Dependents: care and treatment: minor parents and nonminor dependent parents.

Under existing law, minors are authorized to consent to medical and other treatment under certain circumstances, including the diagnosis and treatment of sexual assault, medical care relating to the prevention or treatment of pregnancy, treatment of infectious, contagious, and communicable diseases, mental health treatment, and treatment for alcohol and drug abuse. Under existing law, a child may come within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and become a dependent child of the court under certain circumstances, including in cases of abuse and neglect. Under existing law, when a minor has been, or has a petition filed with the court to be, adjudged a dependent child of the court, the court may authorize, or order that a social worker may authorize, medical and other care for the minor, as prescribed. Under existing law, a social worker may, without court order, authorize medical and other care for a minor in emergency situations, as specified. This bill would specify that nothing in those provisions shall be construed to limit the rights of dependent children to consent to specified types of medical and other care, including the diagnosis and treatment of sexual assault, medical care relating to the prevention or treatment of pregnancy, treatment of infectious, contagious, and communicable diseases, mental health treatment, and treatment for alcohol and drug abuse. This bill would authorize a dependent child's social worker, if the child is 12 years of age or older, to inform the child of his or her right as a minor to consent to and receive those health services. This bill would authorize social workers to provide dependent children with access to age-appropriate, medically accurate information about sexual development, reproductive health, and prevention of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. Existing law declares the intent of the Legislature to maintain the continuity of the family unit and to support and preserve families headed by minor parents and nonminor dependent parents, as defined, and provides that, to the greatest extent possible, minor parents and their children living in foster care shall be provided with access to services that target supporting, maintaining, and developing the parent-child bond and the dependent parent's ability to provide a permanent and safe home for the child. Under existing law, minor parents are required to be given the ability to attend school, complete homework, and participate in age and developmentally appropriate activities separate from parenting. Existing law requires foster care placements for minor parents and their children to demonstrate a willingness and ability to provide support and assistance to minor parents and their children. This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to ensure that complete and accurate data on parenting minor and nonminor dependents is collected, as specified, and would authorize child welfare agencies to provide minor parents and nonminor dependent parents with access to social workers or resource specialists who have received specified training. The bill would encourage child welfare agencies to update the case plans for pregnant and parenting dependents within 60 calendar days of the date the agency is informed of a pregnancy, and would authorize those agencies to hold a specialized conference, as prescribed, to assist the pregnant or parenting foster youth and nonminor dependents with planning for healthy parenting, among other things. The bill would additionally require nonminor dependent parents to be given the ability to attend school, complete homework, and participate in age and developmentally appropriate activities separate from parenting. This bill would authorize child welfare agencies, local educational agencies, and child care resource and referral agencies to make reasonable and coordinated efforts to ensure that minor parents and nonminor dependent parents who have not completed high school have access to school programs that provide onsite or coordinated child care. This bill would additionally require foster care placements for nonminor dependent parents and their children to demonstrate a willingness and ability to provide support and assistance to nonminor dependent parents and their children. Existing law provides that it is the policy of the state that foster children have specified rights. This bill would instead specify that all minors and nonminors in foster care have those rights. The bill would provide that foster children also have the right, at 12 years of age or older, to receive information regarding specified health care services.