Child welfare services: electronic records.

Existing law requires a foster care provider, in consultation with the county case manager, to be responsible for ensuring that a foster youth or nonminor dependent is provided with appropriate referrals to health services when the foster youth either reaches 18 years of age or the nonminor dependent exits foster care, and to the extent county and state resources are provided. This bill would authorize, no later than January 1, 2016, a county to develop and implement a voluntary 3 county pilot program to provide a foster youth, 16 years of age or older, or a nonminor dependent, as defined, upon his or her request, or upon his or her emancipation from, or termination of, dependency or probation, the opportunity to create his or her own singular online electronic record of necessary information and documents, including, but not limited to, medical or health records, a copy of his or her certified birth certificate, and a copy of his or her social security card, to assist him or her in the transition to adulthood. The bill would authorize the pilot program to be developed and implemented only if there are 3 participating counties and would authorize the participating counties, in order to reduce costs, to use existing online electronic systems for purposes of the pilot program. The bill would require the online electronic record to allow the foster youth or nonminor dependent to view, download, upload, and transmit the information and documents. The bill would require a social worker or other representative of the county welfare department, or a probation officer or other representative of the probation department, as appropriate, or another authorized representative as designated by the county or the court to assist the foster youth or nonminor dependent with establishing the electronic record and obtaining the information and electronic copies of the documents. This bill would require the participating counties, in consultation with the State Department of Social Services, to submit a report to the Assembly and Senate Human Services Committees no later than December 1, 2018, evaluating the pilot program and providing recommendations as to whether it should be extended, expanded, or made permanent. The bill's provisions would be implemented only if the Director of Finance makes a written determination that there are sufficient funds available from sources other than the General Fund for this purpose. The bill's provisions would be repealed as of January 1, 2020.