Child welfare services.

Under existing law, the State Department of Social Services oversees the administration of county public social services, including child welfare services. Existing law authorizes the department to conduct or have conducted audits and reviews in order to meet its obligations for child welfare programs and to ensure the protection of children and families. This bill would require the department, in consultation with counties and labor organizations, to establish a process, no later than January 1, 2016, to receive voluntary disclosures from social workers, if a social worker has reasonable cause to believe that a policy, procedure, or practice related to the provision of child welfare services by a county child welfare agency, as defined, endangers the health or well-being of a child or children, as specified. The bill would prohibit the department from disclosing to any person or entity the identity of a social worker making a disclosure pursuant to these provisions, unless the social worker has consented to the disclosure or there is an immediate risk to the health and safety of a child. The bill would require the department, no later than January 1, 2018, to report to the Legislature, and post on its Internet Web site, the total number of relevant disclosures received and a summary description of the issues raised in those disclosures and of the actions taken by the department in response to those disclosures. Existing law authorizes the department and the county welfare department or agency to comment on a child fatality once certain documents from the child's case file have been released by the custodian of records, within the scope of the release. This bill would additionally authorize a county child welfare social worker to comment for purposes of these provisions, as specified. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.