January 13 public hearing on child welfare legislation

The Committee on Human Services (Ward 1 CM Jim Graham, chair) is holding a public hearing on B19-466, "Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Amendment Act of 2011" January 13 at 11:00 am.   The legislation would make the following changes to current law:

• Not require the Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) to make reasonable efforts to reunify or preserve the family if a parent has committed certain crimes against a child or if the parent must register with a sex offender registry;
• Require health care professionals to notify the CFSA when a child under 12 months of age is diagnosed with a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD); and
• Expand and clarify the definition of neglect to include an infant that has been diagnosed with FASD.   (Language taken from DC Council website.)

Two members of the public are scheduled to testify: Judith Sandalow from Children’s Law Center (her testimony is here in PDF) and Kevin Emmanuel Quick from Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).   CFSA's general counsel Lionel Sims, Jr., will be testifying for Child and Family Services Agency.

If you cannot attend the hearing in person, you can watch it online via OCT.