Sec. 17a-98a. Kinship navigator program. Annual report.
Sec. 17a-98a. Kinship navigator program. Annual report. (a) The Department
of Children and Families, in consultation with the Departments of Social Services, Mental Health and Addiction Services and Developmental Services, shall establish, within
available appropriations, a kinship navigator program. Such program shall ensure that:
(1) When the Department of Children and Families determines that it is in the best
interest of the child to be placed with a relative for foster care, the department informs
the relative regarding procedures to become licensed as a foster parent, and (2) grandparents and other relatives caring for a minor child are provided with information on the
array of state services and benefits for which they may be eligible, including the subsidy
program established pursuant to section 17a-126. The Commissioner of Children and
Families shall, within available appropriations, ensure that information on the array of
services available under the kinship navigator program is accessible through the 2-1-1
Infoline program.
(b) Not later than January 1, 2008, and annually thereafter, the Commissioner of
Children and Families shall report, in accordance with section 11-4a, on the implementation of the kinship navigator program to the joint standing committee of the General
Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services.
(P.A. 03-42, S. 1; P.A. 06-182, S. 2; P.A. 07-73, S. 2(a); 07-174, S. 2.)
History: P.A. 06-182 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and amended same to change program name from
"kinship foster care program" to "kinship navigator program", add consultative role for Departments of Social Services,
Mental Health and Addiction Services and Mental Retardation in establishment of program, and require that program
ensure grandparents and other relatives are provided with information on array of state services for which they may be
eligible and that information is accessible through 2-1-1 Infoline program, and added Subsec. (b) requiring Commissioner
of Children and Families to report annually on program to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having
cognizance of matters relating to human services; pursuant to P.A. 07-73 "Department of Mental Retardation" was changed
editorially by the Revisors to "Department of Developmental Services", effective October 1, 2007; P.A. 07-174 amended
Subsec. (a)(2) to delete "related to such persons" and change "child" to "minor child".