Dependent Children

Plain English Breakdown

The bill text states the law takes effect July 1, 2026, but metadata indicates it died in Rules on March 13, 2026; this creates uncertainty about whether the effective date will be reached.

Quarterly Meetings and Reports for Dependent Children

This law requires the Department of Children and Families and community-based care lead agencies to meet quarterly with organizations that empower children who have lived experience in the child welfare system, post meeting details online, and publish biannual reports on how they used suggestions from those meetings.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and each community-based care lead agency to coordinate with organizations focused on empowering children with lived experience.
• Mandates quarterly meetings between these agencies and the organizations to discuss challenges and opportunities for children in the child welfare system.
• Allows meetings to happen in person or through electronic means like teleconferences.
• Requires each meeting to have a formal agenda, with both the agenda and minutes posted on the agency's website.
• Orders DCF and community-based care lead agencies to publish biannual reports by February 1 and August 1 starting in 2027 showing how they implemented suggestions from these meetings.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Department of Children and Families
• Community-based care lead agencies
• Organizations focused on empowering children with lived experience

Terms To Know

Dependent children

Children who are under the supervision or custody of the child welfare system.

Lived experience

Personal knowledge gained from having been in a specific situation, such as being in foster care.

Community-based care lead agency

Local organizations that manage child welfare services for their area under state oversight.

Limits and Unknowns

• The specific list of 'certain organizations' eligible to meet is not defined in the text provided.
• The exact content required inside the biannual reports beyond outlining implemented suggestions is not detailed.
• The law does not specify penalties if agencies fail to hold meetings or publish reports on time.

Official Summary Text

Dependent Children; Requires DCF & each community-based care lead agency to coordinate with certain organizations & meet quarterly for specified purpose; authorizes such meeting to be in person or via teleconference or other electronic means; requires such meetings to have formal agenda; requires department & each community-based care lead agency to make certain information available on their respective websites; requires, beginning in specified year, department & each community-based care lead agency to publish on their respective websites biannual report containing specified information.

Current Bill Text

CS/HB 395 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb395-01-c1
Page 1 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to dependent children; amending s. 2
39.4085, F.S.; requiring the Department of Children 3
and Families and each community-based care lead agency 4
to coordinate with certain organizations and meet 5
quarterly for a specified purpose; authorizing such 6
meeting to be in person or via teleconference or other 7
electronic means; requiring such meetings to have a 8
formal agenda; requiring the department and each 9
community-based care lead agency to make certain 10
information available on their respective websites; 11
requiring, beginning in a specified year, the 12
department and each community-based care lead agency 13
to publish on their respective websites a biannual 14
report containing specified information; providing an 15
effective date. 16
17
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 18
19
Section 1. Subsection (6) is added to section 39.4085, 20
Florida Statutes, to read: 21
39.4085 Goals for dependent children; responsibilities; 22
education; Office of the Children's Ombudsman.— 23
(6)(a) The department shall coordinate with organizations 24
that are focused on empowering children with lived experience. 25

CS/HB 395 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb395-01-c1
Page 2 of 2
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

The department and such organizations must meet quarterly, at a 26
minimum, in person or via teleconference or other electronic 27
means to solicit input on ways to address challenges and 28
opportunities for children in the child welfare system. Each 29
meeting must have a formal agenda, and such agenda and the 30
minutes from each meeting must be made available on the 31
department's website. 32
(b) Each community-based care lead agency shall coordinate 33
with organizations that are focused on empowering children with 34
lived experience. The community-based care lead agency and such 35
organizations must meet quarterly, at a minimum, in person or 36
via teleconference or other electronic means to solicit input on 37
ways to address challenges and opportunities for children in the 38
child welfare system. Each meeting must have a formal agenda, 39
and such agenda and the minutes from each meeting must be made 40
available on the community-based care lead agency's website. 41
(c) By February 1 and August 1 of each year, beginning in 42
2027, the department and each community-based care lead agency 43
must make publicly accessible on their respective websites a 44
report that outlines how the department and the community-based 45
care lead agencies have implemented the suggestions of the 46
organizations based on the meetings required in paragraphs (a) 47
and (b). 48
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 49