Human services.

Existing law authorizes the removal of a child from the physical custody of the parent or guardian with whom the child resided at the time a dependency petition was initiated if the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that one of several circumstances is present. Existing law requires the court, when a child is ordered removed from their parent or guardian and the child is not placed with their noncustodial parent, to order the care, custody, control, and conduct of the child to be under the supervision of the social worker, who may place the child in specified placements, including, among others, the approved home of a relative. This bill would also authorize the social worker to place the child in the home of a relative in which the juvenile court has authorized placement, regardless of the status of any criminal record exemption or resource family approval, if the court has found that the placement does not pose a risk to the health and safety of the child. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to allocate federal funds appropriated for refugee social services programs to each eligible county, as defined, and authorizes the department, to the extent permitted by federal law, to contract with, or award grants to, a qualified nonprofit organization for the purpose of administering refugee social services programs within a county. This bill would, until December 31, 2022, also authorize the department, to the extent permitted by federal law and guidance, to use federal funds administered by the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement to award contracts and grants to private for-profit organizations to support refugee resettlement efforts within the State of California. The bill would require the department to prioritize funding for qualified nonprofit organizations and counties over funding for private for-profit organizations, if practicable, and would require the department to track and document the funding provided to each type of service provider and the purposes for use of this funding, and report this information to the appropriate fiscal and policy staff of the Legislature on August 1, 2022, and February 1, 2023. Existing law allocates and appropriates one-time funding to the State Department of Social Services to support family childcare providers through reimbursement rate supplements. This bill would appropriate $27,500,000 from the General Fund to the State Department of Social Services to cover administrative costs associated with providing those reimbursement rate supplements, as specified. The bill would also, upon approval of the Department of Finance, authorize moneys in the appropriated funds to be transferred to Item 5180-001-0001 of the Budget Act of 2021 to be available for administrative costs associated with providing reimbursement rate supplements for eligible childcare providers. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as a bill providing for appropriations related to the Budget Bill.