child welfare; DES
responsibilities
SB 1080 allows the Department of Economic Security to expand the voluntary placement of children to out-of-home placements in accordance with statute.
Currently, DES provides for the voluntary placement of children in foster family homes. Typically DES has utilized foster family settings as the most conducive to the needs of the child in a voluntary placement situation, however some instances have required alternative environments to best accommodate the needs of the child. On average, DES has approximately twenty children in a voluntary placement situation that requires an environment other than a foster family home. Current statute does not allow DES to provide out-of-home placement alternatives unless a dependency petition is filed.