Foster youth: enrichment activities.

Existing law provides that it is the policy of the state that all minors and nonminors in foster care have specified rights, including, among others, the right to attend school and participate in extracurricular, cultural, and personal enrichment activities, consistent with the child's age and developmental level, with minimal disruptions to school attendance and educational stability. This bill would establish, until January 1, 2023, the California Foster Youth Enrichment Grant Pilot Program. The bill would require the Department of Social Services, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to provide grants of $500 or less to qualified foster youth to enable them to participate in activities that enhance the foster youth's skills, abilities, self-esteem, or overall well-being. The bill would require the department, on or before March 1, 2019, to convene a workgroup to develop an implementation plan for the pilot program. The bill would require the department to conduct the pilot program in four counties with the highest need, as specified. The bill would specify eligibility criteria for receipt of a grant and the authorized uses of a grant. The bill would require a recipient, within 6 months after receipt of a grant, to submit copies of receipts showing the purchase of the program, product, or service, and payment of any directly related costs purchased with the grant. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2022, to submit a report to the Legislature that addresses, among other things, data on the number of applications received and the number of grants awarded. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2023.