Sec. 45a-8b. Extended family guardianship and assisted care pilot program. Report. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 45a-8b. Extended family guardianship and assisted care pilot program. Report. (a) The Probate Court Administrator shall establish, within available appropriations, an extended family guardianship and assisted care pilot program in the regional children's probate court for the district of New Haven, established pursuant to section 45a-8a, for the purpose of reducing the number of children who are placed out of their communities and in foster care due to abuse and neglect. The program shall be designed to (1) provide outreach to extended family members in the community and appoint such family members as guardians, and (2) seek volunteers to act as assisted care providers to assist guardians in caring for children. Under the program, each guardian appointed by the court shall be eligible to receive a maximum grant of five hundred dollars per child.

      (b) The Probate Court Administrator shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, to implement the provisions of this section. The regulations shall establish the eligibility criteria for (1) becoming a guardian or an assisted care provider under the program, and (2) the awarding of grants pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.

      (c) On or before January 1, 2009, the Probate Court Administrator, or a designee, shall report, in accordance with section 11-4a, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the judiciary and the select committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to children, on the status and effectiveness of the pilot program established pursuant to subsection (a) of this section.

      (June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4, S. 6.)