Juvenile records access.

Existing law permits an adult to adopt an unmarried minor. Existing law allows an adoptive parent, including a tribal customary adoptive parent, to file a petition to set aside an adoption if the adoptive child shows evidence of a developmental disability or mental illness as a result of conditions existing before the adoption or tribal customary adoption and the adoptive parent had no knowledge or notice of the conditions, to an extent that the child cannot be relinquished to an adoption agency on the grounds that the child is considered unadoptable. Existing law requires the court clerk to immediately notify the State Department of Social Services in Sacramento of the petition, and in the case of a tribal customary adoption, also notify the child's tribe, and requires the department to file a full report with the court and to appear before the court for the purpose of representing the adopted child within 60 days after the notice. Existing law generally provides for the confidentiality of information regarding a minor in proceedings in the juvenile court and related court proceedings and limits access to juvenile case files. Existing law authorizes only certain individuals to inspect a juvenile case file, including, among others, the minor, the minor's parents or guardian, and the attorneys for the parties, judges, referees, other hearing officers, probation officers, and law enforcement officers who are actively participating in criminal or juvenile proceedings involving the minor. Existing law also authorizes some of those individuals to receive copies of the case file. This bill would authorize a juvenile case file, as defined, to be inspected and copied by the department for the purpose of completing those duties described above. The bill would also authorize department personnel to inspect and receive copies of those case files, as specified. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 827 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by SB 1071 to be operative only if this bill and SB 1071 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.