GOVERNOR'S VETO

GV Bill Id:AB 734

Author:(Maienschein)

As Enrolled Ver:September 11, 2019

2/3 vote

SUMMARY:

Requires the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to establish a pilot program in up to five counties in order to provide additional supports and services to resource families through coaching and to consult relevant stakeholders and consider stakeholder recommendations regarding certain parameters of the pilot program, and requires participating counties to conduct at least one evaluation regarding the program's impact and effectiveness.

Major Provisions:

1. Require CDSS to establish and facilitate a pilot program in no more than five counties, in order to increase placement stability for foster youth and facilitate greater resource family retention, as specified.
2. Delay implementation of the pilot program until after CDSS has received and reviewed stakeholder recommendations, as specified, but no later than January 1, 2021.
3. Specify the purpose of the pilot program is to supplement and support caregiver access to, not supplant or duplicate, existing core services for purposes of supporting caregivers, as specified.
4. Require the program to provide coaching to resource families who volunteer to participate in the program, as specified, and, further, requires coaches to assist resource families in using and implementing skills and information covered in preapproval training, as specified, and inform participating resource families of available state and county supportive services.
5. Prohibit participation in the pilot program from being a condition of resource family approval or a requirement for a resource family to receive or maintain the placement of a youth.
6. Require CDSS, no later than June 30, 2020, to consult relevant stakeholders, and consider stakeholder recommendations regarding parameters of the pilot program, as specified.
7. Require participating counties to each conduct at least one evaluation of the program's impact and effectiveness and submit this evaluation to CDSS by December 31, 2022, and, further, requires CDSS to report that information to the Legislature, as specified.
8. Specify that the provisions of this bill shall only be implemented if the Legislature appropriates sufficient funding to implement the pilot program.
9. Repeal the provisions of this bill as of January 1, 2023.

The Senate Amendments:

1. Delete language that allows funding for the pilot program to include Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) state operations funds, as specified.
2. Delete language that requires a participating county to meet certain requirements, such as: have strong and viable agencies operate the program, and have a viable plan for ongoing financial support of the program, among others, as specified.
3. Add language that stakeholders with whom CDSS must consult includes a statewide trade association representing county behavioral health directors.

Add language that specifies the provisions of this bill shall be implemented only if the Legislature appropriates sufficient funding to implement the pilot program.

Governor’s Veto Message:

This bill would require the California Department of Social Services to establish a pilot program in five counties to provide additional supports and services to resource families.

While I appreciate the intent of this bill to improve the ability of resource families to care for the children entrusted to them, I am unable to sign this measure. This proposal should be considered in the context of 2011 realignment which shifted responsibility for child welfare services an d foster care to the counties, continued implementation of the Continuum of Care Reform, and the annual budget process.

COMMENTS:

Resource Family Approval (RFA): process and requirements: The RFA process is a unified, family-friendly, and child-centered process that combines elements of foster parent licensing, relative approval, and adoption/guardianship approval processes; it includes a psychosocial assessment, home environment check, and training for all resource families, including relatives, and is also a route to direct permanency for caregivers who wish to adopt or be guardians of youth in care.

According to the Author:

"This bill provides much needed supports to our most valuable resource families…and will help families meet the needs of the children in these family homes, leading to vastly improved placement stability and the retention of resource families."

Arguments in Support:

Writing as a sponsor of this bill, the California Alliance of Caregivers states "[This bill] would create a pilot program to implement post-placement coaching support in up to five counties to support relative caregivers, licensed foster families, and approved resource families."

Arguments in Opposition:

None on file

FISCAL COMMENTS:

According to the Senate Appropriations Committee on August 30, 2019, this bill may result in the following costs:

1. Significant costs to CDSS of $360,000 ($244,880 General Fund [GF]) for the first year and $238,000 ($160,650 GF) ongoing for additional personnel to develop, implement, and oversee the pilot program and to draft the required report to the Legislature (exact costs will depend on the recommendations of the stakeholder group and the number of counties that elect to participate);
2. One-time costs to CDSS of approximately $100,000 to contract with a third-party to evaluate the outcomes of the pilot program; and,
3. Because this pilot program is optional for counties, counties will not be reimbursed for their involvement in the program (however, this bill creates a GF cost pressure to provide funding for the pilot to participating counties; a similar budget proposal heard during legislative budget proceedings in 2018 identified county costs of $4.8 million [GF] over two years).

VOTES:

ASM HUMAN SERVICES: 8-0-0

YES: Reyes, Mathis, Luz Rivas, Choi, Friedman, Gipson, Maienschein, Mark Stone

ASM APPROPRIATIONS: 18-0-0

YES: Gonzalez, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonta, Brough, Calderon, Carrillo, Chau, Diep, Eggman, Fong, Gabriel, Eduardo Garcia, Maienschein, Obernolte, Petrie-Norris, Quirk, Robert Rivas

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 77-0-3

YES: Arambula, Bauer-Kahan, Berman, Bigelow, Bloom, Boerner Horvath, Bonta, Brough, Burke, Calderon, Carrillo, Cervantes, Chau, Chen, Chiu, Choi, Chu, Cooper, Cunningham, Dahle, Daly, Diep, Eggman, Flora, Fong, Frazier, Friedman, Gabriel, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez, Gray, Grayson, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Kiley, Lackey, Levine, Limón, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, O'Donnell, Obernolte, Patterson, Petrie-Norris, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Robert Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Salas, Santiago, Smith, Mark Stone, Ting, Voepel, Waldron, Weber, Wicks, Wood, Rendon

ABS, ABST OR NV: Aguiar-Curry, Cooley, Eduardo Garcia

SENATE FLOOR: 40-0-0

YES: Allen, Archuleta, Atkins, Bates, Beall, Borgeas, Bradford, Caballero, Chang, Dahle, Dodd, Durazo, Galgiani, Glazer, Lena Gonzalez, Grove, Hertzberg, Hill, Hueso, Hurtado, Jackson, Jones, Leyva, McGuire, Mitchell, Monning, Moorlach, Morrell, Nielsen, Pan, Portantino, Roth, Rubio, Skinner, Stern, Stone, Umberg, Wieckowski, Wiener, Wilk

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 79-0-0

YES: Aguiar-Curry, Arambula, Bauer-Kahan, Berman, Bigelow, Bloom, Boerner Horvath, Bonta, Brough, Burke, Calderon, Carrillo, Cervantes, Chau, Chen, Chiu, Choi, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Cunningham, Daly, Diep, Eggman, Flora, Fong, Frazier, Friedman, Gabriel, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez, Gray, Grayson, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Kiley, Lackey, Levine, Limón, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Patterson, Petrie-Norris, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Robert Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Salas, Santiago, Smith, Mark Stone, Ting, Voepel, Waldron, Weber, Wicks, Wood, Rendon

UPDATED:

VERSION: September 11, 2019

CONSULTANT: Kelsy Castillo / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089 FN: 0002514

CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS

CSA1 Bill Id:AB 734

Author:(Maienschein)

As Amended Ver:August 30, 2019

Majority vote

SUMMARY:

Requires the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to establish a pilot program in up to five counties in order to provide additional supports and services to resource families through coaching and to consult relevant stakeholders and consider stakeholder recommendations regarding certain parameters of the pilot program, and requires participating counties to conduct at least one evaluation regarding the program's impact and effectiveness.

Major Provisions:

1. Require CDSS to establish and facilitate a pilot program in no more than five counties, in order to increase placement stability for foster youth and facilitate greater resource family retention, as specified.
2. Delay implementation of the pilot program until after CDSS has received and reviewed stakeholder recommendations, as specified, but no later than January 1, 2021.
3. Specify the purpose of the pilot program is to supplement and support caregiver access to, not supplant or duplicate, existing core services for purposes of supporting caregivers, as specified.
4. Require the program to provide coaching to resource families who volunteer to participate in the program, as specified, and, further, requires coaches to assist resource families in using and implementing skills and information covered in preapproval training, as specified, and inform participating resource families of available state and county supportive services.
5. Prohibit participation in the pilot program from being a condition of resource family approval or a requirement for a resource family to receive or maintain the placement of a youth.
6. Require CDSS, no later than June 30, 2020, to consult relevant stakeholders, and consider stakeholder recommendations regarding parameters of the pilot program, as specified.
7. Require participating counties to each conduct at least one evaluation of the program's impact and effectiveness and submit this evaluation to CDSS by December 31, 2022, and, further, requires CDSS to report that information to the Legislature, as specified.
8. Specify that the provisions of this bill shall only be implemented if the Legislature appropriates sufficient funding to implement the pilot program.
9. Repeal the provisions of this bill as of January 1, 2023.

The Senate Amendments:

1. Delete language that allows funding for the pilot program to include Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) state operations funds, as specified.
2. Delete language that requires a participating county to meet certain requirements, such as: have strong and viable agencies operate the program, and have a viable plan for ongoing financial support of the program, among others, as specified.
3. Add language that stakeholders with whom CDSS must consult includes a statewide trade association representing county behavioral health directors.
4. Add language that specifies the provisions of this bill shall be implemented only if the Legislature appropriates sufficient funding to implement the pilot program.

COMMENTS:

Resource Family Approval (RFA): process and requirements: The RFA process is a unified, family-friendly, and child-centered process that combines elements of foster parent licensing, relative approval, and adoption/guardianship approval processes; it includes a psychosocial assessment, home environment check, and training for all resource families, including relatives, and is also a route to direct permanency for caregivers who wish to adopt or be guardians of youth in care.

According to the Author:

"This bill provides much needed supports to our most valuable resource families…and will help families meet the needs of the children in these family homes, leading to vastly improved placement stability and the retention of resource families."

Arguments in Support:

Writing as a sponsor of this bill, the California Alliance of Caregivers states "[This bill] would create a pilot program to implement post-placement coaching support in up to five counties to support relative caregivers, licensed foster families, and approved resource families."

Arguments in Opposition:

None on file

FISCAL COMMENTS:

According to the Senate Appropriations Committee on August 30, 2019, this bill may result in the following costs:

1. Significant costs to CDSS of $360,000 ($244,880 General Fund [GF]) for the first year and $238,000 ($160,650 GF) ongoing for additional personnel to develop, implement, and oversee the pilot program and to draft the required report to the Legislature (exact costs will depend on the recommendations of the stakeholder group and the number of counties that elect to participate);
2. One-time costs to CDSS of approximately $100,000 to contract with a third-party to evaluate the outcomes of the pilot program; and,
3. Because this pilot program is optional for counties, counties will not be reimbursed for their involvement in the program (however, this bill creates a GF cost pressure to provide funding for the pilot to participating counties; a similar budget proposal heard during legislative budget proceedings in 2018 identified county costs of $4.8 million [GF] over two years).

VOTES:

ASM HUMAN SERVICES: 8-0-0

YES: Reyes, Mathis, Luz Rivas, Choi, Friedman, Gipson, Maienschein, Mark Stone

ASM APPROPRIATIONS: 18-0-0

YES: Gonzalez, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonta, Brough, Calderon, Carrillo, Chau, Diep, Eggman, Fong, Gabriel, Eduardo Garcia, Maienschein, Obernolte, Petrie-Norris, Quirk, Robert Rivas

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 77-0-3

YES: Arambula, Bauer-Kahan, Berman, Bigelow, Bloom, Boerner Horvath, Bonta, Brough, Burke, Calderon, Carrillo, Cervantes, Chau, Chen, Chiu, Choi, Chu, Cooper, Cunningham, Dahle, Daly, Diep, Eggman, Flora, Fong, Frazier, Friedman, Gabriel, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez, Gray, Grayson, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Kiley, Lackey, Levine, Limón, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, O'Donnell, Obernolte, Patterson, Petrie-Norris, Quirk, Quirk‑Silva, Ramos, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Robert Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Salas, Santiago, Smith, Mark Stone, Ting, Voepel, Waldron, Weber, Wicks, Wood, Rendon

ABS, ABST OR NV: Aguiar-Curry, Cooley, Eduardo Garcia

SENATE FLOOR: 40-0-0

YES: Allen, Archuleta, Atkins, Bates, Beall, Borgeas, Bradford, Caballero, Chang, Dahle, Dodd, Durazo, Galgiani, Glazer, Lena Gonzalez, Grove, Hertzberg, Hill, Hueso, Hurtado, Jackson, Jones, Leyva, McGuire, Mitchell, Monning, Moorlach, Morrell, Nielsen, Pan, Portantino, Roth, Rubio, Skinner, Stern, Stone, Umberg, Wieckowski, Wiener, Wilk

UPDATED:

VERSION: August 30, 2019

CONSULTANT: Kelsy Castillo / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089 FN: 0002017

 THIRD READING  

Bill No: AB 734

Author: Maienschein (D), et al.

Amended: 8/30/19 in Senate

Vote: 21

SENATE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE: 6-0, 7/8/19

AYES: Hurtado, Stone, Beall, Jackson, Pan, Wiener

SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 7-0, 8/30/19

AYES: Portantino, Bates, Bradford, Durazo, Hill, Jones, Wieckowski

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 77-0, 5/23/19 - See last page for vote

SUBJECT: Resource families: supportive services pilot program

SOURCE: Author

DIGEST:

This bill requires the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to establish a pilot program in up to five counties in order to provide additional supports and services to resource families through coaching and to consult with relevant stakeholders and consider recommendations regarding certain parameters of the pilot program.

ANALYSIS:

Existing law:

1. Allows a county to provide supportive services to all licensed foster family homes, relatives, and nonrelative extended family members with a child in placement to assist with the resource family transition and to minimize placement disruptions. (WIC 16519.5(o)(5))
2. States the intent of the Legislature that foster parents, and potential foster parents, receive training in order to assist them in being effective caregivers and to enhance the safety and growth of children placed with them. Further states the need to develop a basic curriculum, a program for continuing education, and specialized training for parents caring for children with unique needs. (HSC 1529.1)
3. Allows any state funding allocated to counties for the purpose of recruiting, retaining, and supporting foster parents, relative caregivers, and resource families shall be used to increase the capacity and use of home-based family care and the provision of services and supports to such caregivers. Further states that allowable fund expenditures shall include, but not be limited to, and shall be used to supplement and not supplant, resources used by a county, as specified. (WIC 16003.5)
4. Establishes the Child Welfare Training Program with the purpose of developing and implementing statewide coordinated training programs designed to meet the needs of foster youth, as specified. (WIC 16206 et seq.)
5. Requires every licensed foster parent to complete a minimum of 12 hours of foster parent training, as specified, prior to any foster youth being placed with him or her. Further requires a licensed foster parent to complete at least eight hours of foster parent training, as specified, annually. (WIC 16519.5(g)(13)-(14)) and (HSC 1529.2(b))
6. Allows a county to provide supportive services to all licensed foster family homes, relatives, and nonrelative extended family members with a child in placement to assist with the resource family transition and to minimize placement disruptions. (WIC 16519.5(o)(5))

This bill:

1. Requires CDSS to establish and facilitate a pilot program, by January 1, 2021, in up to five counties, including both rural and urban counties that voluntarily apply and are selected by CDSS, to increase placement stability for foster youth and facilitate greater resource family retention through strengths-based, skills-based, and trauma-informed coaching to caregivers.
2. Specifies the purpose of the pilot program is to supplement and support caregiver access to, not supplant or duplicate, existing core services for purposes of supporting caregivers, as specified.
3. Requires the pilot program to provide guidance for future statewide implementation of coaching for caregiver’s model to counties that choose to implement the program.
4. Delays implementation of the pilot program until after CDSS has received and reviewed the recommendations of the stakeholder work group established by provisions of this bill, but stipulates that implementation shall commence no later than January 1, 2021.
5. Requires the pilot program to provide coaching to resource families who volunteer to participate in the program through a trained mentor, social worker, or mental health care provider who has received pilot program coaching training.
6. Requires coaches to assist resource families to effectively utilize and implement skills and information covered in preapproval, annual or other trainings, as specified, in order to promote a stable and nurturing home environment for youth placed in the resource family home.
7. Requires coaches to inform participating resource families of certain available state and county supportive services, including, but not limited to the availability of respite services as needed, availability of, and access to 24-hour resource hotlines where available, and mental health services for foster youth, among others.
8. Prohibits participation in the pilot program from being a condition of resource family approval or a requirement for a resource family to receive or maintain the placement of a youth.
9. Prohibits a social worker with a current caseload from being eligible to serve as a coach. Requires a coach hired for the pilot program to meet the criteria established by the CDSS, as specified.
10. Requires CDSS, no later than June 30, 2020, to consult relevant stakeholders, including, but not limited to the following:
    • 1. Foster youth;
      2. Resource families;
      3. Biological families;
      4. Representatives of child and family services agencies;
      5. Foster family agencies; and,
      6. A statewide trade association representing county behavioral health directors.
11. Requires CDSS to consider stakeholder recommendations regarding certain parameters of the pilot program, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
    • 1. Application and selection criteria for participating counties;
      2. A skills-based, strengths-based, trauma-informed coaching program curriculum, as specified;
      3. Application and selection criteria for coaches; and
      4. Criteria used by counties to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in achieving the overall goals of the pilot program.
12. Requires participating counties to conduct at least one evaluation of the program's impact and effectiveness on increasing placement stability for foster youth and retaining resource families, as specified, and to submit this evaluation to CDSS by December 31, 2022.
13. Requires CDSS to report the information provided by counties pursuant to provisions of this bill to the Legislature, as specified.
14. Specifies that implementation of the pilot program is subject to an appropriation by the Legislature.
15. Repeals the provisions of this bill related to the pilot program as of January 1, 2023.

Comments

According to the author, “When children are moved from home to home,….they experience further trauma….and will also likely suffer academically, socially, emotionally and physically from multiple placement moves. This bill provides much needed supports to our most valuable resources, resource families….and will help families meet the needs of the children in these family homes, leading to vastly improved placement stability and the retention of resource families.” This bill creates a new support in the form of coaching for resource families.

Child Welfare Services (CWS). California’s CWS is charged with protecting children from abuse and neglect and providing for their health, safety, and overall well-being. When warranted, abused and neglected children may be removed from their homes and placed into foster care. It is the state’s goal to reunify foster children or youth with their biological families whenever possible. In instances where reunification is not possible, it is the state’s primary goal to provide a permanent placement alternative such as adoption or guardianship. The second highest placement priority of CWS is to unite children with other relatives or nonrelative extended family members. As of October 1, 2018, there were 59,487 children in California’s CWS system.

Resource Family Training Requirements. The RFA program includes comprehensive training requirements for resource family applicants and for those approved as resource families to ensure caregivers possess the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to serve children placed in their care. Under current law, resource family applicants are required to complete 12 hours of preapproval caregiver training on a variety of topics. These include, but are not limited to the following: an overview of the child protective and probation systems; the effects of trauma on child development; positive discipline; the importance of self-esteem; health issues in foster care; and cultural needs of children, among others. Additionally, prior to approval, applicants must have an understanding of a youth’s needs and development, effective parenting skills or knowledge about parenting, and an ability to act as a reasonable and prudent parent in day-to-day decision making.

Counties may require preapproved and approved resource families to receive specialized training, as necessary, to prepare and enable them to meet the needs of a particular child in their care. Current law also requires approved resource families to complete a minimum of eight hours of annual caregiver training on a variety of topics, for ongoing education. Annual caregiver training topics include health issues in foster care, promoting normal childhood experiences, permanence, well-being, and the cultural and education needs of youth, among other topics. This bill provides resource families in pilot counties with a post-placement coaching support, increasing the overall level of support resource families receive, to improve placement stability and the outcomes for youth in care.

Child Welfare Coaching Models in California. The UC Davis Extension, Center for Human Services (Center) defines coaching as “the process by which the coach creates structured, focused interaction, and uses appropriate strategies, tools, and techniques to promote desirable and sustainable change for the benefit of the learner, in turn making a positive impact on the organization.” The Center sees coaching in the child welfare context as a way to improve an agency’s success in working with children and families by improving systemic implementation of practice, creating positive changes in behavior, and embedding professional development in the agency’s culture.

Related Programs and Models. This bill is based on several similar coaching programs and models, including:

• Northern California Training Academy was created as a partnership between the University of California, Davis and state government. This program enables social workers and child welfare practitioners in rural communities to develop new skills through a coaching model. The Academy offers training to child welfare workers that ranges from mandatory core education to specialized topics, and allows for both online and in-person training. The Academy also aids in providing administrative and logistical support to assist counties coordinate, research, and program evaluations. Twenty-nine counties currently utilize Academy services.
• Foster Parent Recruitment, Retention, and Support (FPRRS) is a time-limited, multi-year augmentation of realigned recruitment funding, initiated by CDSS in 2015 and codified by AB 403 (Stone, Chapter 773, Statutes of 2015). FPRRS was created to address an anticipated increase in the number of caregivers needed as a result of CCR implementation by providing counties with supplemental funding for the purpose of recruiting, retaining and supporting resource families and other foster caregivers. Under current law, counties have flexibility to engage in a wide range of activities to support recruitment and retention of resource families, including but not limited to, resource family coaching programs, respite care, and transportation resources, among other things. The 2019-20 Budget includes a one-time increase of $21.6 million in additional funding for FPRRS through June 2020, for counties to continue activities and services to retain, recruit, and support relative caregivers and resource families.

FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes Local: No

According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:

• Significant costs to CDSS of $360,000 ($244,880 GF) for the first year and $238,000 ($160,650 GF) ongoing for additional personnel to develop, implement, and oversee the pilot program and to draft the required report to the Legislature. Exact costs will depend on the recommendations of the stakeholder group and the number of counties that elect to participate.
• One-time costs to CDSS of approximately $100,000 to contract with a third-party to evaluate the outcomes of the pilot program.
• Because this pilot program is optional for counties, counties will not be reimbursed for their involvement in the program. However, this bill creates a GF cost pressure to provide funding for the pilot to participating counties. A similar budget proposal heard during legislative budget proceedings in 2018 identified county costs of $4.8 million (GF) over two years.

SUPPORT: (Verified 8/30/19)

California Alliance of Child and Family Services

California Association of Local Behavioral Health Boards and Commissions

California Court Appointed Special Advocate Association

Children Now

County Welfare Directors Association of California

OPPOSITION: (Verified 8/30/19)

None received

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 77-0, 5/23/19

AYES: Arambula, Bauer-Kahan, Berman, Bigelow, Bloom, Boerner Horvath, Bonta, Brough, Burke, Calderon, Carrillo, Cervantes, Chau, Chen, Chiu, Choi, Chu, Cooper, Cunningham, Dahle, Daly, Diep, Eggman, Flora, Fong, Frazier, Friedman, Gabriel, Gallagher, Cristina Garcia, Gipson, Gloria, Gonzalez, Gray, Grayson, Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Kamlager-Dove, Kiley, Lackey, Levine, Limón, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Patterson, Petrie-Norris, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Robert Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Salas, Santiago, Smith, Mark Stone, Ting, Voepel, Waldron, Weber, Wicks, Wood, Rendon

NO VOTE RECORDED: Aguiar-Curry, Cooley, Eduardo Garcia

Prepared by: Bridgett Hankerson / HUMAN S. /

9/3/19 11:24:07

**** END ****

SENATE COMMITTEE ON

Senator Anthony Portantino, Chair

2019 - 2020 Regular Session

AB 734 (Maienschein) - Resource families: supportive services pilot program

Bill Summary:

AB 734 would require the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to establish a pilot program in up to five counties in order to provide additional supports and services to resource families through coaching. This bill would also require CDSS to consult with relevant stakeholders and consider recommendations regarding certain parameters of the pilot program.

*********** ANALYSIS ADDENDUM – SUSPENSE FILE ***********

The following information is revised to reflect amendments

adopted by the committee on August 30, 2019

Fiscal Impact:

• Significant costs to CDSS of $360,000 ($244,880 GF) for the first year and $238,000 ($160,650 GF) ongoing for additional personnel to develop, implement, and oversee the pilot program and to draft the required report to the Legislature. Exact costs will depend on the recommendations of the stakeholder group and the number of counties that elect to participate.
• One-time costs to CDSS of approximately $100,000 to contract with a third-party to evaluate the outcomes of the pilot program.
• Because this pilot program is optional for counties, counties will not be reimbursed for their involvement in the program. However, this bill creates a GF cost pressure to provide funding for the pilot to participating counties. A similar budget proposal heard during legislative budget proceedings in 2018 identified county costs of $4.8 million (GF) over two years.

Author Amendments:

Add a statewide trade association representing county behavioral health directors as one of the stakeholders that CDSS is required to consult with regarding parameters of the pilot program.

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Senator Anthony Portantino, Chair

2019 - 2020 Regular Session

AB 734 (Maienschein) - Resource families: supportive services pilot program

Bill Summary:

AB 734 would require the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to establish a pilot program in up to five counties in order to provide additional supports and services to resource families through coaching. This bill would also require CDSS to consult with relevant stakeholders and consider recommendations regarding certain parameters of the pilot program.

Fiscal Impact:

• Significant costs to CDSS of $360,000 ($244,880 GF) for the first year and $238,000 ($160,650 GF) ongoing for additional personnel to develop, implement, and oversee the pilot program and to draft the required report to the Legislature. Exact costs will depend on the recommendations of the stakeholder group and the number of counties that elect to participate.
• One-time costs to CDSS of approximately $100,000 to contract with a third-party to evaluate the outcomes of the pilot program.
• Because this pilot program is optional for counties, counties will not be reimbursed for their involvement in the program. However, this bill creates a GF cost pressure to provide funding for the pilot to participating counties. A similar budget proposal heard during legislative budget proceedings in 2018 identified county costs of $4.8 million (GF) over two years.

Background:

California’s child welfare services (CWS) system is an essential component of the state’s safety net. Abused and neglected children who have been removed from their homes fall under the jurisdiction of the County’s juvenile dependency court. The CWS system provides multiple opportunities for the custody of the child, or the child’s placement outside of the home, to be evaluated, reviewed and determined by the judicial system, in consultation with the child’s social worker, to help provide the best possible services to the child. It is the state’s goal to reunify a foster child or youth with their biological family whenever possible. In instances where reunification is not possible, it is the state’s goal to provide a permanent placement alternative, such as adoption or guardianship.

Continuum of Care Reform (CCR) intends to reduce the numbers of foster children placed in congregate settings by improving assessments of children and families, emphasizing home-based family placements of foster children, and changing the goals of congregate care placements. In 2015, the Legislature passed the first of five CDSS-sponsored bills enacting the CCR, AB 403 (Mark Stone, Chapter 773, Statutes of 2015). Among the essential components of the CCR is the establishment a child and family team for each child in foster care, as well as the elimination of the group home category, and its replacement with short term residential therapeutic programs.

As of January 1, 2017, as a result of CCR, the Resource Family Approval (RFA) program became the statewide process for licensing or certifying foster family homes, approving relatives and nonrelative extended family members (NREFMs) as caregivers, and approving legal guardians and adoptive families. Current law requires resource families to undergo a minimum of 12 hours of preapproval caregiver training in order to ensure caregivers possess the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to serve children placed in their care. Current law also requires resource families complete a minimum of eight hours of caregiver training annually, which includes a variety of topics for the purpose of this ongoing education.

The UC Davis Extension, Center for Human Services partners with CDSS in the Northern California Training Academy (Academy), which seeks to develop new skills for social workers and child welfare practitioners in rural counties through a coaching model. The Academy, with CDSS funding, offers online and in-person training for child welfare workers covering a range of topics, from mandatory core education to specialized topics in social services practices. Twenty-nine counties currently utilize Academy services. Additionally, coaching is currently utilized by the San Francisco Human Services Agency (SFHSA). SFHSA’s coaching strategy includes: training supervisors and program managers in coaching practices to familiarize them with the model and its tools, and hiring external contractors to serve as coaches to work with staff transitioning to new child welfare practice models.

Foster Parent Recruitment, Retention, and Support (FPRRS) is a time-limited, multi-year augmentation of realigned recruitment funding, initiated by CDSS in 2015 and codified by AB 403 (Stone, Chapter 773, Statutes of 2015). FPRRS was created to address an anticipated increase in the number of caregivers needed as a result of CCR implementation by providing counties with supplemental funding for the purpose of recruiting, retaining and supporting resource families and other foster caregivers. Under current law, counties have flexibility to engage in a wide range of activities to support recruitment and retention of resource families, including but not limited to, resource family coaching programs, respite care, and transportation resources. The 2019-20 budget includes a one-time increase of $21.6 million in additional funding for FPRRS through June 2020.

Proposed Law:

This bill would establish a pilot program in up to five counties to provide additional supports to resource families through coaching. Specifically, this bill would:

• Require CDSS to establish and facilitate a pilot program in up to five counties that voluntarily apply and are selected by the department, to increase placement stability for foster youth and facilitate greater resource family retention through the provision of strengths-based, skills-based, trauma-informed coaching services to caregivers;
• Specify that the pilot program is not intended to supplant any existing obligation on counties to provide core services, or to duplicate services already available to foster children in the community, but instead to support access to those services and supports;
• Require the pilot program to provide guidance for the future implementation of coaching for caregivers in counties across the state that elect to implement coaching for caregivers;
• Require CDSS, no later than June 30, 2020, to consult with relevant stakeholders and consider stakeholder recommendations regarding certain parameters of the pilot program;
• Require that the pilot program commence after CDSS has received and reviewed the recommendations of the stakeholder workgroup, but no later than January 1, 2021;
• Require the pilot program to provide coaching to resource families that volunteer to participate in the pilot program through a trained mentor, social worker, or mental health care provider who has received the pilot program coaching training;
• Require coaches to assist resource families to effectively utilize and implement skills and information covered in their preapproval training, annual training, and any specialized training;
• Require coaches to inform participating resource families of available state and county supportive services;
• Specify that participation in the pilot program shall not be a condition of resource family approval or a requirement for a resource family to receive or maintain the placement of a youth;
• Prohibit a social worker with a current caseload from being eligible to serve as a coach;
• Require a participating county to conduct at least one evaluation of the program’s impact and effectiveness and submit its evaluation to CDSS no later than December 31, 2021;
• Require CDSS to report to the Legislature the information provided by the counties;
• Sunset on January 1, 2022.

Related Legislation:

AB 1784 (Maienschein of 2018), substantially similar to this bill, would have required CDSS to establish a pilot program to support resource families through coaching, and, further, would have required CDSS to inform resource families of all available state and county resources. The measure was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

AB 403 (Stone, Chapter 773, Statutes of 2015) began implementation of CCR by sunsetting existing licensure, rate setting and other provisions for group homes and creating new models of care. It also required implementation of child and family teams for every child in foster care statewide. AB 1997 (Stone, Chapter 612, Statutes of 2016), AB 404 (Stone, Chapter 732, Statutes of 2017), and AB 1930 (Stone, 2018) further CCR efforts made by AB 403.

Staff Comments:

A budget proposal was heard during the 2018 legislative budget hearings requesting local assistance costs of $4.8 million General Fund over two years to implement a resource family coaching pilot project. This request, however, was not included in the 2018 Budget Act. The pilot project as described in this bill is optional for counties, and therefore would not require General Fund reimbursement to counties. However, this bill could create a future General Fund cost pressure to provide funding for the pilot to participating counties.

-- END --

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES

Senator Hurtado, Chair

2019 - 2020 Regular

Subject: Resource families: supportive services pilot program

SUMMARY

This bill requires the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to establish a pilot program in up to five counties in order to provide additional supports and services to resource families through coaching and to consult with relevant stakeholders and consider recommendations regarding certain parameters of the pilot program. It also requires participating counties to conduct at least one evaluation regarding the program’s impact and effectiveness.

ABSTRACT

Existing Law:

1. States that the purpose of foster care law is to provide maximum safety and protection for children who are currently being physically, sexually, or emotionally abused, neglected, or exploited; and to ensure the safety, protection, and physical and emotional well-being of children who are at risk of harm. (WIC 300.2)
2. States the intent of the Legislature that foster parents, and potential foster parents, receive training in order to assist them in being effective caregivers and to enhance the safety and growth of children placed with them. Further states the need to develop a basic curriculum, a program for continuing education, and specialized training for parents caring for children with unique needs. (HSC 1529.1)
3. Declares the intent of the Legislature to, whenever possible, preserve and strengthen a child's family ties and, when a child must be removed from the physical custody of his or her parents, to give preferential consideration to placement with relatives. States the intent of the Legislature to reaffirm its commitment to children who are in out-of-home placement to live in the least restrictive family setting and as close to the child's family as possible, as specified. Further states the intent of the Legislature that all children live with a committed, permanent, nurturing family, and states that services and supports should be tailored to meet the specific needs of the individual child and family being served, as specified. (WIC 16000)
4. Allows any state funding allocated to counties for the purpose of recruiting, retaining, and supporting foster parents, relative caregivers, and resource families shall be used to increase the capacity and use of home-based family care and the provision of services and supports to such caregivers. Further states that allowable fund expenditures shall include, but not be limited to, and shall be used to supplement and not supplant, resources used by a county, as specified. (WIC 16003.5)
5. Establishes the Child Welfare Training Program with the purpose of developing and implementing statewide coordinated training programs designed to meet the needs of foster youth, as specified. (WIC 16206 et seq.)
6. Requires every licensed foster parent to complete a minimum of 12 hours of foster parent training, as specified, prior to any foster youth being placed with him or her. Further requires a licensed foster parent to complete at least eight hours of foster parent training, as specified, annually. (WIC 16519.5 (g)(13)-(14)) and (HSC 1529.2(b))
7. Allows a county to provide supportive services to all licensed foster family homes, relatives, and nonrelative extended family members with a child in placement to assist with the resource family transition and to minimize placement disruptions. (WIC 16519.5(o)(5))

This Bill:

1. Requires CDSS to establish and facilitate a pilot program, by January 1, 2021, in up to five counties, including both rural and urban counties that voluntarily apply and are selected by CDSS, to increase placement stability for foster youth and facilitate greater resource family retention through strengths-based, skills-based, and trauma-informed coaching to caregivers.
2. Delays implementation of the pilot program until after CDSS has received and reviewed the recommendations of the stakeholder work group established by provisions of this bill, but stipulates that implementation shall commence no later than January 1, 2021.
3. Specifies the purpose of the pilot program is to supplement and support caregiver access to, not supplant or duplicate, existing core services for purposes of supporting caregivers, as specified.
4. Requires the pilot program to provide guidance for future statewide implementation of coaching for caregiver’s model to counties that choose to implement the program.
5. Requires the pilot program to provide coaching to resource families who volunteer to participate in the program through a trained mentor, social worker, or mental health care provider who has received pilot program coaching training.
6. Requires coaches to assist resource families to effectively utilize and implement skills and information covered in preapproval, annual or other trainings, as specified, in order to promote a stable and nurturing home environment for youth placed in the resource family home.
7. Requires coaches to inform participating resource families of certain available state and county supportive services, including, but not limited to the availability of respite services as needed, availability of, and access to 24-hour resource hotlines where available, and mental health services for foster youth, among others.
8. Prohibits participation in the pilot program from being a condition of resource family approval or a requirement for a resource family to receive or maintain the placement of a youth.
9. Prohibits a social worker with a current caseload from being eligible to serve as a coach, as specified. Requires a coach hired for the pilot program to meet the criteria established by the CDSS, as specified.
10. Requires CDSS, no later than June 30, 2020, to consult relevant stakeholders, as specified, and consider stakeholder recommendations regarding certain parameters of the pilot program, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
    • • 1. Application and selection criteria for participating counties;
        2. A skills-based, strengths-based, trauma-informed coaching program curriculum, as specified;
        3. Application and selection criteria for coaches and;
        4. Criteria used by counties to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in achieving the overall goals of the pilot program.
11. Requires participating counties to conduct at least one evaluation of the program's impact and effectiveness on increasing placement stability for foster youth and retaining resource families, as specified, and to submit this evaluation to CDSS by December 31, 2022.
12. Requires CDSS to report the information provided by counties pursuant to provisions of this bill to the Legislature, as specified.
13. Specifies that implementation of the pilot program is subject to an appropriation by the Legislature.
14. Repeals the provisions of this bill related to the pilot program as of January 1, 2023.

FISCAL IMPACT

The analysis prepared by the Assembly Appropriations Committee for the May 16, 2019 version of this bill identified the following fiscal impact:

1. Ongoing costs to CDSS of between $300,000 to $450,000 (General Fund (GF)) per year for up to three positions to operate the pilot program, for stakeholder engagement and to produce the required report. Exact costs will depend on the complexity of the working group recommendations and the number of counties electing to participate.
2. Because this pilot program is optional for counties, counties will not be reimbursed for their involvement in the program. However, this bill creates a GF cost pressure to provide funding for the pilot to participating counties. A similar budget proposal heard during legislative budget proceedings in 2018 identified county costs of $4.8 million (GF) over two years. The GF costs may be offset to the extent the commission allocates the MHSA funds for this program.

BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION

Purpose of the Bill:

According to the author, “When children are moved from home to home,….they experience further trauma….and will also likely suffer academically, socially, emotionally and physically from multiple placement moves. This bill provides much needed supports to our most valuable resources, resource families….and will help families meet the needs of the children in these family homes, leading to vastly improved placement stability and the retention of resource families.” This bill creates a new support in the form of coaching for resource families.

Child Welfare Services (CWS)

California’s child welfare system (CWS) is charged with protecting children from abuse and neglect and providing for their health, safety, and overall well-being. When warranted, abused and neglected children may be removed from their homes and placed into foster care. In 2018, the state’s child welfare agencies received 485,651 reports of abuse or neglect. Of those reports, 66,584 contained allegations that were substantiated and 27,110 of the substantiated reports resulted in children being removed from their homes and placed into foster care.

Abused and neglected children who have been removed from their homes fall under the jurisdiction of the county’s juvenile dependency court, while the children are served by the county child welfare social worker. This system seeks to ensure the safety and protection of these children, and where possible, preserve and strengthen families through visitation and family reunification. It is the state’s goal to reunify a foster child or youth with their biological family whenever possible. In instances where reunification is not possible, it is the state’s goal to provide a permanent placement alternative, such as adoption or guardianship, with placement priority given to placing children with other relatives or nonrelative extended family members. As of October 1, 2018, there were 59,487 children in California’s CWS system.

Continuum of Care Reform (CCR)

The CCR is a system-wide effort to institute a series of reforms to California’s CWS program. It is designed out of an understanding that children who must live apart from their biological parents do best when they are cared for in committed nurturing family homes. For more than a decade, researchers have documented poor outcomes for foster children. These poor outcomes have been especially pronounced for those placed in a group or congregate care settings. CCR intends to reduce the number of foster children placed in congregate care settings by improving the assessments of children and families and establishing a child and family team for each child in foster care. Assembly Bill 403 (Stone, Chapter 773, Statutes of 2015) was the first of five CDSS-sponsored CCR bills and it provides the statutory and policy framework to ensure services and supports provided to the child or youth and their family are tailored toward the ultimate goal of maintaining a stable permanent family.

Resource Family Approval (RFA) Program

Concurrent with the implementation of CCR, the state replaced the existing process for licensing foster family homes, approving relatives and non-relative extended family members, certifying foster homes by licensed foster family agencies, and approving legal guardians and adoptive families. It combines elements of each of these prior processes into a single approval standard, regardless of the child’s case plan. The RFA program includes a psychosocial assessment, home environment check, and training for all resource families, including relatives, in order to prepare families to address the needs of vulnerable children in the foster care system.

The goal of the RFA program is to eliminate the duplication of processes and streamline placement of children in a way that is unified, family friendly, and child-centered. Because it includes elements of adoption and guardianship processes, the RFA program can create opportunities for more direct routes to permanency for foster youth. Initially implemented in select counties through legislation sponsored by the County Welfare Directors Association in 2007, RFA was then expanded through SB 1013 (Budget and Fiscal Review), Chapter 35, Statutes 2012), and adopted on a statewide basis through CCR legislation.

Resource Family Training Requirements

The RFA program includes comprehensive training requirements for resource family applicants and for those approved as resource families, to ensure caregivers possess the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to serve children placed in their care. Under current law, resource family applicants are required to complete 12 hours of preapproval caregiver training on a variety of topics. These include, but are not limited to the following: an overview of the child protective and probation systems; the effects of trauma on child development; positive discipline; the importance of self-esteem; health issues in foster care; and cultural needs of children, among others. Additionally, prior to approval, applicants must have an understanding of a youth’s needs and development, effective parenting skills or knowledge about parenting, and an ability to act as a reasonable and prudent parent in day-to-day decision making.

Counties may require preapproved and approved resource families to receive specialized training, as necessary, to prepare and enable them to meet the needs of a particular child in their care. Current law also requires approved resource families to complete a minimum of eight hours of annual caregiver training on a variety of topics, for ongoing education. Annual caregiver training topics include health issues in foster care, promoting normal childhood experiences, permanence, well-being, and the cultural and education needs of youth, among other topics. This bill would provide resource families in pilot counties with a post-placement coaching support, increasing the overall level of support resource families receive, to improve placement stability and the outcomes for youth in care.

Child Welfare Coaching Models in California

The UC Davis Extension, Center for Human Services (Center) defines coaching as “the process by which the coach creates structured, focused interaction, and uses appropriate strategies, tools, and techniques to promote desirable and sustainable change for the benefit of the learner, in turn making a positive impact on the organization.”^[1] The Center sees coaching in the child welfare context as a way to improve an agency’s success in working with children and families by improving systemic implementation of practice, creating positive changes in behavior, and embedding professional development in the agency’s culture.

Related Programs and Models

This bill is based on several similar coaching programs and models, including:

• Kinship Support Services Program (KSSP) provides non-financial support services to relative caregivers and the children placed in their homes. This program supports caregivers who have children who are dependents of the juvenile court as well as children who are not court-dependent children. KSSP also provides post-permanency supports to caregivers in order to strengthen a family’s ability to provide ongoing support and stability for youth. The KSSP model can include such supports as case management, health management, support groups, counseling services, respite care, referrals, and advocacy, among others. The provisions of this bill mirror several core components of the KSSP, including the requirement that participating counties have viable financial support, have strong and viable public or private agencies to operate the pilot program, and describe how the county will develop and maintain the necessary community supports.
• Northern California Training Academy was created as a partnership between the University of California, Davis and state government. This program enables social workers and child welfare practitioners in rural communities to develop new skills through a coaching model. The Academy offers training to child welfare workers that ranges from mandatory core education to specialized topics, and allows for both online and in-person training. The Academy also aids in providing administrative and logistical support to assist counties coordinate, research, and program evaluations. Twenty-nine counties currently utilize Academy services.
• The Wisdom Pathways Institute (WPI) offers a trauma-informed parent-child coaching model called, the “Wisdom Path Way Reparative Parenting Approach” (WPW), for foster and adoptive parents, based on “brain-based, developmental, and practical approach for effectively re-parenting children negatively impacted by adverse experiences”.^[2] WPW integrates neurodevelopmental wisdom with a contemporary perspective of child development to decrease maladaptive behaviors for foster and adopted children. Coaching services are provided to parents in California in person or by phone.
• Foster Parent Recruitment, Retention, and Support (FPRRS) is a time-limited, multi-year augmentation of realigned recruitment funding, initiated by CDSS in 2015 and codified by AB 403 (Stone, Chapter 773, Statutes of 2015). FPRRS was created to address an anticipated increase in the number of caregivers needed as a result of CCR implementation by providing counties with supplemental funding for the purpose of recruiting, retaining and supporting resource families and other foster caregivers. Under current law, counties have flexibility to engage in a wide range of activities to support recruitment and retention of resource families, including but not limited to, resource family coaching programs, respite care, and transportation resources, among other things. The 2019-20 budget includes a one-time increase of $21.6 million in additional funding for FPRRS through June 2020, for counties to continue activities and services to retain, recruit, and support relative caregivers and resource families.

Related/Prior Legislation:

AB 1784 (Maienschein of 2018), was substantially similar to this bill and would have required CDSS to establish a pilot program to support resource families through coaching, and, further, would have required CDSS to inform resource families of all available state and county resources. AB 1784 was held on the Senate Appropriations Committee suspense file.

AB 1930 (Stone, Chapter 910, Statutes of 2018), AB 404 (Stone, Chapter 732, Statutes of 2017) AB 1997 and (Stone, Chapter 612, Statutes of 2016) furthered CCR efforts initiated by AB 403.

AB 403 (Stone, Chapter 773, Statutes of 2015) began implementation of CCR by sunsetting existing licensure, rate setting, and other provisions for group homes and creating new models of care to better serve children and youth in California’s child welfare services system.

PRIOR VOTES

POSITIONS

Support:

California Court Appointed Special Advocate Association

California Alliance of Child and Family Services

Children Now

County Welfare Directors Association of California (CWDA)

The California Association of Local Behavioral Health Boards and Commissions

Oppose:

None received

-- END --

1. Coaching in the Field of Child Welfare, Northern California Training Academy, UC Davis Extension

   https://extensiononline.ucdavis.edu/courses/705/pages/coaching-in-the-field-of-child-welfare, June 18, 2018. ↑

2. http://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/ACIN/2018/I-28_18.pdf?ver=2018-05-11-110112-093 ↑

SENATE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES

Senator Hurtado, Chair

2019 - 2020 Regular

Subject: Resource families: supportive services pilot program

SUMMARY

This bill requires the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to establish a pilot program in up to five counties in order to provide additional supports and services to resource families through coaching and to consult with relevant stakeholders and consider recommendations regarding certain parameters of the pilot program. It also requires participating counties to conduct at least one evaluation regarding the program’s impact and effectiveness.

ABSTRACT

Existing Law:

1. States that the purpose of foster care law is to provide maximum safety and protection for children who are currently being physically, sexually, or emotionally abused, neglected, or exploited; and to ensure the safety, protection, and physical and emotional well-being of children who are at risk of harm. (WIC 300.2)
2. States the intent of the Legislature that foster parents, and potential foster parents, receive training in order to assist them in being effective caregivers and to enhance the safety and growth of children placed with them. Further states the need to develop a basic curriculum, a program for continuing education, and specialized training for parents caring for children with unique needs. (HSC 1529.1)
3. Declares the intent of the Legislature to, whenever possible, preserve and strengthen a child's family ties and, when a child must be removed from the physical custody of his or her parents, to give preferential consideration to placement with relatives. States the intent of the Legislature to reaffirm its commitment to children who are in out-of-home placement to live in the least restrictive family setting and as close to the child's family as possible, as specified. Further states the intent of the Legislature that all children live with a committed, permanent, nurturing family, and states that services and supports should be tailored to meet the specific needs of the individual child and family being served, as specified. (WIC 16000)
4. Allows any state funding allocated to counties for the purpose of recruiting, retaining, and supporting foster parents, relative caregivers, and resource families shall be used to increase the capacity and use of home-based family care and the provision of services and supports to such caregivers. Further states that allowable fund expenditures shall include, but not be limited to, and shall be used to supplement and not supplant, resources used by a county, as specified. (WIC 16003.5)
5. Establishes the Child Welfare Training Program with the purpose of developing and implementing statewide coordinated training programs designed to meet the needs of foster youth, as specified. (WIC 16206 et seq.)
6. Requires every licensed foster parent to complete a minimum of 12 hours of foster parent training, as specified, prior to any foster youth being placed with him or her. Further requires a licensed foster parent to complete at least eight hours of foster parent training, as specified, annually. (WIC 16519.5 (g)(13)-(14)) (HSC 1529.2(b))
7. Allows a county to provide supportive services to all licensed foster family homes, relatives, and nonrelative extended family members with a child in placement to assist with the resource family transition and to minimize placement disruptions. (WIC 16519.5(o)(5))

This Bill:

1. Requires CDSS to establish and facilitate a pilot program, by January 1, 2021, in up to five counties, including both rural and urban counties that voluntarily apply and are selected by CDSS, to increase placement stability for foster youth and facilitate greater resource family retention through strengths-based, skills-based, and trauma-informed coaching to caregivers.
2. Allows funding for the pilot program to include Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) monies allocated to the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission to the extent that the Commission determines that the activities of the pilot program fall within certain purposes described in current law, and the Commission elects to provide funding for those activities, and upon appropriation by the Legislature.
3. Delays implementation of the pilot program until after CDSS has received and reviewed the recommendations of the stakeholder work group established by provisions of this bill, but stipulates that implementation shall commence no later than January 1, 2021.
4. Specifies the purpose of the pilot program is to supplement and support caregiver access to, not supplant or duplicate, existing core services for purposes of supporting caregivers, as specified.
5. Requires the pilot program to provide guidance for future statewide implementation of coaching for caregiver’s model to counties that choose to implement the program.
6. Requires the pilot program to provide coaching to resource families who volunteer to participate in the program through a trained mentor, social worker, or mental health care provider who has received pilot program coaching training.
7. Requires coaches to assist resource families to effectively utilize and implement skills and information covered in preapproval, annual or other trainings, as specified, in order to promote a stable and nurturing home environment for youth placed in the resource family home.
8. Requires coaches to inform participating resource families of certain available state and county supportive services, including, but not limited to the availability of respite services as needed, availability of, and access to 24-hour resource hotlines where available, and mental health services for foster youth, among others.
9. Prohibits participation in the pilot program from being a condition of resource family approval or a requirement for a resource family to receive or maintain the placement of a youth.
10. Prohibits a social worker with a current caseload from being eligible to serve as a coach, as specified. Requires a coach hired for the pilot program to meet the criteria established by the CDSS, as specified.
11. Requires CDSS, no later than June 30, 2020, to consult relevant stakeholders, as specified, and consider stakeholder recommendations regarding certain parameters of the pilot program, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
    • • 1. Application and selection criteria for participating counties;
        2. A skills-based, strengths-based, trauma-informed coaching program curriculum, as specified;
        3. Application and selection criteria for coaches and;
        4. Criteria used by counties to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in achieving the overall goals of the pilot program.
12. Requires participating counties to conduct at least one evaluation of the program's impact and effectiveness on increasing placement stability for foster youth and retaining resource families, as specified, and to submit this evaluation to CDSS by December 31, 2022.
13. Requires CDSS to report the information provided by counties pursuant to provisions of this bill to the Legislature, as specified.
14. Repeals the provisions of this bill related to the pilot program as of January 1, 2023.

FISCAL IMPACT

The analysis prepared by the Assembly Appropriations Committee for the May 16 version of this bill identified the following fiscal impact:

1. Ongoing costs to CDSS of between $300,000 to $450,000 general fund per year for up to three positions to operate the pilot program, for stakeholder engagement and to produce the required report. Exact costs will depend on the complexity of the working group recommendations and the number of counties electing to participate.
2. Because this pilot program is optional for counties, counties will not be reimbursed for their involvement in the program. However, this bill creates a GF cost pressure to provide funding for the pilot to participating counties. A similar budget proposal heard during legislative budget proceedings in 2018 identified county costs of $4.8 million (GF) over two years. The GF costs may be offset to the extent the commission allocates the MHSA funds for this program.

BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION

Purpose of the Bill:

According to the author, “When children are moved from home to home,….they experience further trauma….and will also likely suffer academically, socially, emotionally and physically from multiple placement moves. This bill provides much needed supports to our most valuable resources, resource families….and will help families meet the needs of the children in these family homes, leading to vastly improved placement stability and the retention of resource families.” This bill creates a new support in the form of coaching for resource families.

Child Welfare Services (CWS)

California’s child welfare system (CWS) is charged with protecting children from abuse and neglect and providing for their health, safety, and overall well-being. When warranted, abused and neglected children may be removed from their homes and placed into foster care. In 2018, the state’s child welfare agencies received 485,651 reports of abuse or neglect. Of those reports, 66,584 contained allegations that were substantiated and 27,110 of the substantiated reports resulted in children being removed from their homes and placed into foster care.

Abused and neglected children who have been removed from their homes fall under the jurisdiction of the county’s juvenile dependency court, while the children are served by the county child welfare social worker. This system seeks to ensure the safety and protection of these children, and where possible, preserve and strengthen families through visitation and family reunification... It is the state’s goal to reunify a foster child or youth with their biological family whenever possible. In instances where reunification is not possible, it is the state’s goal to provide a permanent placement alternative, such as adoption or guardianship, with placement priority given to placing children with other relatives or nonrelative extended family members. As of October 1, 2018, there were 59,487 children in California’s CWS system.

Continuum of Care Reform (CCR) Effort

The CCR is a system-wide effort to institute a series of reforms to California’s CWS program. It is designed out of an understanding that children who must live apart from their biological parents do best when they are cared for in committed nurturing family homes. For more than a decade, researchers have documented poor outcomes for foster children. These poor outcomes have been especially pronounced for those placed in a group or congregate care settings. CCR intends to reduce the number of foster children placed in congregate care settings by improving the assessments of children and families and establishing a child and family team for each child in foster care. Assembly Bill 403 (Stone) Chapter 773, Statutes of 2015 was the first of five CDSS-sponsored CCR bills and it provides the statutory and policy framework to ensure services and supports provided to the child or youth and their family are tailored toward the ultimate goal of maintaining a stable permanent family.

Resource Family Approval (RFA) Program

Concurrent with the implementation of CCR, the state replaced the existing process for licensing foster family homes, approving relatives and non-relative extended family members, certifying foster homes by licensed foster family agencies, and approving legal guardians and adoptive families. It combines elements of each of these prior processes into a single approval standard, regardless of the child’s case plan. The RFA program includes a psychosocial assessment, home environment check, and training for all resource families, including relatives, in order to prepare families to address the needs of vulnerable children in the foster care system.

The goal of the RFA program is to eliminate the duplication of processes and streamline placement of children in a way that is unified, family friendly, and child-centered. Because it includes elements of adoption and guardianship processes, the RFA program can create opportunities for more direct routes to permanency for foster youth. Initially implemented in select counties through legislation sponsored by the County Welfare Directors Association in 2007, RFA was then expanded through SB 1013 (Budget and Fiscal Review), Chapter 35, Statutes 2012), and adopted on a statewide basis through CCR legislation.

Resource Family Training Requirements

The RFA program includes comprehensive training requirements for resource family applicants and for those approved as resource families, to ensure caregivers possess the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to serve children placed in their care. Under current law, resource family applicants are required to complete 12 hours of preapproval caregiver training on a variety of topics. These include, but are not limited to the following: an overview of the child protective and probation systems; the effects of trauma on child development; positive discipline; the importance of self-esteem; health issues in foster care; and cultural needs of children, among others. Additionally, prior to approval, applicants must have an understanding of a youth’s needs and development, effective parenting skills or knowledge about parenting, and an ability to act as a reasonable and prudent parent in day-to-day decision making.

Counties may require preapproved and approved resource families to receive specialized training, as necessary, to prepare and enable them to meet the needs of a particular child in their care. Current law also requires approved resource families to complete a minimum of eight hours of annual caregiver training on a variety of topics, for ongoing education. Annual caregiver training topics include health issues in foster care, promoting normal childhood experiences, permanence, well-being, and the cultural and education needs of youth, among other topics. This bill would provide resource families in pilot counties with a post-placement coaching support, increasing the overall level of support resource families receive, to improve placement stability and the outcomes for youth in care.

Mental Health Services Act

Proposition 63 (now known as the Mental Health Services Act or MHSA)^[1] was approved by voters in November 2004 and provides increased funding, personnel and other resources to support county mental health programs and monitor progress toward statewide goals for children, transition age youth, adults, older adults and families. MHSA addresses a broad continuum of prevention, early intervention and service needs and the necessary infrastructure, technology and training elements that support this system. MHSA imposes a 1 percent income tax on personal income in excess of $1 million.

MHSA establishes the continuously appropriated Mental Health Services Fund to manage various mental health programs, including the Adult and Older Mental Health System of Care Act. The fund is projected to have revenues of $2.2 billion in the 2019–20 Fiscal Year. Of this, 5 percent is set aside for administrative activities.

The Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission was established in 2004 to provide oversight and accountability for portions of the MHSA, Adult and Older Adult System of Care Act and the Children’s Mental Health Services Act. The Commission’s primary roles include: (1) providing oversight, review, accountability, and evaluation of projects and programs supported by MHSA funds; (2) assessing whether services that are provided pursuant to the MHSA are cost-effective and in accordance with recommended best practices; (3) participating in the decision-making process for training, technical assistance, and regulatory resources to meet the mission and goals of the state’s mental health system; (4) reviewing and approving county Innovation Program and Expenditure Plans; (5) providing counties technical assistance in MHSA program plan development to accomplish the purposes of the MHSA; and (6) administering the Mental Health Wellness Act of 2013 Triage Personnel grants. The Commission also advises the Governor and the Legislature regarding state actions to improve care and services for people with mental illness. This bill would allow MHSA funding to be used for the pilot program if the Commission elects to do so, and has determined the pilot program’s activities fall within certain purposes specified in current law.

Child Welfare Coaching Models in California

The UC Davis Extension, Center for Human Services (Center) defines coaching as “the process by which the coach creates structured, focused interaction, and uses appropriate strategies, tools, and techniques to promote desirable and sustainable change for the benefit of the learner, in turn making a positive impact on the organization.”^[2] The Center sees coaching in the child welfare context as a way to improve an agency’s success in working with children and families by improving systemic implementation of practice, creating positive changes in behavior, and embedding professional development in the agency’s culture.

Related programs and models: The provisions of this bill are based on several similar coaching programs and models, including:

Kinship Support Services Program (KSSP): KSSP provides non-financial support services to relative caregivers who have dependents of the juvenile court and not court-dependent youth placed in their homes. KSSP also provides post-permanency supports to caregivers in order to strengthen a family’s ability to provide ongoing support and stability for youth. The KSSP model can include such supports as case management, health management, support groups, counseling services, respite care, referrals, and advocacy, among others. The provisions of this bill mirror several core components of the KSSP, including the requirement that participating counties have viable financial support, have strong and viable public or private agencies to operate the pilot program, and describe how the county will develop and maintain the necessary community supports.

Northern California Training Academy: Created as a partnership between the University of California, Davis and state government, the Northern California Training Academy enables social workers and child welfare practitioners in rural communities to develop new skills through a coaching model. The Academy offers training to child welfare workers that ranges from mandatory core education to specialized topics, and allows for both online and in-person training. The Academy also aids in providing administrative and logistical support to assist counties coordinate, research, and program evaluations. Twenty-nine counties currently utilize Academy services.

The Wisdom Pathways Institute (WPI): Offers a trauma-informed parent-child coaching model called, the “Wisdom Path Way Reparative Parenting Approach” (WPW), for foster and adoptive parents, based on “brain-based, developmental, and practical approach for effectively re-parenting children negatively impacted by adverse experiences”.^[3] WPW integrates neurodevelopmental wisdom with a contemporary perspective of child development to decrease maladaptive behaviors for foster and adopted children. Coaching services are provided to parents in California in person or by phone.

Foster Parent Recruitment, Retention, and Support (FPRRS): FPRRS is a time-limited, multi-year augmentation of realigned recruitment funding, initiated by CDSS in 2015 and codified by AB 403 (Stone, Chapter 773, Statutes of 2015). FPRRS was created to address an anticipated increase in the number of caregivers needed as a result of CCR implementation by providing counties with supplemental funding for the purpose of recruiting, retaining and supporting resource families and other foster caregivers. Under current law, counties have flexibility to engage in a wide range of activities to support recruitment and retention of resource families, including but not limited to, resource family coaching programs, respite care, and transportation resources, among other things. The 2019-20 budget includes a one-time increase of $21.6 million (General Fund) in additional funding for FPRRS through June 2020, for counties to continue activities and services to retain, recruit, and support relative caregivers and resource families.

Related/Prior Legislation:

SB 819 (Mark Stone, 2019) furthers CCR efforts initiated by AB 403 (Mark Stone, Chapter 773, Statutes of 2015). This bill is scheduled to be hearing in this committee on July 8, 2019.

AB 1784 (Maienschein of 2018), was substantially similar to this bill and would have required CDSS to establish a pilot program to support resource families through coaching, and, further, would have required CDSS to inform resource families of all available state and county resources. AB 1784 was held on the Senate Appropriations Committee suspense file.

AB 1930 (Mark Stone, Chapter 910, Statutes of 2018), AB 404 (Mark Stone, Chapter 732, Statutes of 2017) AB 1997 and (Mark Stone, Chapter 612, Statutes of 2016) furthered CCR efforts initiated by AB 403.

AB 403 (Mark Stone, Chapter 773, Statutes of 2015) began implementation of CCR by sunsetting existing licensure, rate setting, and other provisions for group homes and creating new models of care to better serve children and youth in California’s child welfare services system.

PRIOR VOTES

POSITIONS

Support:

California Court Appointed Special Advocate Association

Children Now

The California Association of Local Behavioral Health Boards and Commissions

Oppose:

None received

-- END --

1. MHSA http://mhsoac.ca.gov/act ↑

2. Coaching in the Field of Child Welfare, Northern California Training Academy, UC Davis Extension

   https://extensiononline.ucdavis.edu/courses/705/pages/coaching-in-the-field-of-child-welfare, June 18, 2018. ↑

3. http://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/ACIN/2018/I-28_18.pdf?ver=2018-05-11-110112-093 ↑

ASSEMBLY THIRD READING

ATR Bill Id:AB 734

Author:(Maienschein)

As Amended Ver:May 16, 2019

Majority vote

SUMMARY:

Requires the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to establish a pilot program in up to five counties in order to provide additional supports and services to resource families through coaching and to consult relevant stakeholders and consider stakeholder recommendations regarding certain parameters of the pilot program, and requires participating counties to conduct at least one evaluation regarding the program's impact and effectiveness.

Major Provisions

1. Requires CDSS to establish and facilitate a pilot program in no more than five counties, in order to increase placement stability for foster youth and facilitate greater resource family retention, as specified.
2. Allows funding for the pilot program to include Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) state operations funds if the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission determines that the pilot program meets the purposes described in the provisions of law governing the funds, and elects to provide funding for those purposes, as specified.
3. Delays implementation of the pilot program until after CDSS has received and reviewed stakeholder recommendations, as specified, but no later than January 1, 2021.
4. Specifies the purpose of the pilot program is to supplement and support caregiver access to, not supplant or duplicate, existing core services for purposes of supporting caregivers, as specified.
5. Requires a participating county to meet certain requirements, such as: have strong and viable agencies operate the program, and have a viable plan for ongoing financial support of the program, among others, as specified.
6. Requires the program to provide coaching to resource families who volunteer to participate in the program, as specified, and, further, requires coaches to assist resource families in using and implementing skills and information covered in preapproval training, as specified, and inform participating resource families of available state and county supportive services.
7. Prohibits participation in the pilot program from being a condition of resource family approval or a requirement for a resource family to receive or maintain the placement of a youth.
8. Prohibits a social worker with a current caseload from being eligible to serve as a coach.
9. Requires CDSS, no later than June 30, 2020, to consult relevant stakeholders, and consider stakeholder recommendations regarding parameters of the pilot program, as specified.
10. Requires participating counties to each conduct at least one evaluation of the program's impact and effectiveness and submit this evaluation to CDSS by December 31, 2022, and, further, requires CDSS to report that information to the Legislature, as specified.
11. Repeals the provisions of this bill as of January 1, 2023.

COMMENTS:

Resource Family Approval (RFA): process and requirements: The RFA process is a unified, family-friendly, and child-centered process that combines elements of foster parent licensing, relative approval, and adoption/guardianship approval processes; it includes a psychosocial assessment, home environment check, and training for all resource families, including relatives, and is also a route to direct permanency for caregivers who wish to adopt or be guardians of youth in care. Resource family applicants must complete 12 hours of pre-approval caregiver training, and approved resource families must complete a minimum of eight hours of caregiver training annually on a number of topics; the provisions of this bill would include coaching among the supports offered to approved resource families to ensure provision of the best care possible to youth in care.

Need for this bill: The provisions of this bill seek to provide additional support to caregivers through a pilot program that provides coaching services to caregivers, among other supports.

According to the Author:

"This bill provides much needed supports to our most valuable resource families…and will help families meet the needs of the children in these family homes, leading to vastly improved placement stability and the retention of resource families."

Arguments in Support:

Supporters state that the use of coaching will improve foster placement stability for children within resource families and will improve resource family training, support, and retention.

Arguments in Opposition:

None on file

FISCAL COMMENTS:

According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, this bill may result in the following costs: 1) ongoing costs to DSS of between $300,000 to $450,000 (General Fund [GF]) per year for up to three positions to operate the pilot program, for stakeholder engagement and to produce the required report (exact costs will depend on the complexity of the working group recommendations and the number of counties electing to participate); and, 2) because this pilot program is optional for counties, counties will not be reimbursed for their involvement in the program (however, this bill creates a [GF] cost pressure to provide funding for the pilot to participating counties; a similar budget proposal heard during legislative budget proceedings in 2018 identified county costs of $4.8 million [GF] over two years, and the [GF] costs may be offset to the extent the commission allocates MHSA funds for this program).

VOTES:

ASM HUMAN SERVICES: 8-0-0

YES: Reyes, Mathis, Luz Rivas, Choi, Friedman, Gipson, Maienschein, Mark Stone

ASM APPROPRIATIONS: 18-0-0

YES: Gonzalez, Bigelow, Bloom, Bonta, Brough, Calderon, Carrillo, Chau, Diep, Eggman, Fong, Gabriel, Eduardo Garcia, Maienschein, Obernolte, Petrie-Norris, Quirk, Robert Rivas

UPDATED:

VERSION: May 16, 2019

CONSULTANT: Kelsy Castillo / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089 FN: 0000886

Date of Hearing: April 10, 2019

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Lorena Gonzalez, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 734

Author:(Maienschein) – As Amended Ver:March 18, 2019

Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No

SUMMARY:

This bill requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to establish a pilot program to provide additional support to foster care resource families. Specifically, this bill:

1. Requires DSS to establish and facilitate a county-optional, three-year pilot program in up to five counties to provide transportation for medical care and educational and recreational activities, tutoring and mentoring, and strength-based, skills-based, and trauma-informed coaching, among other services, to resource families beginning no later than January 1, 2021.
2. Requires the curriculum for the program to be developed in consultation with relevant stakeholders beginning no later than June 30, 2020.
3. Requires participating counties to first seek to employ current social workers who meet the criteria established by DSS through the stakeholder process to serve as coaches. The bill specifies that social workers with a current caseload are not eligible to serve as a coach.
4. Requires the program to be funded with monies appropriated by the Legislature for its purposes and authorizes specified Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) funding allocated to the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission to be used, should the commission determine the pilot program activities are eligible and elect to provide funding.
5. Requires DSS to report to the Legislature on the results of the pilot for each participating county by December 31, 2022.

FISCAL EFFECT:

1. Ongoing costs to DSS of between $300,000 to $450,000 (GF) per year for up to three positions to operate the pilot program, for stakeholder engagement and to produce the required report. Exact costs will depend on the complexity of the working group recommendations and the number of counties electing to participate.
2. Because this pilot program is optional for counties, counties will not be reimbursed for their involvement in the program. However, this bill creates a GF cost pressure to provide funding for the pilot to participating counties. A similar budget proposal heard during legislative budget proceedings in 2018 identified county costs of $4.8 million (GF) over two years. The GF costs may be offset to the extent the commission allocates MHSA funds for this program.

COMMENTS:

1. Purpose. This bill seeks to increase placement stability for foster youth and facilitate greater resource family retention through additional supports and services, including strength-based, skills-based and trauma-informed coaching.
2. Background. AB 403 (Stone), Chapter 773, Statutes of 2015, reformed placement and treatment options for youth in foster care. Called Continuum of Care Reform (CCR), AB 403 sought to improve outcomes for children and youth served by California’s Child Welfare System by reducing the reliance on congregate care as a placement option for foster youth. CCR reforms work to ensure that youth in foster care have their day-to-day physical, mental and emotional needs met and have the opportunity to grow up in permanent and supportive homes. Subsequent legislation further facilitated implementation of CCR efforts.

AB 340 (Hancock), Chapter 340, Statutes of 2007, authorized DSS to implement the resource family approval (RFA) program, a unified, family-friendly and child-centered resource family approval process that combines elements of foster parent licensing, relative approval, and approvals for adoption and guardianship.

The RFA process includes a psychosocial assessment, home environment check and training for all families, including relatives, to prepare families to better meet the needs of children in the foster care system. Combined with the Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI), which aims to recruit, support and retain quality caregivers that can effectively parent foster youth, RFA works to better meet the needs of foster youth.

Current law requires resource families to undergo a minimum of 12 hours of preapproval caregiver training to ensure caregivers possess the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to serve children placed in their care. Prior to approval as a resource family, applicants must have an understanding of a youth’s needs and development, effective parenting skills or knowledge about parenting, and an ability to act as a reasonable and prudent parent in day-to-day decision making.

This bill includes coaching among the supports offered to resource families. These supports are similar to services provided under the Kinship Support Services Program, which provides community-based family support services to relative caregivers and the children placed in their homes by the juvenile court or who are at risk of dependency or delinquency.

1. Mental Health Services Act. The MHSA was enacted by the voters as Proposition 63 on November 2, 2004. The MHSA establishes the Mental Health Services Fund to fund various county mental health programs. Existing law requires up to 5% of the fund to be reserved for specified entities, including the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission which oversees MHSA programs that include direct services to mental health clients through contracts with counties, programs for prevention and early intervention, and housing for individuals with mental illness.
2. Prior Legislation. AB 1784 (Maienschein), of the 2017-18 Legislative Session, was substantially similar to this bill. AB 1784 was held on the Senate Appropriations Committee Suspense File.

Analysis Prepared by: Jennifer Swenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081

Date of Hearing: March 26, 2019

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES

Eloise Gómez Reyes, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 734 (

Author:Maienschein) – As Amended Ver:March 18, 2019

SUBJECT: Resource families: supportive services pilot program

SUMMARY: Requires the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) to establish a pilot program in up to five counties in order to provide additional supports and services to resource families through coaching and consult relevant stakeholders and consider stakeholder recommendations regarding certain parameters of the pilot program, and requires participating counties to conduct at least one evaluation regarding the program’s impact and effectiveness. Specifically, this bill:

1. Requires CDSS to establish and facilitate a pilot program in no more than five counties, including both rural and urban counties, that voluntarily apply and are selected by CDSS, in order to increase placement stability for foster youth and facilitate greater resource family retention, as specified.
2. Allows funding for the pilot program to include Mental Health Services Act monies allocated to the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission to the extent that the Commission determined that the activities of the pilot program fall within certain purposes described in current law, and the Commission elects to provide funding for those activities.
3. Delays implementation of the pilot program until after CDSS has received and reviewed the recommendations of the stakeholder work group established by the provisions of this bill, but stipulates that implementation shall commence no later than January 1, 2021.
4. Requires a participating county to meet the following conditions and requirements:
   1. Have a demonstrated capacity for collaboration and interagency coordination;
   2. Have a viable plan for ongoing financial support of the program;
   3. Have strong and viable public or private agencies to operate the program; and,
   4. Describe how the county will develop and maintain the necessary community supports.
5. Requires the program to provide coaching to resource families who volunteer to participate in the program through a trained mentor, social worker, or mental health care provider who has received pilot program coaching training.
6. Requires coaches to assist resource families to effectively utilize and implement skills and information covered in preapproval training, as specified, in order to promote a stable and nurturing home environment for youth placed in the resource family home.
7. Requires coaches to inform participating resource families of certain available state and county supportive services, as specified.
8. Prohibits participation in the pilot program from being a condition of resource family approval or a requirement for a resource family to receive or maintain the placement of a youth.
9. Requires the program to provide family support services, as specified, including, but not limited to:
   1. Assessment and case management;
   2. Social services referral and intervention aimed at maintaining the family unit, such as housing, homemaker services, respite care, legal services, and daycare;
   3. Transportation for medical care and educational and recreational activities;
   4. Information and referral services;
   5. Individual and group counseling in the area of parent-child relationships and group conflict;
   6. Counseling and referral services aimed at promoting permanency, including adoption and guardianship;
   7. Tutoring and mentoring; and,
   8. Strengths-based, skills-based, trauma-informed coaching.
10. Requires a participating county to first seek to employ current social workers who meet the eligibility criteria established by CDSS, as specified, to serve as coaches for the pilot program, and, further, allows a county to hire new social workers who are eligible, if necessary.
11. Prohibits a social worker with a current caseload from being eligible to serve as a coach.
12. Allows a county that is unable to fill a coach position with a current social worker or new hire to contract with a private individual or entity to fill the position, provided the coach meets all eligibility criteria, as specified.
13. Requires CDSS, no later than June 30, 2020, to consult relevant stakeholders, as specified, and consider stakeholder recommendations regarding certain parameters of the pilot program, including, but not limited to, the following:
    1. Application and selection criteria for participating counties;
    2. A skills-based, strengths-based, trauma-informed coaching program curriculum, as specified;
    3. Application and selection criteria for coaches; and,
    4. Criteria used by counties to evaluate the effectiveness of the program in achieving the overall goals of the pilot program.
14. Requires participating counties to conduct at least one evaluation of the program's impact and effectiveness on increasing placement stability for foster youth and retaining resource families, as specified, and to submit this evaluation to CDSS by December 31, 2022.
15. Requires CDSS to report the information provided by counties pursuant to provisions of this bill to the Legislature, as specified.
16. Repeals the provisions of this bill related to the pilot program as of January 1, 2023.

EXISTING LAW:

1. States that the purpose of foster care law is to provide maximum safety and protection for children who are currently being physically, sexually, or emotionally abused, neglected, or exploited, and to ensure the safety, protection, and physical and emotional well-being of children who are at risk of harm. (Welfare and Institutions Code [WIC] Section 300.2)
2. Declares the intent of the Legislature to, whenever possible, preserve and strengthen a child’s family ties and, when a child must be removed from the physical custody of their parents, to give preferential consideration to placement with relatives. States the intent of the Legislature to reaffirm its commitment to children who are in out-of-home placement to live in the least restrictive family setting and as close to the child’s family as possible, as specified. Further states the intent of the Legislature that all children live with a committed, permanent, nurturing family and states that services and supports should be tailored to meet the specific needs of the individual child and family being served, as specified. (WIC 16000)
3. Establishes the Child Welfare Training Program with the purpose of developing and implementing statewide coordinated training programs designed to meet the needs of foster youth, as specified. (WIC 16206 et seq.)
4. States the intent of the Legislature that foster parents, and potential foster parents, receive training in order to assist them in being effective caregivers and to enhance the safety and growth of children placed with them. Further states the need to develop a basic curriculum, a program for continuing education, and specialized training for parents caring for children with unique needs. (Health and Safety Code [HSC] Section 1529.1)
5. Requires a resource family to demonstrate an understanding of the safety, permanence, and well-being needs of children who have been victims of child abuse and neglect, and the willingness to make use of support resources by the agency, or support structure in place, or both. (WIC 16519.5 (c)(1)(A))
6. Requires every licensed foster parent to complete a minimum of 12 hours of preapproval caregiver training, as specified, prior to any foster youth being placed with him or her. Further requires a licensed foster parent to complete at least 8 hours of foster parent training, as specified, annually. (WIC 16519.5 (g)(13) and (14), HSC 1529.2(b))
7. Allows a county to provide supportive services to all licensed foster family homes, relatives, and nonrelative extended family members with a child in placement to assist with the resource family transition and to minimize placement disruptions. (WIC 16519.5 (o)(5))
8. Establishes the Kinship Support Services Program to provide community-based family support services to relative caregivers and the children placed in their homes by the juvenile court, or who are at risk of dependency or delinquency. (WIC 16605)

FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown

COMMENTS:

Child welfare services: California’s Child Welfare Services (CWS) system exists to protect children from abuse and neglect, and in doing so, provides for their health, safety, and overall well-being. When suspicions of abuse or neglect arise, often as a result of a report by a mandated reporter like a doctor or teacher, Child Protective Services is tasked with investigating the report. If the allegation of abuse or neglect is substantiated, it is then determined whether it is in the best interest of the child to remain in their parent’s custody or be placed within the CWS system. If a child is suspected to be at risk of neglect, abuse, or abandonment, the juvenile court holds legal jurisdiction, and the CWS system appoints a social worker to ensure that the needs of a youth are met. Through CWS, multiple opportunities arise for the judicial system to evaluate, review, and determine the custody of the child, or determine the best out-of-home placement for youth, which includes foster care or placement with relatives. As of October 2018, there were 59,487 youth between the ages of 0 and 21 placed in California’s CWS system.

Continuum of Care Reform: Over the past four years, California has enacted legislation, known as the Continuum of Care Reform (CCR), to improve placement and treatment options for youth in foster care. AB 403 (Stone), Chapter 773, Statutes of 2015, sponsored by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), sought to improve outcomes for children and youth served by the CWS system by working to ensure that foster youth have their day-to-day physical, mental, and emotional needs met, that they have the opportunity to grow up in permanent and supportive homes, and have the opportunities necessary to become self-sufficient and successful adults. CCR also sought to reduce the use of congregate care as a frequently used placement option for youth, as data have demonstrated that youth placed in congregate care settings experience poorer outcomes than youth placed in family settings. Subsequent legislation to further facilitate implementation of CCR efforts include AB 1997 (Stone), Chapter 612, Statutes of 2016, AB 404 (Stone), Chapter 732, Statutes of 2017, and AB 1930 (Stone), Chapter 910, Statutes of 2018.

Resource Family Approval: process and requirements: The Resource Family Approval (RFA) program, authorized by AB 340 (Hancock), Chapter 464, Statutes of 2007, began as a pilot program in five counties, including Santa Barbara, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Kings, and Santa Clara from November 2013 to August 2014. Between January and July of 2016, an additional 9 counties volunteered to implement RFA, and on January 1, 2017, SB 1013 (Senate Committee on Budget) Chapter 35, Statutes of 2012, implemented RFA statewide.

The RFA process is a unified, family-friendly, and child-centered process that combines elements of foster parent licensing, relative approval, and adoption/guardianship approval processes. The RFA process includes a psychosocial assessment, home environment check, and training for all resource families, including relatives, in order to ensure that caregivers are equipped to best meet the needs of youth in foster care. RFA is also a route to direct permanency for caregivers who wish to adopt or be guardians of youth in care, as the RFA process includes elements required by both the adoption and guardianship processes.

Prior to approval as a resource family, applicants must complete 12 hours of pre-approval caregiver training to ensure caregivers have the necessary knowledge and skills to provide adequate care to foster youth. The training often includes: an overview of the CWS and probation systems; the effects of trauma, including grief, loss, and abuse and neglect, on a child’s development and behavior; health issues in foster care; the rights of a child in foster care; and the cultural needs of children, among others. Current law also requires approved resource families to complete a minimum of eight hours of caregiver training annually to ensure resource families are equipped on an ongoing basis to provide for the needs of youth in their care. Annual caregiver training includes topics such as: health issues in foster care; promoting normal childhood experiences; permanence; well-being; and the cultural and education needs of youth, among other topics. The provisions of this bill would include coaching among the supports offered to resource families to ensure resource families provide the best care possible to youth in their care.

Similar programs and models: The provisions of this bill are based on several similar programs and models, including:

Kinship Support Services Program (KSSP): The Kinship Support Services Program (KSSP) provides non-financial support services to relative caregivers who have dependents of the juvenile court and not court-dependent youth placed in their homes. KSSP also provides post-permanency supports to caregivers in order to strengthen a family’s ability to provide ongoing support and stability for youth. The KSSP model can include such supports as case management, health management, support groups, counseling services, respite care, referrals, and advocacy, among others. The provisions of this bill mirror several core components of the KSSP, including the requirement that participating counties: have viable financial support, have strong and viable public or private agencies to operate the pilot program, and describe how the county will develop and maintain the necessary community supports.

Northern California Training Academy: Created as a partnership between the University of California, Davis and state government, the Northern California Training Academy enables social workers and child welfare practitioners in rural communities to develop new skills through a coaching model. The Academy offers training to child welfare workers that ranges from mandatory core education to specialized topics, and allows for both online and in-person training.

Need for this bill: The provisions of this bill seek to provide additional supports and resources for caregivers entrusted with the care of foster youth. Recent reform efforts through CCR have decreased the state’s reliance on congregate care settings for foster youth and, as a result, have increased the need for quality resource families who are equipped to provide for the needs of youth in care. Research and studies have demonstrated that youth placed in foster care have some of the highest health, mental health, and educational needs as a result of abuse, neglect, and resulting trauma. The provisions of this bill seek to provide additional support to caregivers through a pilot program that provides transportation for medical care and educational and recreational activities, tutoring and mentoring, and coaching, among other supports.

According to the author, “This bill provides much needed supports to our most valuable resource families. The success of CCR and the child welfare system rests on the shoulders of these families. The supports provided in this bill, including coaching, respite, and transportation services, will help families meet the needs of the children in these family homes, leading to vastly improved placement stability and the retention of resource families.”

PRIOR LEGISLATION:

AB 1784 (Maienschein) of 2018 was substantially similar to this bill and would have required CDSS to establish a pilot program to support resource families through coaching, and, further, would have required CDSS to inform resource families of all available state and county resources. AB 1784 was held on the Senate Appropriations Committee suspense file.

AB 1930 (Stone), Chapter 910, Statutes of 2018, furthered CCR efforts made by AB 403, AB 1997, and AB 404.

AB 404 (Stone), Chapter 732, Statutes of 2017, furthered CCR efforts made by AB 403 and AB 1997.

AB 1006 (Maienschein), Chapter 714, Statutes of 2017, required the provision of information about mental health treatment information to prospective adoptive families or guardians of foster youth, and required specialized permanency services be provided to certain youth.

AB 1997 (Stone), Chapter 612, Statutes of 2016, furthered CCR efforts made by AB 403.

AB 403 (Stone), Chapter 773, Statutes of 2015, implemented CCR recommendations to better serve children and youth in California’s child welfare services system.

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

California Alliance of Caregivers

Los Angeles LGBT Center

Opposition

None on file

Analysis Prepared by: Kelsy Castillo / HUM. S. / (916) 319-2089