This year, Children Come First succeeded in passing S.1172, otherwise know as the Early Permanency and Adoption Bill.

To see the full bill go to:   http://www.scstatehouse.gov/sess118_2009-2010/prever/1172_20100421.htm

Or read a summary of the bill’s objectives:

Early Permanence to Reduce the Time Children Spend in Foster Care:

This legislation would move children in foster care into permanent homes more quickly in cases where:

1.   child(ren) have entered foster care because of aggravated circumstances such as torture, abandonment, sexual abuse, and other forms of severe abuse and neglect, or

2.   parent(s) have not demonstrated due diligence in completing their treatment objectives within the 12-month time frame already mandated by state and federal law.

Current state and federal law allows DSS to forego efforts to reunify children with abusive or neglectful parents in extreme cases, but that does not always happen.  Existing law could be strengthened by:

·     allowing other parties to bring a motion before the court to address the aggravated circumstances;

·     adding “diagnosable condition” to aggravated circumstances; and

·     requiring specific findings if the court does not allow DSS to forego reunification efforts.

The proposed changes would bring focus, accountability and checks and balances to the way extreme cases of abuse and neglect are handled.

Other proposed changes would simplify treatment plans and require a parent to demonstrate due diligence and an effort to complete the plan within a year of his/her child(ren) entering care if the expectation is to have the child(ren) returned home within 18 months of entry into care.

II.            Protections for Children and Adoptive Parents

1. The bill would prohibit non-licensed entities from advertising adoption services in South Carolina.

Currently, any person or entity may solicit adoptive parents and/or prospective birth mothers for placing children outside the state of South Carolina without being licensed in South Carolina or in any other state.