Signed into law
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California Assembly
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Co-sponsor
California Fostering Connections to Success Act.
(1) Existing law provides for the out-of-home placement of children who are unable to remain in the custody and care of their parent or parents, and provides for a range of child welfare, foster care, and adoption assistance services for which these children may be eligible. Existing federal law, the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, revises and expands federal programs and funding for certain foster and adopted children. Existing law, the California Community Care Facilities Act, provides for the licensure and regulation of community care facilities, including facilities that provide care for foster children, by the State Department of Social Services. A violation of these provisions is a misdemeanor. Existing law authorizes the placement of children with varying designations and varying needs in the same facility under specified circumstances. This bill would extend these provisions to also include nonminor dependents commencing January 1, 2012. The bill would define the term "nonminor dependent" and related terms for purposes of the bill. This bill, commencing no later than July 1, 2012, would require the department, in consultation with specified government and other entities, to revise regulations regarding health and safety standards for licensing foster family homes and community care facilities in which nonminor dependents of the juvenile court are placed under the responsibility of the county welfare or probation department or an Indian tribe that has entered into a specified agreement with the department. Under existing law, the California Community Care Facilities Act does not apply to designated categories of facilities, including, among others, the home of a relative caregiver or nonrelative extended family member of a child placed by a juvenile court, as specified. This bill would include, on and after January 1, 2012, a supervised independent living setting, and a THP-Plus-Foster Care placement, as established by the bill, for a nonminor dependent placed by the juvenile court on the list of facilities to which the act does not apply. The bill would require the department to convene a workgroup to establish a new rate structure for THP-Plus-Foster Care placements, and would require counties to submit to the department a plan setting forth how the county would provide for the THP-Plus-Foster Care program, as specified. By requiring counties to perform additional duties with respect to implementation of the THP-Plus-Foster Care program, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law establishes the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, which is permitted to adjudge certain children to be dependents of the court under certain circumstances. This bill would expand the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, effective January 1, 2012, to include a child who had been previously removed from the custody of his or her parent and placed in foster care, who was also declared a delinquent ward of the court, as specified. The bill would authorize a court to modify an existing order with respect to the delinquent ward under these circumstances and assert dependency jurisdiction, as specified. Existing law authorizes a juvenile court to retain jurisdiction over any person who is found to be a dependent child of the juvenile court until the ward or dependent child attains 21 years of age. Existing law places certain minors for whom a guardianship has been established within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court. This bill would expand the court's jurisdiction to include, on and after January 1, 2012, a nonminor dependent who is receiving specified kinship guardian assistance payments. This bill would extend the court's jurisdiction to a ward who has been placed into foster care or a dependent who reaches the age of majority before jurisdiction is terminated until the nonminor reaches 21 years of age. The bill, commencing January 1, 2012, would allow a nonminor who left foster care at or after the age of majority to petition the court to have dependency or delinquency jurisdiction resumed, in accordance with a provision of existing law. The bill would authorize a local entity to obtain specified background information regarding a nonminor who may be placed in a foster care setting with minor dependent children under these circumstances. By making various conforming changes in provisions relating to the duties of local agency employees in dependency and delinquency proceedings, this bill would create a state-mandated local program. (3) Existing law authorizes a social worker to place a child whom the court has ordered to be removed from his or her home into one of 7 designated placements, including the home of a noncustodial parent or the approved home of a relative. This bill would add to this list of approved placements, on and after January 1, 2012, a supervised independent living setting, as defined by the bill, for a nonminor dependent between 18 and 21 years of age. (4) Existing law authorizes a change in the placement of a child on an emergency basis due to the sudden unavailability of a foster caregiver. This bill, on and after January 1, 2012, would require, under these emergency circumstances, when a nonminor dependent is placed in the home of a relative or nonrelative, that the home be approved using the health and safety standards established by the department for the placement of nonminor dependents, as required by the bill. The bill would require the department, in consultation with specified stakeholders, to prepare for the implementation of these provisions by publishing all-county letters or similar instructions from the director, pending the adoption of emergency regulations, as specified. (5) Existing law requires the status of dependent children to be periodically reviewed, and requires the court to consider the safety of the child and make certain determinations. This bill similarly would require a status review for every nonminor dependent who is in foster care to be conducted pursuant to specified provisions. This bill, commencing January 1, 2012, would require the court to ensure that the child's transitional independent living case plan includes a plan for the child to meet one or more criteria that would allow the child to remain a nonminor dependent, and to ensure that the child has been informed of his or her right to seek the termination of dependency jurisdiction. This bill, on and after October 1, 2012, would authorize a court to continue jurisdiction over a nonminor dependent with a permanent plan of long-term foster care, and would designate the responsibilities of the court in this regard. (6) Existing law establishes procedures for a hearing to terminate the court's jurisdiction over a dependent child who has reached the age of majority. This bill would delete the existing hearing procedures as of January 1, 2012, and would set forth revised hearing requirements for determining whether to terminate or continue dependency jurisdiction. The bill would require the court to continue dependency jurisdiction for a child participating in certain educational or vocational activities. This bill would impose various duties on county welfare departments in connection with the hearing process, thereby creating a state-mandated local program. This bill would require a court to authorize a trial period of independence from foster care, as defined, when it terminates dependency jurisdiction over a nonminor dependent youth, as authorized by specified federal law. (7) Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to develop statewide standards for the Independent Living Program for emancipated foster youth, which is established and funded pursuant to federal law to assist these individuals in making the transition to self-sufficiency. Under existing law, the department is required to develop and adopt emergency regulations that counties are required to meet when administering the program, that are achievable within available resources. This bill would require the department to develop and adopt the Independent Living Program regulations on or before July 1, 2012, and would specify that the regulations be achievable within both available program resources and available federal funds for case management and case plan review provided for in the federal act. The bill would require the department, by a specified date, to review and develop modifications to the Independent Living Program to also serve the needs of nonminor dependent youth, as specified. (8) Existing law prohibits benefits under the CalWORKs program from being paid to or on behalf of any child who has attained 18 years of age, unless the child is engaged in specified educational or training activities. This bill, on and after January 1, 2012, also would authorize a nonminor dependent, as defined, to receive CalWORKs aid, as specified. (9) Existing law authorizes a child who is declared a ward or dependent child of the court who is 16 years of age or older, to retain specified cash resources and still remain eligible to receive public social services. This bill would apply this provision, on and after January 1, 2012, to a current or former dependent child or ward of the court between 18 and 21 years of age, who is participating in a transitional independent living case plan pursuant to the federal act. (10) Existing law, through the Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payment Program (Kin-GAP) , which is a part of the CalWORKs program, provides aid on behalf of eligible children who are placed in the home of a relative caretaker. The program is funded by state and county funding and available federal funds. Existing eligibility requirements for the Kin-GAP Program include a requirement that a child has been living with a relative for at least 12 consecutive months. This bill would reduce the above requirement to 6 months, consistent with federal law. To the extent that this would increase duties of counties administering the Kin-GAP program, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would revise the Kin-GAP Program, by repealing the existing program and enacting similar provisions, effective on the date that the Director of Social Services executes a declaration, as required by the bill, declaring that increased federal financial participation in the Emergency Contingency Fund for State TANF Programs is no longer available pursuant to the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) (Public Law 111-5) , or subsequent federal legislation that maintains or extends increased federal financial participation to provide state-funded assistance for youth not eligible under the federally funded program and would require the state to exercise its option under specified federal law to establish a kinship guardianship assistance payment program, with components as set forth in the bill, for youth eligible for federal financial participation. This bill would require, as a condition of receiving payments under the revised Kin-GAP Program provisions, that a county welfare agency, probation department, or Indian tribe, as applicable, negotiate and enter into a written, binding kinship guardianship assistance agreement with the relative guardian of an eligible child, as prescribed. The bill also would specify the state's share of cost for the support and care of children eligible for Kin-GAP benefits. The bill would make related conforming changes. This bill, under the revised Kin-GAP Program provisions, also would require a county, at the time of the annual redetermination of state-funded Kin-GAP benefits, to determine whether a child was receiving federal AFDC-FC benefits before receiving Kin-GAP, while a dependent child or ward of the juvenile court. The bill would require the county to reassign these children to the county social worker for information regarding transition to the federal Kin-GAP program. By increasing county responsibilities, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (11) Existing law establishes the Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care (AFDC-FC) program, under which counties provide payments to foster care providers on behalf of qualified children in foster care. The program is funded by a combination of federal, state, and county funds. Under existing law, AFDC-FC benefits are available, with specified exceptions, on behalf of qualified children under 18 years of age. Existing law requires a county to annually redetermine AFDC-FC eligibility, as specified. This bill would require the department to amend its foster care state plan required under specified federal law, to extend AFDC-FC benefits, commencing January 1, 2012, to specified individuals up to 21 years of age, in accordance with a designated provision of federal law. The bill would repeal the existing annual redetermination requirement. This bill would extend AFDC-FC benefits to nonminor dependents, as specified, on and after January 1, 2012, including revising AFDC-FC rate provisions to apply to these individuals. This bill would require an annual review of a child's or nonminor's payment amount, as specified. The bill also would require a county to contribute to the cost of extending aid to eligible nonminor dependents who have reached 18 years of age and who are under the jurisdiction of the county, and to the cost of providing permanent placement services and administering the AFDC–FC program, as specified. The bill would provide that the county's total contribution for these purposes would not exceed the amount of savings realized by the county as a result of the implementation of the federally funded Kin-GAP Program. By expanding eligibility and duties under the county-administered AFDC-FC program, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (12) Under existing law, in order to be eligible for AFDC-FC benefits, a child must be placed in one of 8 designated placements. This bill would add to the eligible AFDC-FC placements, with respect to an otherwise eligible youth over 18 years of age, a supervised independent living setting. By increasing county duties in administering the AFDC-FC program, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (13) Under existing law, a minor between 16 and 18 years of age who is eligible for AFDC-FC benefits and who meets other specified requirements is eligible for certain transitional housing placement program services in a participating county. This bill, commencing January 1, 2012, would make a nonminor dependent who is eligible for AFDC-FC benefits also eligible for transitional housing benefits. This bill would revise existing provisions relating to the resolution of certain foster care overpayments to apply to Kin-GAP guardian homes and payments on behalf of nonminor dependents residing in supervised independent living settings. (14) Under existing law, a parent or caretaker relative is ineligible to receive CalWORKs aid when he or she has received aid for a cumulative total of 60 months. Existing law excludes from this calculation months when designated conditions exist. This bill, commencing January 1, 2012, would additionally exclude from the above calculation months when a recipient is a nonminor dependent participating in educational or training activities, as prescribed. Moneys from the General Fund are continuously appropriated to pay for a portion of CalWORKs aid grant costs, and for the state's share of AFDC-FC costs. This bill would provide that no appropriation from the General Fund would be made for the purposes of implementing these provisions. By increasing duties of counties administering the AFDC-FC program, this bill also would impose a state-mandated local program. (15) Existing law, the federal Social Security Act, provides for benefits for eligible beneficiaries, including survivorship and disability benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for, among others, blind and disabled children. The act authorizes a person or entity to be appointed as a representative payee for a beneficiary who cannot manage or direct the management of his or her money. Existing law also provides for State Supplemental Payments (SSP) in supplementation of SSI benefits. Existing law, the Foster Care Social Security and Supplemental Security Income Assistance Program, requires the county to apply to be appointed representative payee on behalf of a child beneficiary in its custody when no other appropriate party is available to serve. This bill would additionally require the county, when a child beneficiary reaches 18 years of age and elects to remain in the custody of the county as a nonminor dependent, to provide specified information to the youth regarding the process for becoming his or her own payee, and to assist the youth in this process, unless becoming his or her own payee is not in the youth's best interests, as specified. It would, as part of this process, express the intent of the Legislature that the county ensure that the nonminor receive direct payment of SSI benefits at least one month each year. Existing law requires every youth who is in foster care and nearing emancipation to be screened by the county for potential eligibility for SSI benefits, as prescribed. Existing law authorizes a county, under certain circumstances, to forgo a youth's federally funded AFDC-FC benefits in the month of application for SSI benefits, and instead to use state resources to fund the placement, in order to ensure that the youth meets all of the SSI eligibility requirements. This bill would establish similar requirements for a county child welfare agency, with respect to a nonminor dependent who has been approved for SSI payments but is receiving an AFDC-FC or Kin-GAP benefit that includes federal financial participation in an amount that exceeds the SSI payment, causing the SSI payment to be placed in suspense. By placing new duties on county child welfare agencies, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (16) Existing law provides for the Adoption Assistance Program (AAP) , to be established and administered by the State Department of Social Services or the county, for the purpose of benefiting children residing in foster homes by providing the stability and security of permanent homes. The AAP provides for the payment by the department and counties, of cash assistance to eligible families that adopt eligible children, and bases the amount of the payment on the needs of the child and the resources of the family to meet those needs. Existing law sets forth eligibility requirements for the AAP, including that a child must be under 18 years of age, or under 21 years of age with a mental or physical disability that warrants continued assistance. This bill would additionally include children under 21 years of age who turned 16 years of age before the adoption assistance agreement became effective, and is involved in designated education or employment activities, or is incapable of engaging in these activities due to a medical condition. Payment of adoption assistance would be available for these individuals commencing January 1, 2012, as long as specified federal funds remain available and the state continues to exercise its option to extend payments up to 21 years of age, pursuant to the federal act. (17) Existing law requires the state, through the department and county welfare departments, to establish and support a public system of statewide child welfare services. Under existing law, the term "child welfare services" includes various services provided on behalf of children alleged to be the victims of child abuse, neglect, or exploitation. Existing law establishes the case plan as the foundation and central unifying tool in the provision of child welfare services. This bill would revise the definition of child welfare services to include transitional independent living services, as needed in connection with the provision of other permanent placement services. The bill would revise the requirements for the case plan, effective January 1, 2012, with respect to nonminor dependents, to address the developmental needs of young adults, as specified. The bill would also require the case plan to specify why a group home placement, if made, is necessary for the nonminor dependent's transition to independent living, and would require the nonminor dependent to participate and develop, and to sign, his or her case plan, commencing January 1, 2012. By increasing the duties of counties in preparing case plans, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would revise the definition of a whole family foster home, to include a home that provides foster care for a nonminor dependent parent and his or her child, for purposes of the AFDC-FC program. Effective January 1, 2012, the bill would require that the same rate be paid for the care and supervision of the child of a nonminor dependent as is paid for the child of a teen parent in a whole family foster home. The bill would make other provisions applicable to a teen parent, for purposes of the child welfare services program, also applicable to certain nonminor dependents living in a whole family foster home. Existing law limits child welfare services for voluntarily placed children to a period not to exceed 6 consecutive months, as specified. This bill would, instead, limit the services to a period not to exceed 180 days, and would make conforming changes. (18) (A) This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 11402 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by SB 1214, that would become operative only if SB 1214 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2011, and this bill is chaptered last. (B) The bill would also incorporate additional changes in Section 16501.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by SB 945 and SB 1353, to be operative only if this bill and one or both of the other bills are chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2011, and this bill is chaptered last. (19) 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 with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
