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MINUTES OF THE
CHILD WELFARE LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT PANEL
Tuesday,
July 9, 2024
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9:00 a.m.
•
450 State Capitol
Members Present:
Rep. Christine F. Watkins, Chair
Sen. Luz Escamilla
Rep. Cheryl K. Acton
Rep. Sandra Hollins
| Members Absent:
Sen. John D. Johnson, Chair
Staff Present:
Lisa Sorensen, Policy Analyst
Alan Houston, Associate General Counsel
Tracey Fredman, Administrative Assistant
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Note: A copy of related materials and an audio recording of the meeting can be found at www.le.utah.gov.
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| Chair Watkins called the meeting to order at 9:19 a.m. |
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| Lisa Sorensen provided a brief overview of the purpose of closed meetings. |
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| 2.Education Needs of Children in Foster Care |
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| Tonya Myrup, Director, Division of Child and Family Services, discussed the efforts and progress being made to improve outcomes and meet the educational needs of children in foster care and responded to panel members' questions. |
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| Julia Armstrong, Education Specialist, State Board of Education, clarified certain data discussed in the November 2023 meeting. She also discussed a mentoring system that has shown positive results and updates to the process for the transfer of student information. |
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| Public comment was heard from Kevin Franke, citizen, who discussed and requested consideration of changing child welfare laws and standards for professional licensing in Utah for the purpose of improving the protection of children. |
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| Panel discussion followed during which Tonya Myrup responded to questions about the division's current policies when responding to allegations of child abuse in a home. |
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| 3.Individual Child Welfare Cases |
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| MOTION:Rep. Acton moved to close the meeting to consider individual welfare cases.The motion
passed
with a vote of
4-0-1.
|
|
| Yeas -
4 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
1 | |
Rep. C. Acton
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. S. Hollins
Rep. C. Watkins
| | Sen. J. Johnson
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| Chair Watkins signed an affidavit stating the purpose of the closed portion of the meeting was to consider individual welfare cases. |
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| The meeting was reopened to the public. |
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| MOTION:Sen. Escamilla moved to approve the minutes of the November 20, 2023, meeting.The motion
passed
with a vote of
4-0-1.
|
|
| Yeas -
4 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
1 | |
Rep. C. Acton
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. S. Hollins
Rep. C. Watkins
| | Sen. J. Johnson
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| Kevin Franke, citizen, asked about the extent of authority the Division of Child and Family Services has to act when investigating a potential situation of child abuse. |
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| Tonya Myrup responded to the question. |
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| MOTION:Sen. Escamilla moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion
passed
with a vote of
4-0-1.
|
|
| Yeas -
4 | Nays-
0 | Abs-
1 | |
Rep. C. Acton
Sen. L. Escamilla
Rep. S. Hollins
Rep. C. Watkins
| | Sen. J. Johnson
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| Chair Watkins adjourned the meeting at 11:24 a.m. |
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