The state's Office of Wellness and Resilience will start up a Mālama ʻOhana Working Group. Members will begin to recommend changes to the state's child welfare system.
It was part of a swatch of child welfare bills Gov. Josh Green signed last week. He said child abuse spiked in 2021, during the pandemic.
Hale Kipa President Venus Rosete-Medeiros said Senate Bill 295 comes from an existing infinitive.
"Since 2018, Nā Kama a Hāloa, a network of more than 30 organizations including Hale Kipa, Lili‘uokalani Trust, Kamehameha Schools, Casey Family Programs, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Child Welfare Services and individuals with lived experiences have been meeting and working collaboratively to improve the lives of Native Hawaiian keiki and ʻohana, especially those who are over-represented in the child welfare system," Rosete-Medeiros said.
"It is with this network that the idea of Mālama ʻOhana originated," she said.
Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz of Oʻahu, who introduced the bill, said it will reform the Child Welfare System, which is under the Department of Human Services, by working with the community and stakeholders.
Another signed law will move the Office of Wellness and Resilience into the Department of Human Services in January 2024.
Other signed bills include House Bill 948, which would establish a two-year pilot program for a child and adolescent crisis mobile outreach team on Oʻahu and a neighbor island.
"This legislation reflects our unwavering commitment to recognizing the vital importance of crisis outreach services and mental health support for Hawai‘i's youth," House Majority Leader Rep. Nadine Nakamura of Kauaʻi said.
