Department of Human Services - Study on Private Treatment Foster Care Homes

SB 833 requires Maryland's Department of Human Services to redirect a portion of its annual budget starting in fiscal year 2026 to provide child care stipends for private treatment foster care homes. These homes, which care for children with special physical, emotional, or behavioral needs, will receive stipends covering child care expenses in the same way public treatment foster care homes currently do. The bill mandates that the Secretary of Human Services include annual budget requests for this funding starting in 2027, based on local needs assessments, and adopt application procedures ensuring private homes meet the same equity standards and anti-discrimination requirements as public homes. This policy change directly affects private foster care providers and the state's budget allocation process for child welfare services.