Join Rep. Shimabukuro at conference on CPS issues

Representative Maile Shimabukuro (District 45 – Waianae, Makaha, Makua) will speak at the Parents for Righteousness Conference, a public event that will address Child Protective Services (CPS) issues.

Rep. Shimabukuro will speak on July 12 at 11 a.m. She will discuss key measures passed by the Legislature this year that will affect the lives of Hawaii's parents and children. The conference will be held on two consecutive Saturdays, July 12 and 19, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Waianae Neighborhood Community Center conference room, also known as Satellite City Hall, located at 85-670 Farrington Highway.

Rep. Shimabukuro will talk about child protective policy in relation to the following bills, which have recently become law:

SB2730, signed into law as Act 199 and became effective on July 1, requires the Department of Human Services to give priority to relatives and hanai relatives when seeking temporary foster care of a child.

HB1356, signed into law as Act 198 and became effective on July 1, allows former foster youth to apply for higher education board payment up until age 26, rather than the former 22 years of age limit. The foster children are limited to 60 months of financial assistance.

HB523, signed into law as Act 183 and became effective on June 17, establishes guiding principles for the proper and protective care of foster children. According to the law's principles, foster children must live in safe and healthy homes; be provided with the essential health services; have supervised in-person contact with parents and siblings, unless otherwise stated by the courts; have direct contact with a social worker, temporary guarding and probation officer; be able to freely express and act on religious beliefs; have a personal bank account; attend school and stay in the same school until the end of the year, unless impractical; be provided life skills training and be notified of this service at age 12.

For more information and to reserve a seat at the conference, please contact Ivan Kapaona at 808-697-8384. Space is limited.