2013 Interim Study Committee Update – 10/4/13

The following is a brief summary of the meetings as of 10/4/2013:

Commission on Improving the Status of Children

The Commission’s next meeting is on October 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and is open to public.  It will be held in the Indiana Government Center South, Conference Rooms 1 & 2.  Proposed agenda items include:

·         Crafting the mission and vision statements

·         Setting priorities for topics to be studied

·         Assessing access and availability of services to vulnerable youth

·         Infant and child mortality

·         Legislative assignments to the committee

o   Due process for child care providers

o   Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

·         Child Services Oversight Committee

Commission on Education

The Commission on Education met on September 13.  Topics included coaching education standards for football coaches concerning concussions and teacher preparation programs.  The next meeting is scheduled for October 8 at 1:00 p.m. in the Senate Chambers. (As of 10/4, the meeting agenda has not been posted on the committee’s webpage)

Committee on Child Care

The Committee on Child Care met on October 1 and reviewed several preliminary drafts of legislation.  Below is a summary:

·         PD 3088 - Specifies training requirements that must be met by a childcare provider as a condition of eligibility to receive a Federal Child Care and Development Fund voucher payment:

• At least 1 adult must maintain CPR Certification
• First aid certification for staff
• Staff training for child abuse detection and prevention for all employees
• 12 hours of continuing education credits

·         PD 3089 - Division shall establish a child care advisory committee for each of the following categories of child care:

• Child care for homes
• Child care centers
• Child care ministries

·         PD 3091 - Staffing ratios for Federal Child Care voucher eligibility

• Provider shall ensure that a child in the providers care is continually supervised by a caregiver
• If children less than 12 months old are being cared for- complete training course on safe sleep practice and ensure caregivers follow protocol

·         PD 3092 - Applies group size requirements that apply to licensed child care homes and centers to child care providers that receive federal child care and development fund voucher payments

• Complete safe sleep training for children 12 months old and under
• Caregiver to child ratio similar to PD 3091

·         PD 3093 - Requires a child care provider to implement a developmentally appropriate education curriculum based on the Department of Education’s early learning guidelines as a condition of eligibility for Federal Child Care and Development Fund voucher payments

·         PD 3094 - Requires criminal history background checks for all volunteers for a school corporation

·         PD 3095 - Annual appropriations shall be made to pay for all mandated criminal background checks required under state childcare law

·         PD 3123 - Determines licensed status as the only eligibility factor for the federal child care and development fund voucher program

·         PD 3124 - Specifies requirements for federal voucher program, including, staffing, training, facilities, fire safety, and discipline

·         PD 3125 - Specifies more requirements for federal voucher eligibility including training and orientation, staff to child ratios, and requires reports in cases where children are injured or die in the facility

·         PD 3143 - Specifies requirements for voucher eligibility, including the previous training, orientation, and staff ratios, also allows for decertification under certain situations

The next meeting is scheduled for October 15 at 1:00 p.m. in room 431.  The committee will vote on the preliminary drafts.

Child Services Oversight Committee

The next meeting is October 23 at 1:00 p.m. in the Senate Chambers.

Commission on Mental Health and Addiction

The Commission on Mental Health and Addiction met on September 9 and heard testimony on the use of methadone and opioids in treatment programs and clinic settings.  The next meeting is scheduled for October 21 at 1:00 p.m.

School Safety Interim Study Committee

The School Safety Interim Study Committee met on September 24.  Testimony was heard on the use of police officers in schools, technology available to schools to protect the physical building, the importance of training on safety for all staff working in a school and how teachers should not be armed when in the classroom.  The committee voted 11-1 to accept the final report, which did not include any preliminary draft legislation.

Central Indiana Transit Study Committee

The Central Indiana Transit Study Committee met on October 3 and heard testimony from both supporters and those who oppose.  For a look at the issue of transportation, visit MCCOY’s blog post by Sara Ferriell, MSW public policy intern, at http://mccoyouth.blogspot.com/.  The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for October 31 at 9:00 a.m. in room 431.

For more information about the committees, visit the General Assembly’s website: http://www.in.gov/legislative/interim/committee/index.html

Central Indiana Transit- Let’s go places!

 Mass transit is a hot button issue these days in central Indiana. Several groups, such as Indy Connect and the Central Indiana Regional Transportation Authority (CIRTA) have been in the planning stages of increasing ease of access in central Indiana. The stumbling block occurs, however, when funding is examined. As you can imagine, changing mass transit is expensive. Building roads and rail systems are pricey, as are the buying and upkeep of buses and services. At the Transit Interim Study Committee meeting on September 10^th, Senator Waltz proposed his plan for central Indiana mass transit, which would include road projects to justify the expense to tax payers who would not normally use mass transit, a reform of IndyGo, and bus rapid transit (BRT) lines. These BRT lines are being used in cities like Cleveland. For more information about their transit model, click here.

It is hard to tell if legislation will be proposed for this coming legislative session, so for the time being, let’s examine the current state of central Indiana transit. 

Click here to learn more about IndyGo’s current services. This includes fixed routes and Open Door services, which provide greater accessibility for individuals with disabilities.

Click here to learn more about CIRTA. 

This organization is working on providing transportation options to counties outside of Indianapolis.

For more information and the plans from Indy Connect, click here.

Indy Connect holds public forums and meetings and IndyGo often has public meetings to discuss changes and upcoming events. Transit and access to transportation can have a wide variety of impacts on individuals and families in central Indiana. This can coordinate with employment, retaining employment, access to healthy foods, and even access to services such as healthcare and social services. For youth, these impacts can even be compounded. 

You can follow all of these groups on Twitter and Facebook, in addition to visiting their websites.

The next study committee hearings are on October 3^rd, and October 31^st at 9am in room 431 at the Statehouse. This is accessible via all IndyGo downtown routes, including 2,3,10,38,&39. 

Colocation of Services Can Improve the Lives of Indiana's Children

On August 21, 2013 I had the privilege to attend the Commission on Improving the Status of Children. The different agencies that attended presented what they saw as major issues for children in Indiana. One issue that came up repeatedly was communication between social services agencies in Indiana, and how that lack of communication can create service barriers for Indiana’s youth. This is an issue that I have seen come up before, despite my relatively short time working in social services.

            Lack of communication between agencies can create serious service barriers to consumers. It is something that can affect delivery of services for people of all ages, not just youth. Overall it can have a debilitating effect on the morale of the consumer base that you are trying to serve. It can also interrupt other vital services. My previous practicum experience was working with military veterans coming out of homelessness. The number of appointments that those clients had per day could almost reach double digits. When combined with the fact that many of these agencies are located in different parts of the city and many clients rely on public transport, the situation becomes one of deciding which appointment is the most important, because that is the only one they can make. These were single adults, if you factor in having children who also require services; it becomes practically impossible to reach all of these appointments.

            MCCOY’s advocacy for co-location of services is something that made me excited to be an intern here. A step like co-location, even though it may seem basic, can greatly improve the level and efficiency of service to consumers, which will in turn help improve their quality of life as well. I am looking forward to the opportunities that this practicum will bring.

            You can find more information about MCCOY’s advocacy for colocation of services on their advocacy page here.