Child and family welfare.

Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to establish the California Child and Family Service Review System, in order to review all county child welfare systems, including child protective services, foster care, adoption, family preservation, family support, and independent living. Existing law requires, by October 1, 2002, the California Health and Human Services Agency to convene a workgroup comprised of specified representatives to establish a workplan by which child and family service reviews are conducted pursuant to these provisions. This bill would provide that representatives of the State Department of Mental Health and the Department of Child Support Services are no longer required to participate in the workgroup. This bill would require, by January 1, 2013, that the workgroup reconvene, and, by April 1, 2013, that the workgroup determine whether additional outcome indicators, additional analysis of existing outcome indicators, or both, are necessary to determine the impact, if any, of the realignment of child welfare programs and services on child safety and well-being and develop those outcome indicators and analyses for inclusion in the workplan, if necessary. The bill would require the workgroup to consider specified outcome indicators. Existing law requires the department to provide specified information relating to child and family service reviews to the Assembly Committee on Budget, the Senate Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, and appropriate legislative policy committees annually, beginning with the 2002–03 fiscal year. This bill would require that this information include the impact, if any, of the realignment of child welfare programs and services on child safety and well-being, as specified. Existing law requires, commencing January 1, 2004, that the department commence individual child and family service reviews of California counties. Existing law requires that county child welfare systems that do not meet certain criteria receive technical assistance, as specified. This bill would require the department to initiate one or more specified compliance actions if a county child welfare system, after receiving this technical assistance for a specified period of time, does not meet certain criteria.