Safe Babies Act of 2007

Bill: 110-s-627
Sponsor: Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA]
Introduced: 2007-02-15 in the Senate
Policy area: Families
Subjects: Case management
Child abuse
Child development
Child sexual abuse
Child welfare
Congressional reporting requirements
Crime and Law Enforcement
Data banks
Drug abuse
Drug abuse treatment
Economics and Public Finance
Evaluation research (Social action programs)
Family services
Foster home care
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Grants-in-aid
Health
Infants
Judges
Labor and Employment
Law
Mental health services
Nonprofit organizations
Parent and child
Psychotherapy
Science, Technology, Communications
Social Welfare

Summary:
action_date: 2007-02-15
text: 
Safe Babies Act of 2007 - Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to require the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to award a grant to a national early childhood development organization to establish a National Court Teams Resource Center to: (1) promote the well-being of maltreated infants and toddlers and their families; (2) help prevent the recurrence of abuse and neglect of children; (3) promote timely reunification of families or other successful permanency outcomes for maltreated infants and toddlers in foster care; and (4) select, and provide assistance to, local Court Teams created to achieve those goals.

Sets forth organization selection criteria and application requirements, including assurance that at least one qualified judge will serve as Judicial Leader of each Court Team receiving assistance.

Requires the Center to: (1) develop materials to guide judges in the decision-making process regarding, and to train Court Teams in the appropriate care for, maltreated infants and toddlers; (2) develop a database to track the progress of and to evaluate such Teams; and (3) provide information to communities and courts seeking to adopt the Court Teams approach.
 
Requires Center assistance to each Team to include: (1) direction, coordination, oversight, training, and technical assistance; and (2) providing a Local Community Coordinator to serve as a resource of child development expertise.

action_date: 2007-03-26
text: 

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Safe Babies Act of 2007 - Amends the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to require the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to award a grant to a national early childhood development organization to establish a National Court Teams Resource Center to: (1) promote the well-being of maltreated infants and toddlers and their families; (2) help prevent the recurrence of abuse and neglect of children; (3) promote timely reunification of families or other successful permanency outcomes for maltreated infants and toddlers in foster care; and (4) select, and provide assistance to, local Court Teams created to achieve those goals.

Sets forth organization selection criteria and application requirements, including assurance that at least one qualified judge will serve as Judicial Leader of each Court Team receiving assistance.

Requires the Center to: (1) develop materials to guide judges in the decision-making process regarding, and to train Court Teams in the appropriate care for, maltreated infants and toddlers; (2) develop a database to track the progress of and to evaluate such Teams; and (3) provide information to communities and courts seeking to adopt the Court Teams approach.

Requires Center assistance to each Team to include: (1) direction, coordination, oversight, training, and technical assistance; and (2) providing a Local Community Coordinator to serve as a resource of child development expertise.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-03-26
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 88.
action_date: 2007-03-26
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Leahy without amendment. Without written report.
action_date: 2007-03-26
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Leahy without amendment. Without written report.
action_date: 2007-03-15
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
action_date: 2007-02-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2007-02-15
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2076-2077)
action_date: 2007-02-15
text: Introduced in Senate