Foster Family Home and Small Family Home Insurance Fund.

Existing law establishes within the State Department of Social Services the Foster Family Home and Small Family Home Insurance Fund for the purposes of paying, on behalf of foster family homes and small family homes, as defined, claims of foster children, their parents, guardians, or guardians ad litem resulting from occurrences peculiar to the foster care relationship and the provision of foster care services. Under existing law, the fund is not liable for any loss arising out of a dishonest, fraudulent, criminal, or intentional act of any person, or for damages of more than $300,000 for any single foster family home or small family home for all claims arising due to one or more occurrences during a single calendar year. This bill would narrow that limitation on the liability of the fund to exclude only a loss arising out of a dishonest, fraudulent, criminal, or intentional act of a foster parent, except as specified. The bill would also limit the liability of the fund to damages of no more than $300,000 for any single home for all claims arising during a consecutive 12-month period, instead of during a single calendar year. The bill would require that multiple incidents of a general course of conduct be considered one occurrence, regardless of the period of time during which the acts transpired, and would provide that the fund shall be liable only once for damages arising from that one occurrence.