Bill Text: HI SCR169 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requesting The Auditor To Conduct A Program Audit Of The State's Child Protective Services System.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-1)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-14 - Referred to HHS, JDC. [SCR169 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2024-SCR169-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	169
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the auditor to conduct a program audit of the state's child protective services system.

 

 

     WHEREAS, ensuring the wellbeing, safety, and stability of Hawaii's children and families is a top priority for the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, numerous state and county agencies are involved in the State's child protective services system, including the Department of Human Services, Department of the Attorney General, Judiciary, and county police departments; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Human Services' most recent report on child abuse and neglect, published in 2021, found that more than ten thousand cases of child abuse were reported in the State between 2017 and 2021; and

 

     WHEREAS, recent high-profile cases of child abuse and child murder in Hawaii have suggested that the victims were failed by the State's child protective services system; and

 

     WHEREAS, a comprehensive assessment is needed to determine how the State's child protective services system can be improved; and

 

WHEREAS, Article VII, Section 10 of the Hawaii State Constitution and section 23-4, Hawaii Revised Statutes, task the Auditor with carrying out program and performance audits of government agencies; and

 

WHEREAS, the Auditor has carried out previous performance audits and follow-up audits of the State's child protective services and child welfare services systems; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Auditor is requested to conduct a program audit of the State's child protective services system, including child protection roles in the Department of the Attorney General, Department of Human Services, family courts, and county police departments; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, for purposes of the audit, the Auditor is requested to consult with the National Conference of State Legislatures Child Protection Reform Project, National Resource Center of Child Maltreatment, or other national entities with child welfare expertise; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is also requested to consult with parents, foster parents, healthcare providers, educators, and other stakeholders; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the audit is requested to address:

 

     (1)  Whether effective communication exists among the various agencies involved in child protective services;

      

     (2)  Whether agency staff receive adequate training on identifying child abuse and neglect;

 

     (3)  Whether each agency has a manageable caseload;

 

     (4)  The adequacy of each agency's child protection resources; and

 

     (5)  The effectiveness and efficiency of decision-making processes in the child protective services system, including decisions related to:

 

          (A)  Screening;

 

          (B)  Case selection;

 

          (C)  Child safety, including methods to keep a maltreated child safe and the conditions under which the child should be placed outside the home;

 

          (D)  Reunification of the child and family; and

 

          (E)  The termination of child protective services involvement; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the audit is requested to include a review of recent cases of recurring child abuse and neglect; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to provide specific recommendations to guide any necessary reforms to the State's child protective services system; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to submit all findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2025; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor, Attorney General, Director of Human Services, Administrative Directors of the First through Fifth Circuit Courts, and Chief of each county police department.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Auditor; Audit; Child Protective Services; Child Abuse; Child Neglect