and maintain a single statewide toll-free telephone number for kinship caregivers to call for information or services.
Sec. 4. The navigator services provider shall do all of the following:
(a) Consult with the advisory council on the design and continuation of the navigator program.
(b) Consult with the advisory council on developing outreach and educational material to provide to kinship families.
(c) Promote partnerships between public and private agencies to increase knowledge of the needs of kinship families and to increase responsiveness to those needs. This includes working with other navigation systems for foster care and adoption, as well as for general information and referral systems.
(d) Develop training material for navigators that is based on industry best practices.
(e) Share aggregate data with the advisory council regarding who is being served under the navigator program and what services are being provided. The provider shall not share information on individual identification under this subdivision.
Sec. 5. The navigator program shall do all of the following:
(a) Assist kinship caregivers in learning about, finding, and using programs and services to meet the needs of the children they are raising.
(b) Work with state, local, and nonprofit agencies that promote service coordination or provide information and referral services.
(c) Establish information and referral systems that link, by toll-free access, kinship caregivers, kinship support group facilitators, and kinship caregiver service providers to each other. This information and referral systems shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
(i) Eligibility and enrollment information.
(ii) Relevant training to assist kinship caregivers in caregiving.
(iii) Connections to legal aid and assistance providers.
(d) Comply with all federal regulations and statutes, including the provisions of 42 USC 627 and 671, to qualify for reimbursement of 50% of the costs for the kinship caregiver navigator program.
Sec. 6. The navigator services provider may do all of the following:
(a) Identify and maintain relationships with the State Bar of Michigan, law school clinics, and other nonprofit legal services agencies. These relationships shall facilitate developing a county or regional pro bono or low bono legal representation referral program.
(b) Develop and maintain training materials and training programs designed to educate pro bono, low bono, or both, attorneys on how to provide legal advice, assistance, and representation specific to kinship caregivers.
(c) Apply for and accept grants from other public or private entities to develop legal services initiatives.
Sec. 7. (1) The kinship caregiver navigator fund is created within the state treasury.
(2) The state treasurer may receive money or other assets from any source for deposit into the fund. The state treasurer shall direct the investment of the fund. The state treasurer shall credit to the fund interest and earnings from fund investments.
(3) Money in the fund at the close of the fiscal year shall remain in the fund and shall not lapse to the general fund.
(4) The department's children's services agency shall be the administrator of the fund for auditing purposes.
(5) The department's children's services agency shall expend money from the fund, upon appropriation, only for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act.
Enacting section 1. This act takes effect October 1, 2020.
Enacting section 2. This act does not take effect unless Senate Bill No.____ or House Bill No. 5443 (request no. 03728'19 *) of the 100th Legislature is enacted into law.