AB 2580: Foster care: placements.

Existing law finds and declares that foster parents are one of the most important sources of information about the children in their care and that courts should know, at the earliest possible date, the interest of a caretaker in providing legal permanency for a child.

This bill would authorize a caregiver, if a foster child is removed from his or her care in order to reunify with his or her parent or guardian, to indicate indicate, in writing, to the childs social worker that he or she is interested in providing and willing to provide care for the child in the future if the child is in need of foster care placement. placement and would require the caregiver to provide contact information, as specified. The bill would also require the probation officer or social worker to provide notice of a hearing, if the probation officer or social worker determines that the child will be retained in custody, to a caregiver who indicated that he or she was interested in providing and willing to provide care for the child in the future. By imposing new duties on probation officers and social workers, the bill would create a state-mandated local program.