Policy Newsletter of Children's Trust of South Carolina

Policy News and Information for South Carolina's Children

Policy Post

May 15, 2018

Legislative Session Is Not Quite a Wrap

Lawmakers Will Return to Address Unfinished Business

South Carolina state legislators adjourned the second regular session of the 122nd General Assembly May 10.

However, their work is not done. They will return briefly, but only to deal with final details of bills already in the pipeline. This end of the legislative session for the year, with narrowly defined return dates for specific work, is termed Adjournment sine die , meaning "without assigning a day for a further meeting or hearing" and pursuant in this case to the provisions of H.5383 .

Legislators will return May 23-24 to pass H.4950 , the state’s $8.2 billion budget, as well as bills involving two nuclear plants no longer being built at the V.C. Summer site and those bills already sent to conference committees. If work still remains or lawmakers need to deal with potential vetoes by Gov. Henry McMaster, they will come back June 27-28.

Last Call on Bills to Watch

S.1033 defined torture, specifying torture as grounds for termination of parental rights and blocking family reunification efforts by DSS in instances of torture. It attempted to align the legal definition of torture with the medical description but prevent a prohibitively high burden of proof for prosecutors. Debate was adjourned in the House May 9, and the bill was not taken up before the end of the session.

S.170 requires county coroners to schedule a local child fatality review team every time a child under the age of 18 dies within their jurisdiction. The House added language requiring the Coroners Training Advisory Committee to govern the qualifications, certify all coroners and conduct performance reviews. The Senate concurred with that amendment and passed the bill May 10, sending it to the governor.

Federal Roundup

Budget Calls for Kinship Navigator Programs

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published guidance for funds that will build programs to help relative caregivers. The federal government will soon split the cost of this service with states. The 2018 budget deal included $20 million for the development of kinship navigator programs , which provides referral and advocacy services to family members who take in children related to a child welfare proceeding.

Determining Support of Therapeutic Foster Care

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) in the HHS released a report titled, “State Practices in Treatment/Therapeutic Foster Care," to determine how therapeutic foster care (also called treatment foster care or TFC) is implemented and supported by states. TFC is a family-based placement option for children with serious behavioral, emotional or medical needs.

Child Welfare Across the Nation

RAND Publishes Essay on How Child Welfare System Works

The RAND Corporation published an online essay summarizing the findings from a study released last year , which explored how the child welfare system works and found that a greater emphasis on preventing maltreatment before it happens – and on keeping children within their own extended families when it does – could improve the lives of thousands of children every year.

Neighborhoods Can Serve as a Protective Factor for Kids

There may be a relationship between the spanking of children, the type of neighborhood the children live in, and the likelihood of a report of abuse or neglect to Child Protective Services, according to a new study published in the journal, Child Abuse and Neglect . The authors determined that neighborhood cohesion – defined as places “where neighbors are willing to help each other and generally get along” – served as a protective factor against contact with Child Protective Services. They also found that intervention is less likely in families where children are not often spanked. This story in the University of Michigan News summarizes the study's findings.

Policy Post is published by Children's Trust of South Carolina.

Children's Trust of South Carolina is the only statewide organization focused on the prevention of child abuse, neglect and injury. The organization trains and educates professionals who work directly with families and also funds, supports and monitors proven prevention programs. Children's Trust is the voice for South Carolina's children and advocates for strong, well-founded policies that positively impact child well-being. Children's Trust is home to Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina, KIDS COUNT South Carolina and Safe Kids South Carolina.

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