2021 West Virginia Code
Chapter 49. Child Welfare
Article 2. State Responsibilities for Children
§49-2-111c. Priorities for Use of Funds
(a) Subject to appropriations by the Legislature, the department is authorized and directed to:
(1) Enhance and increase efforts to provide services to prevent the removal of children from their homes;
(2) Identify relatives and fictive kin of children in need of placement outside of the home;
(3) Train kinship parents to become certified foster parents;
(4) Expand a tiered foster care system that provides higher payments for foster parents providing care to, and child placing agencies providing services to, foster children who have severe emotional, behavioral, or intellectual problems or disabilities, with particular emphasis upon removing children in congregate care and placing them with suitable foster parents. This program shall be operational no later than December 1, 2020; and
(5) Develop a pilot program to increase payment to uncertified kinship parents for the purpose of further helping families who have accepted kinship placements.
(b) During fiscal year 2021, the department shall expend at least $16,900,000 for the purposes of implementing the priorities and objectives listed in this section.
(c) On or before July 1, 2022 and on or before July 1 of every year thereafter, the secretary of the department shall present a report to the Joint Standing Committee on Government and Finance regarding the expenditures made pursuant to subsection (b) of this section and the departments progress in meeting the priorities and objectives listed in subsection (a) of this section: Provided, That the secretary shall provide the information described in this subsection and updates to previous reports at any time, upon request of the Joint Standing Committee on Government and Finance.
