Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Discipline topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Chair questions whether discipline language will exclude potential foster parents
Summary
Chairman Vandewater expressed concern that the rule's discipline standards (which restrict corporal or degrading punishment and include smoking-related transport rules) might disqualify otherwise suitable foster parents; other members noted research linking abuse reports to foster-care outcomes.
Chairman Vandewater raised concerns that the rule language around discipline and prohibitions (including a provision that would bar transporting a child in a vehicle in which someone smokes) might exclude otherwise good prospective foster parents. "I would never qualify as a foster parent because I spanked my kids," he said, adding he worried rules might remove decent caregivers from eligibility.
Representative Kaylor referenced studies suggesting elevated reports of physical abuse among children in foster care and asked whether stricter discipline rules aim to curb abuse. Committee members debated the balance between protecting children and maintaining an adequate foster-home pool. Department staff responded that the reasonable-and-prudent-parent standard (now codified in statute) and formal home-study process guide decisions about discipline and placements. The rule language edits were described as intended to avoid duplicating statutory protections.
