Juveniles: Justice Through Placing Foster Children with Families Act.

Existing law requires a county social worker to investigate the circumstances of each child taken into temporary custody by a peace officer under specified circumstances. Existing law requires the social worker to conduct an investigation, within 30 days of the child's removal, to identify and locate adult relatives of the child, as specified, and to provide them with a notification that the child has been removed from the custody of the child's parents, guardians, or Indian custodian, and an explanation of the various options to participate in the care and placement of the child. This bill, the Justice Through Placing Foster Children with Families Act, would require each county, by January 30 of each year, to review publicly available data comparing the statewide national average rate of placing children with relatives in the prior year for comparison with the county's placement rate during the same period. The bill would require that, if the county's placement rate is less than the statewide average, the county welfare director, or their designee, no later than December 1, communicate at least once with the Center for Excellence in Family Finding, Engagement, and Support to identify best practices that may be adopted by the county to improve its average rate placing children with relatives. The bill would require that each year a county has a rate of placing children with relatives that is less than the statewide average, the county board of supervisors of that county, at least once, include the topic, including whether the county has adopted best practices identified by the Center for Excellence in Family Finding, Engagement, and Support, for discussion on the agenda at a regularly noticed meeting of the full board. By increasing the duties of county welfare departments and county boards of supervisors, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would make related findings and declarations. 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.