Strengthening the Child Welfare Response to Human Trafficking Act of 2011

Bill: 112-hr-2730
Sponsor: Rep. Bass, Karen [D-CA-33]
Introduced: 2011-08-01 in the House
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Adoption and foster care
Child care and development
Child safety and welfare
Crime prevention
Crime victims
Crimes against children
Criminal justice information and records
Department of Health and Human Services
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Human trafficking
Intergovernmental relations
Licensing and registrations
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2011-08-01
text: 
Strengthening the Child Welfare Response to Human Trafficking Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop guidelines for use by state child welfare agencies in training appropriate child welfare employees and court employees in identifying, documenting, educating, and counseling children at risk of becoming victims of trafficking or who are human trafficking victims who may need to be in the care of the child welfare system.
 
Requires the Secretary to develop guidelines that contain recommendations on how state child welfare agencies may prevent children from becoming victims of trafficking, including advice on how state and local law enforcement agencies may collaborate proactively with nonprofit organizations on how to manage cases involving a child who is such a victim. 
 
Requires the Secretary to draft recommendations for state child welfare agencies on how to best update licensing requirements for childcare institutions so that specialized, long-term residential facilities or safe havens serving children who are human trafficking victims can quality as childcare institutions under part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act.
 
Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require state part E plans to include components that provides that: (1) the records of the agency classify each child to whom the agency is providing child welfare services and whom the agency has identified as being a victim of trafficking, and specify the reasons why the child is so classified; (2) each report submitted by the agency to the data collection system includes information on each child so classified; and (3) the agency shall report immediately to the appropriate law enforcement agencies for entry into the National Crime Information Center database the identity of each missing or abducted child to whom the agency is providing child welfare services.
 
Includes as part of the case plan for a child classified as a victim of trafficking documentation of the measures taken to ensure the child's safety and of specifically designed services the child is receiving. 
 
Extends to age 21 any services for trafficked youth under the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program.
 
Requires state part E plans to describe the practices and future plans of the state child welfare agency regarding the human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of foreign, U.S. citizen, and legal resident children.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-08-05
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Human Resources.
action_date: 2011-08-01
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
action_date: 2011-08-01
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-08-01
text: Introduced in House