Child abuse: family resource centers.

The bill was assigned Chapter 125 and received gubernatorial approval on August 24, 2026. The header changed from the enrolled bill format (with Senate and Assembly passage dates) to the authenticated chaptered format with 'STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL.'

Formatting changes throughout the statutory text include reflowed line breaks, updated page numbers (from 97 to 96), and changed running headers from 'SB 557' to 'Ch. 125.' No words in the operative statutory language were added, removed, or altered.

The amendment to Section 10722 of the Water Code (regarding groundwater basin boundaries) was entirely removed from the bill. The original version contained two sections; the enrolled version contains only the child abuse provision.

The definition of 'family resource center' in Section 18951 of the Welfare and Institutions Code was expanded (this change was present in both versions but is the sole substantive content of the enrolled bill). The new definition adds requirements that services be provided at no cost or low cost, build communities of peer support for families including kinship families, and include development of social connections that reduce isolation and stress.

A new definition of 'family resource center' was added to Welf. & Inst. Code Section 18951(g). The old definition described an entity providing family-centered and family-strengthening services that are embedded in communities, culturally sensitive, and include cross-system collaboration. The new definition requires the entity to be a 'family-friendly entity serving as a hub for multigenerational' services, provided at no cost or low cost, reflective of and responsive to community needs, building communities of peer support for families including kinship families, and developing social connections that reduce isolation and stress.

The new definition explicitly states that a family resource center may be located in or administered by different entities, including local educational agencies, community resource centers, or neighborhood resource centers. This broadens which organizations can qualify as family resource centers under child abuse prevention law.

The bill's scope expanded from a single nonsubstantive Water Code amendment to also include a substantive change to child abuse prevention law under the Welfare and Institutions Code.

The fiscal committee designation changed from 'no' to 'yes,' indicating the amended bill now has state fiscal implications, likely due to the expanded definition potentially affecting funding eligibility for family resource centers.