Bill 676.

Summary.

The bill would amend Article 126 of Law 285 of February 15, 2022, to add oversight of the Transition to Independent Living Program for Young People Leaving the Protection and Care System to the functions of the Governing Board (Junta Directiva), together with periodic assessment of its results and recommendations. The article also addresses comprehensive child and adolescent protection policies, the national implementation plan and its budget, coordination among institutions, reporting, and representation of the Republic of Panama (República de Panamá). The Minister of Social Development would submit the policies to the Cabinet Council (Consejo de Gabinete) for approval. The bill would add a chapter on transition to independent living and recognize each departing young person's right to institutional guidance and support for social, educational, employment, and community integration.

The National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents and Family (Secretaría Nacional de Niñez, Adolescencia y Familia, SENNIAF), working with the bodies responsible for the child and adolescent rights guarantee system, would develop the Transition to Independent Living Program. It would operate through individual plans, institutional coordination, monitoring, and comprehensive support. Its activities would include psychosocial assistance, life skills, financial education, academic instruction, and employment training. The Program would also facilitate access to education, health care, employment, housing, and entrepreneurship; assess outcomes; collect statistics; and provide opportunities for beneficiaries to express their needs and proposals.

The responsible bodies would prepare an Individual Exit Plan for each adolescent subject to special protection measures at least six months before the adolescent reaches adulthood or leaves the protection and care system. The adolescent or young person would participate in preparing it. The plan would specify objectives, actions, responsible parties, time frames, and monitoring for education, vocational training, work or entrepreneurship, housing, physical and mental health, financial education, independent living skills, and support networks. After departure, SENNIAF and the responsible bodies would provide guidance and follow-up for up to twenty-four (24) months, including help with carrying out the plan and accessing services. Within their powers and available budgets, those bodies would adopt measures to facilitate preferential access to education, employment, housing, health, and social protection programs. SENNIAF would coordinate these measures with public bodies, local governments, civil society organizations, and the private sector.

The bill would create the National Register of Young People Leaving the Protection and Care System under SENNIAF. It would hold current information to identify beneficiaries, track their transition, identify needs and risks, coordinate services, and produce statistics for public policies and Program evaluation. Regulations would set procedures for updating the information. SENNIAF would promote support networks involving public bodies and voluntary participation by private, civil society, religious, and volunteer organizations. This support would respect each beneficiary's wishes and freedom of religion and conscience. Register data would be confidential; access, processing, retention, and exchange would be restricted to the purposes of the proposed law and subject to legal safeguards.

SENNIAF would have eighteen (18) months from the proposed law's entry into force to implement the Register and Program. It could request technical assistance from the Ministry of Social Development (Ministerio de Desarrollo Social), the National Authority for Government Innovation (Autoridad Nacional para la Innovación Gubernamental), and the National Authority for Transparency and Access to Information (Autoridad Nacional de Transparencia y acceso a la información). The bill restates its amendments and additions to Law 285 of February 15, 2022, directs the Executive Branch to issue regulations within six months, and provides for entry into force on the day after publication in the Official Gazette. Its provisions concern those institutions, the Governing Board and Cabinet Council, and could affect young people leaving care, families, social and religious organizations, educational institutions, health services, employers, and the housing sector in Panama.