Dependent children: status reports.

Existing law sets forth ways in which families of dependent minor parents may be preserved, by assisting these parents in raising their children as well as participating in school and extracurricular activities. Existing law requires a court to review the status of a dependent child no less than once every 6 months, and requires the county welfare department or social worker to file a supplemental report that addresses specified subjects, including whether the social worker has considered child protective services as a possible solution to the problems at hand, and has offered those services to qualified parents. This bill would additionally require, if the dependent child in foster care is also a parent, the supplemental report to specifically set forth the age and developmentally appropriate services that were provided to the minor parent to allow him or her to provide a permanent and safe home for the child, as specified. By imposing this additional reporting requirement on county welfare departments, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.