Resource families: training.

Existing law provides for the implementation of the resource family approval process, which replaces the multiple processes for licensing foster family homes, certifying foster homes by foster family agencies, approving relatives and nonrelative extended family members as foster care providers, and approving guardians and adoptive families. Existing law defines a resource family as an individual or family who has successfully met both the home environment assessment standards and permanency assessment criteria, as specified, necessary for providing care for a child placed by a public or private child placement agency by court order, or voluntarily placed by a parent or legal guardian. Existing law places certain requirements on counties in implementing the resource family approval process, including ensuring that resource family applicants complete a minimum of 12 hours of preapproval caregiver training. Existing law requires this preapproval training to include specified topics, including, among others, an overview of the child protective and probation systems. Existing law also authorizes counties to require a resource family or applicant to receive relevant specialized training on certain topics in order to meet the needs of a particular child in care, including training on understanding how to use best practices for providing care and supervision to commercially sexually exploited children. This bill would, commencing January 1, 2021, also require counties to include information on providing care and supervision to children who have been commercially sexually exploited as part of the mandatory preapproval caregiver training. The bill would require resource families that care for children who are 10 years of age or older to attend, within 12 months of approval as a resource family, a training on how to use best practices for providing care and supervision to children who have been commercially sexually exploited. By creating new duties for counties, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 16519.5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by AB 686 and AB 819 to be operative only if this bill and AB 686, this bill and AB 819, or all 3 bills are enacted and this bill is enacted last. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.