text:
“Eligible child” means any child who meets the requirements of subdivision (a) or (b), and subdivision (c).

(a) Any child who has a medically diagnosed condition or symptoms resulting from, or suspected as resulting from, substance abuse by the mother.

(b) Any child who is HIV positive.

(c) Any child who meets the requirements of either subdivision (a) or (b) and who meets all of the following requirements:

(1) The child is a dependent child of the court.

(2) The child is aged newborn to 36 months. The maximum age prescribed by this paragraph shall be increased to 60 months if funds are available within the existing appropriation for counties maintaining a program for a minimum of three years, or, for other counties, if funds are available pursuant to the California Children and Families Program (Division 108 (commencing with Section 130100) of the Health and Safety Code) to provide services to children who are aged between 36 and 60 months.

(3) The child is the child of a resident of a participating county pursuant to this chapter.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2000, Ch. 799, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2001.)

article: 1. General


kind: section

code: WIC

text: “HIV” means human immunodeficiency virus.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 1993, Ch. 296, Sec. 2. Effective August 2, 1993.)

division: 9. PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES

article: 1. General

path: 9. PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES > 5.3. Services for Children Who Are Exposed to Alcohol or Drugs or Who Are HIV Positive > 1. General


text: “HIV positive” means a condition of being medically diagnosed as infected with HIV.

chapter: 5.3. Services for Children Who Are Exposed to Alcohol or Drugs or Who Are HIV Positive

article: 1. General


text: “Specialized in-home health care” means, but is not limited to, those services identified by the child’s primary physician as appropriately administered by a foster parent, trained by health care professionals pursuant to the discharge plan of the facility releasing the child to his or her home.

article: 1. General


text:
(a) In order to promote the development of placements that will allow children to move into more homelike environments, counties may establish an “Options for Recovery” program.

(b) Prior to the 2011–12 fiscal year, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the “Options for Recovery” services shall be funded with a 30 percent nonfederal county share consistent with the normal sharing ratio for child welfare services. This county share may be provided with county general funds, or other sources of funds which are unrestricted and are eligible for this use as provided by the funding source. The source of the county share shall meet all applicable state and federal requirements and provide counties with maximum flexibility.

(c) Notwithstanding subdivision (b), beginning in the 2011–12 fiscal year, and for each fiscal year thereafter, funding and expenditures for programs and activities under this section shall be in accordance with the requirements provided in Sections 30025 and 30026.5 of the Government Code.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 35, Sec. 141. (SB 1013) Effective June 27, 2012.)

article: 2. Options for Recovery Program

path: 9. PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES > 5.3. Services for Children Who Are Exposed to Alcohol or Drugs or Who Are HIV Positive > 2. Options for Recovery Program


text: Each participating county shall recruit foster families that shall be licensed as foster family homes and trained to care for children who are alcohol- or drug-exposed or who test HIV positive.

article: 2. Options for Recovery Program


text:
(a) A participating county shall provide special training to recruited foster parents to care for eligible children and shall certify that the training has been provided.

(b) Participating counties may provide the same special training to relative caretakers of project-eligible children, if classroom space permits and the cost of providing the training does not exceed the county’s allocation for project training.

article: 2. Options for Recovery Program


text: When a child is identified by a physician, medical team, county social worker, or placement source as a child who may be eligible for services under this chapter, the county shall determine if the child is eligible for placement pursuant to this chapter.

article: 2. Options for Recovery Program


text:
(a) A participating county shall select a specialized foster family home for the child within the county in which the child’s eligibility is established.

(b) If an eligible child’s out-of-home placement changes from one participating county to another participating county, the child shall remain eligible for services.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 1997, Ch. 606, Sec. 52. Effective October 3, 1997.)

article: 2. Options for Recovery Program


text:
(a) Participating counties shall prepare a child welfare services case plan pursuant to regulations adopted by the department and arrange nonmedical support services, including respite care for specially trained foster parents and relative caretakers.

(b) Each participating county shall monitor the foster home in accordance with applicable regulations governing the foster care and child welfare services programs authorized by Article 5 (commencing with Section 11400) of Part 3 and Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 16500).

article: 2. Options for Recovery Program


text:
(a) The Legislature encourages participating counties to design and implement a range of respite options for specially trained foster parents and relative caretakers, from foster parent to foster parent cooperatives to more formal arrangements for services from subcontractors.

(b) No one who resides in the home with the eligible child shall receive payment for providing respite services for the eligible child or for any other child living in the home.

article: 2. Options for Recovery Program


text:
The counties participating pursuant to this section shall do both of the following:

(a) Maintain existing programs and standards for a specialized foster home recruitment and training project that will establish foster care placements to care for eligible children.

(b) Coordinate sources of funding and services available to eligible children in order to maximize the social services provided to these children and avoid duplication of programs and funding.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2012, Ch. 35, Sec. 142. (SB 1013) Effective June 27, 2012.)

article: 2. Options for Recovery Program


text: A participating county may contract for the provision of services under this chapter on a sole source basis.

article: 2. Options for Recovery Program


text:
(a) Each participating county shall submit written progress reports as required by the department.

(b) The progress report required by subdivision (a) shall include, but need not be limited to, all of the following data:

(1) An estimate of the number of children adjudicated dependents of the juvenile court under Article 6 (commencing with Section 300) of Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 2 who are eligible children.

(2) The number of eligible children who are in all of the following:

(A) Foster family homes.

(B) Group homes.

(C) Homes of relative caretakers.

(D) Certified foster family homes.

(3) The number of eligible children who are in specialized foster care placements during and at the termination of the demonstration project.

(4) The cost of providing training to foster parents in the care of eligible children.

(5) The cost of providing specialized care for eligible children.

(6) The cost of providing respite care services and the number of respite care hours each family received.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 1997, Ch. 606, Sec. 53. Effective October 3, 1997.)

article: 2. Options for Recovery Program


text: Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent children who are alcohol- or drug-exposed or HIV positive who have adoption as a case plan goal from receiving services under this chapter.

article: 2. Options for Recovery Program


text:
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, including, but not limited to, Sections 1250, 1251, 1254, 1270, 1501, 1502, 1505, 1507, 1521, 1530.6, and 11002, subdivision (c) of Section 1550, and subdivision (a) of Section 11154 of the Health and Safety Code, and Sections 2052, 2725, 2732, and 2795 of the Business and Professions Code, subdivisions (b) and (c) shall control the placement of a child pursuant to this chapter.

(b) A county may place children who are alcohol- or drug-exposed or HIV positive in foster family homes pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 1500) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code.

(c) If a county makes a placement pursuant to subdivision (b), a foster parent trained by health care professionals pursuant to the discharge plan of the facility releasing the child may provide specialized in-home health care to that foster child.

article: 2. Options for Recovery Program


text:
For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply:

(a) “Caregiver” means a person responsible for meeting the daily care needs of a current or former foster child or youth, and who is entrusted to provide a loving and supportive environment for the child or youth to promote their healing from trauma.

(b) “Current or former foster child or youth” includes a child or youth who is adjudicated under Section 300, 601, or 602 and is served by a county child welfare agency or probation department, a child or youth who has exited foster care for any reason, including, but not limited to, reunification, guardianship, adoption, or emancipation, a child or youth who is the subject of a voluntary placement agreement as defined in subdivision (p) of Section 11400, a child or youth who is placed in foster care and is the subject of a petition filed pursuant to Section 300, and a child or youth placed in California pursuant to the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children. A current or former foster child or youth shall be eligible for services under this chapter until they attain 21 years of age.

(c) “Department” means the State Department of Social Services.

(d) “Family Urgent Response System” means a coordinated statewide, regional, and county-level system designed to provide collaborative and timely state-level phone-based response and county-level in-home, in-person mobile response during situations of instability, for purposes of preserving the relationship of the caregiver and the child or youth, providing developmentally appropriate relationship conflict management and resolution skills, stabilizing the living situation, mitigating the distress of the caregiver or child or youth, connecting the caregiver and child or youth to the existing array of local services, and promoting a healthy and healing environment for children, youth, and families.

(e) “In-home” means the place where the child or youth and caregiver are located, preferably in the home, or at some other mutually agreeable location.

(f) “Instability” means a situation of emotional tension or interpersonal conflict between a caregiver and a child or youth that may threaten their relationship and may lead to a disruption in the current living situation.

(g) “Mobile response” means the provision of in-person, flexible, responsive, and supportive services where the caregiver and child or youth are located to provide them with support and prevent the need for a 911 call or law enforcement contact.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2022, Ch. 833, Sec. 1. (SB 1090) Effective January 1, 2023. Conditionally inoperative pursuant to Section 16530.)

path: 9. PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES > 5.4. Family Urgent Response System for Caregivers and Children or Youth


text:
(a) The department shall establish a statewide hotline as the primary entry point for the Family Urgent Response System, which shall be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to respond to calls from a caregiver or current or former foster child or youth during moments of instability. Both of the following shall be available through this hotline:

(1) Hotline workers who are trained in techniques for deescalation and conflict resolution telephone response specifically for children or youth impacted by trauma.

(2) Referrals to a county-based mobile response system, established pursuant to Section 16529, for further support and in-person response. Referrals shall occur as follows:

(A) A warm handoff whereby the hotline worker establishes direct and live connection through a three-way call that includes the caregiver, child or youth, and county contact. The caregiver, child, or youth may decline the three-way contact with the county contact if they feel their situation has been resolved at the time of the call.

(B) If a direct communication cannot be established pursuant to subparagraph (A), a referral directly to the community- or county-based service and a followup call to ensure that a connection to the caregiver, child, or youth occurs.

(C) The hotline worker shall contact the caregiver and the child or youth within 24 hours after the initial call required under subparagraph (A) or (B) to offer additional support, if needed.

(b) The statewide hotline shall maintain contact information for all county-based mobile response systems, based on information provided by counties, for referrals to local services, including, but not limited to, county-based mobile response and stabilization teams.

(c) The department shall ensure that deidentified, aggregated data are collected regarding individuals served through the statewide hotline and county-based mobile response systems and shall publish a report on the department’s internet website by January 1, 2022, and annually by January 1 thereafter, in consultation with stakeholders, including, but not limited to, the County Welfare Directors Association of California, the Chief Probation Officers of California, and the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California. The data shall be collected using automated procedures or other matching methods mutually agreed upon by the state and county agencies, including, but not limited to, the statewide child welfare automation management system, and shall include all of the following information:

(1) The number of caregivers served through the hotline, separated by placement type and status as a current or former foster caregiver.

(2) The number of current and former foster children or youth served through the hotline, separated by county agency type, current or former foster care status, age, gender, race, and whether the call was made by the caregiver or the child or youth.

(3) The disposition of each call, including, but not limited to, whether mobile response and stabilization services were provided or a referral was made to other services.

(4) County-based outcome data, including, but not limited to, placement stability, return into foster care, movement from child welfare to juvenile justice, and timeliness to permanency.

(5) The number of calls received by a county-based mobile response system, including calls received through the statewide hotline and portal.

(d) The department may meet the requirements of this section through contract with an entity with demonstrated experience in working with populations of children or youth who have suffered trauma and with capacity to provide a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week response that includes mediation, relationship preservation for the caregiver and the child or youth, and a family-centered and developmentally appropriate approach with the caregiver and the child or youth.

(e) The department, in consultation with stakeholders, including current and former foster youth and caregivers, shall do all of the following:

(1) Develop methods and materials for informing all caregivers and current or former foster children or youth about the statewide hotline, including a dissemination plan for those materials, which shall include, at a minimum, making those materials publicly available through the department’s internet website.

(2) Establish protocols for triage and response.

(3) Establish minimum education and training requirements for hotline workers.

(4) Consider expanding the statewide hotline to include communication through electronic means, including, but not limited to, text messaging or email.

(f) (1) The statewide hotline shall be operational no sooner than January 1, 2021, and on the same date as the county mobile response system created pursuant to this chapter.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the statewide hotline may operate sooner than January 1, 2021, or prior to the date that each county has created a county mobile response system, upon notification from each county to the department that the county satisfies one of the following requirements:

(A) Has established a county mobile response system created pursuant to this chapter.

(B) Has an alternative method to accept and respond to referrals from the statewide hotline pending the establishment of the county mobile response system.

(g) The department shall assist, as needed, the State Department of Health Care Services in exercising its authority pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 16528.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 716, Sec. 1. (AB 898) Effective January 1, 2026. Conditionally inoperative pursuant to Section 16530.)

chapter: 5.4. Family Urgent Response System for Caregivers and Children or Youth


text:
(a) The department, in collaboration with the State Department of Health Care Services, and in consultation with the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California, the County Welfare Directors Association of California, child welfare advocates, providers, current or former foster children or youth, and caregivers, shall issue all necessary guidance for county-based mobile response systems for purposes of this chapter, including, but not limited to, data tracking and claiming of federal funding.

(b) The State Department of Health Care Services may submit a Medicaid state plan amendment, waiver request, or both, in order to maximize federal financial participation in implementing this chapter. The State Department of Health Care Services shall, in submitting a Medicaid state plan amendment or waiver request, consult with the department, the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California, and the County Welfare Directors Association of California, and consider relevant information from other state systems with mobile response capacity.

(c) To the extent that the Director of Health Care Services determines that federal approval is necessary in order to receive federal financial participation for any portion of the activities to be delivered pursuant to the Family Urgent Response System for which federal funding has been assumed, the implementation of the system shall not occur until the effective date specified in the federal approval obtained by the State Department of Health Care Services. This chapter shall be implemented only to the extent that any necessary federal approvals have been obtained pursuant to subdivision (b) and federal financial participation is available for those activities for which federal funding has been assumed, unless state funds are appropriated in the annual Budget Act to implement these activities.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 2019, Ch. 27, Sec. 107. (SB 80) Effective June 27, 2019. Conditionally inoperative pursuant to Section 16530.)


text:
(a) County child welfare, probation, and behavioral health agencies, in each county or region of counties as specified in subdivision (f), shall establish a joint county-based mobile response system that includes a mobile response and stabilization team for the purpose of providing supportive services to address situations of instability, preserve the relationship of the caregiver and the child or youth, develop healthy conflict resolution and relationship skills, promote healing as a family, and stabilize the situation.

(b) In each county or region of counties, the county child welfare, probation, and behavioral health agencies, in consultation with other relevant county agencies, tribal representatives, caregivers, and current or former foster children or youth, shall submit a single, coordinated plan to the department that describes how the county-based mobile response system shall meet the requirements described in subdivision (c). This plan shall be updated and submitted on a biennial basis. The plan shall also describe and include all of the following:

(1) How the county, or region of counties, will track and monitor calls.

(2) Data collection efforts, consistent with guidance provided by the department, including, at a minimum, collection of data necessary for the report required pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 16527.

(3) Transitions from mobile response and stabilization services to ongoing services.

(4) A process for identifying if the child or youth has an existing child and family team for coordinating with the child and family team to address the instability, and a plan for ongoing care to support that relationship in a trusting and healing environment.

(5) A process and criteria for determining response.

(6) The composition of the responders, including efforts to include peer partners and those with lived experience in the response team, whenever possible.

(7) Both existing and new services that will be used to support the mobile response and stabilization services. County behavioral health departments that operate mobile crisis units may share resources between mobile crisis units and the mobile response system required pursuant to this chapter, at their discretion.

(8) Response protocols for the child or youth in family-based and congregate care settings based on guidelines developed by the department, in consultation with stakeholders, pursuant to Section 16528. The response protocols shall ensure protections for children and youth to prevent placements into congregate care settings, psychiatric institutions, and hospital settings.

(9) A process for identifying whether the child or youth has an existing behavioral health treatment plan and a placement preservation strategy, as described in Section 16010.7, and for coordinating response and services consistent with the plan and strategy.

(10) A plan for the mobile response and stabilization team to provide supportive services in the least intrusive and most child, youth, and family friendly manner, such that mobile response and stabilization teams do not trigger further trauma to the child or youth.

(11) Date of plan submission.

(12) Point-of-contact information for the plan, including name, telephone number, and email address.

(c) A county-based mobile response system shall include all of the following:

(1) Phone response at the county level that facilitates entry of the caregivers and current or former foster children or youth into mobile response services.

(2) A process for determining when a mobile response and stabilization team will be sent, or when other services will be used, based on the urgent and critical needs of the caregiver, child, or youth.

(3) A mobile response and stabilization team available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

(4) Ability to provide immediate, in-person, face-to-face response preferably within 1 hour, but not to exceed 3 hours in extenuating circumstances for urgent needs, or same-day response within 24 hours for nonurgent situations.

(5) Utilization of individuals with specialized training in trauma of children or youth and the foster care system on the mobile response and stabilization team. Efforts should be made to include peer partners and those with lived experience in the response team, whenever possible.

(6) Provision of in-home deescalation, stabilization, and support services and supports, including all of the following:

(A) Establishing in-person, face-to-face contact with the child or youth and caregiver.

(B) Identifying the underlying causes of, and precursors to, the situation that led to the instability.

(C) Identifying the caregiver interventions attempted.

(D) Observing the child and caregiver interaction.

(E) Diffusing the immediate situation.

(F) Coaching and working with the caregiver and the child or youth in order to preserve the family unit and maintain the current living situation or create a healthy transition plan, if necessary.

(G) Establishing connections to other county- or community-based supports and services to ensure continuity of care, including, but not limited to, linkage to additional trauma-informed and culturally and linguistically responsive family supportive services and youth and family wellness resources.

(H) Following up after the initial face-to-face response, for up to 72 hours, to determine if additional supports or services are needed.

(I) Identifying any additional support or ongoing stabilization needs for the family and making a plan for, or referral to, appropriate youth and family supportive services within the county.

(7) A process for communicating with the county of jurisdiction and the county behavioral health agency, as applicable, regarding the service needs of the child or youth and caregiver provided that the child or youth is currently under the jurisdiction of either the county child welfare or the probation system.

(d) County-based mobile response systems may be temporarily adapted to address circumstances associated with COVID-19, consistent with the Governor’s Proclamation of a State of Emergency, issued on March 4, 2020.

(e) (1) A county-based mobile response system that is not otherwise responding to calls placed through the statewide hotline may utilize mobile response team staff based on local needs, including, but not limited to, any of the following:

(A) Engaging in in-person education and outreach.

(B) Responding to local child, youth, or caregiver requests for support.

(C) Providing ongoing support to a child, youth, or caregiver who has received mobile response services.

(D) Responding to calls from children and families during a hotline investigation or who are receiving family preservation or voluntary or court-ordered family maintenance services.

(2) If a county-based mobile response system that is not otherwise responding to calls placed through the statewide hotline chooses to utilize mobile response team staff pursuant to paragraph (1), the county-based mobile response system shall prioritize calls placed through the statewide hotline for urgent responses and shall continue to maintain sufficient staffing to ensure county-based mobile response teams maintain compliance with all requirements set forth in subdivision (c).

(f) (1) Each county shall establish a mobile response system no sooner than January 1, 2021, and on the same date as the statewide hotline created under this chapter.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a county may establish a mobile response system, or an alternative method to accept and respond to referrals from the statewide hotline, pending the establishment of the county mobile response system, prior to January 1, 2021, in order to facilitate the early operation of the statewide hotline.

(3) The county agencies described in subdivisions (a) and (b) may implement this section on a per-county basis or by collaborating with other counties to establish regional, cross-county mobile response systems. For counties implementing this section pursuant to a regional approach, a single plan, as described in subdivision (b), signed by all agency representatives, shall be submitted to the department and a lead county shall be identified.

(4) Funds expended pursuant to this act shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, other existing funding for mobile response services described in this chapter.

(5) A county or region of counties may receive an extension, not to exceed six months, to implement a mobile response system after January 1, 2021, upon submission of a written request, in a manner to be prescribed by the department, that includes a demonstration of actions to implement, progress towards implementation, and the county’s alternative method to accept and respond to referrals from the statewide hotline pending the establishment of the county mobile response system.

(g) The creation and implementation of the Family Urgent Response System shall not infringe on entitlements or services provided pursuant to Title IV-E of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 670 et seq.) or as defined in the federal Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment services (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1396d(r)).

(h) The department, in collaboration with the County Welfare Directors Association of California, the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California, and the Chief Probation Officers of California, on an annual basis beginning on January 1, 2022, shall assess utilization and workload associated with implementation of the statewide hotline and mobile response and provide an update to the Legislature during budget hearings.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 716, Sec. 2. (AB 898) Effective January 1, 2026. Conditionally inoperative pursuant to Section 16530.)


text: This chapter shall be inoperative in any fiscal year for which funding is not appropriated in the annual Budget Act for the purpose of complying with the requirements of Sections 16527 and 16529.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 86, Sec. 52. (AB 153) Effective July 16, 2021. Conditionally inoperative as prescribed by its own provisions.)


text:
The California Child Welfare Council is hereby established, which shall serve as an advisory body responsible for improving the collaboration and processes of the multiple agencies and the courts that serve the children and youth in the child welfare and foster care systems. The council shall monitor and report the extent to which child welfare and foster care programs and the courts are responsive to the needs of children in their joint care. The council shall issue advisory reports whenever it deems appropriate, but in any event, no less frequently than annually, to the Governor, the Legislature, the Judicial Council, and the public. A report of the Child Welfare Council shall, at a minimum, include recommendations for all of the following:

(a) Ensuring that all state child welfare, foster care, and judicial funding and services for children, youth, and families is, to the greatest extent possible, coordinated to eliminate fragmentation and duplication of services provided to children or families who would benefit from integrated multiagency services.

(b) Increasing the quality, appropriateness, and effectiveness of program services and judicial processes delivered to children, youth, and families who would benefit from integrated multiagency services to achieve better outcomes for these children, youth, and families.

(c) Promoting consistent program and judicial excellence across counties to the greatest extent possible while recognizing the demographic, geographic, and financial differences among the counties.

(d) Increasing collaboration and coordination between county agencies, state agencies, federal agencies, and the courts.

(e) Ensuring that all state Title IV-E plans, program improvement plans, and court improvement plans demonstrate effective collaboration between public agencies and the courts.

(f) Assisting the Secretary of California Health and Human Services and the chief justice in formulating policies for the effective administration of the child welfare and foster care programs and judicial processes.

(g) Modifying program practices and court processes, rate structures, and other system changes needed to promote and support relative caregivers, family foster parents, therapeutic placements, and other placements for children who cannot remain in the family home.

(h) Developing data- and information-sharing agreements and protocols for the exchange of aggregate data across program and court systems that are providing services to children and families in the child welfare system. These data-sharing agreements shall allow child welfare agencies and the courts to access data concerning the health, mental health, special education, and educational status and progress of children served by county child welfare systems subject to state and federal confidentiality laws and regulations. They shall be developed in tandem with the establishment of judicial case management systems as well as additional or enhanced performance measures described in subdivision (b) of Section 16544.

(i) Developing systematic methods for obtaining policy recommendations from foster youth about the effectiveness and quality of program services and judicial processes, and ensuring that the interests of foster youth are adequately addressed in all policy development.

(j) Implementing legislative enactments in the child welfare and foster care programs and the courts, and reporting to the Legislature on the timeliness and consistency of the implementation.

(k) Monitoring the adequacy of resources necessary for the implementation of existing programs and court processes, and the prioritization of program and judicial responsibilities.

(l) Strengthening and increasing the independence and authority of the foster care ombudsperson.

(m) Coordinating available services for former foster youth and improving outreach efforts to those youth and their families.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 130, Sec. 251. Effective January 1, 2008.)

path: 9. PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES > 5.5. Child Welfare Leadership and Performance Accountability


text:
The council shall be comprised of the following members:

(a) The Secretary of California Health and Human Services, who shall serve as cochair.

(b) The Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court, or his or her designee, who shall serve as cochair.

(c) The Superintendent of Public Instruction, or his or her designee.

(d) The Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, or his or her designee.

(e) The executive director of the State Board of Education.

(f) The Director of Social Services.

(g) The Director of Health Care Services.

(h) The Director of State Hospitals.

(i) The Director of Developmental Services.

(j) The Director of the Youth Authority.

(k) The Administrative Director of the Courts.

(l) The State Foster Care Ombudsperson.

(m) Four foster youth or former foster youth.

(n) The chairpersons of the Assembly Human Services Committee and the Assembly Judiciary Committee, or two other Members of the Assembly as appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.

(o) The chairpersons of the Senate Human Services Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee, or two other members appointed by the President pro Tempore of the Senate.

(p) Leaders and representatives of county child welfare, foster care, health, education, probation, and mental health agencies and departments, child advocacy organizations; labor organizations, recognized professional associations that represent child welfare and foster care social workers, tribal representatives, and other groups and stakeholders that provide benefits, services, and advocacy to families and children in the child welfare and foster care systems, as recommended by representatives of these groups and as designated by the cochairs.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2014, Ch. 442, Sec. 41. (SB 1465) Effective September 18, 2014.)

chapter: 5.5. Child Welfare Leadership and Performance Accountability


text: The council shall meet no less frequently than each quarter of the state fiscal year and at the call of the cochairs, at a time and location convenient to the public as it may deem appropriate. All meetings of the council shall be open to the public. Members shall serve without compensation, with the exception of foster youth members, who shall be entitled to reimbursement for all actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 130, Sec. 252. Effective January 1, 2008.)


text: The cochairs may appoint committees composed of council members, experts in specialized fields, foster youth, program stakeholders, state and county child welfare and foster care staff, child advocacy organizations, members of the judiciary, foster care public health nurses, or any combination thereof, to advise the council on any functions of the council and the services provided through the child welfare and foster care programs and the courts. Members of these committees shall receive no compensation from the state for their services, with the exception of foster youth members, who shall be entitled to reimbursement for all actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. The committees may assemble information and make recommendations to the council, but shall not exercise any of the powers vested in the council. The council may seek input from groups and individuals as it deems appropriate, including, but not limited to, advisory committees, the judiciary and child welfare and foster care program stakeholders.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 130, Sec. 253. Effective January 1, 2008.)


text: Consistent with state and federal law, the council shall have access to aggregate data and information concerning the child welfare and foster care systems held by any state or local department, agency, or court that serves children, youth, and families receiving child welfare and foster care services subject to state and federal confidentiality laws and regulations.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 2006, Ch. 384, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2007.)


text: It is the intent of the Legislature to inspect other state child welfare and foster care systems over the course of the 2007–08 Legislative Session, for the purpose of examining effective administrative structures of leadership. It is further the intent of the Legislature to conduct legislative hearings through the Assembly Select Committee on Foster Care, and other standing committees, and to review reports and recommendations of other commissions and bodies, including the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Foster Care and the Little Hoover Commission, to determine if a reconfigured administrative structure would provide statewide leadership and coordination between departments and agencies, which are essential to improving outcomes for current and former foster children and youth throughout the state.


text: The secretary shall ensure that all of the federal Child and Family Services Review outcome measures and all of the California Child and Family Service Review System outcome indicators, along with any performance goals and federal outcome standards, are clearly posted on the State Department of Social Service’s Internet Web site. Before any of the federal goals or any of the California Child and Family Service Review System outcome indicators are added, deleted, or amended, the secretary shall consult with the Child Welfare Council and ensure that there has been a public process for the submission of comments and recommendations.


text: The California Child Welfare Council shall establish a Mandated Reporting Advisory Committee (MRAC). The MRAC shall include, but not be limited to, representatives of county agencies, labor organizations, community-based organizations, and parents and youth directly impacted by the child welfare system. It is the intent of the Legislature that the MRAC ensure the transformation of mandated reporting to community supporting continues and disparities in the child welfare system are eliminated.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 2025, Ch. 79, Sec. 29. (SB 119) Effective July 29, 2025.)


text: By April 1, 2008, the Judicial Council shall adopt, through rules of court, performance measures designed to complement and promote those measures specified in Section 16544 so that courts are able to measure their performance and track their own progress in improving safety, permanency, timeliness, and well-being of children and to inform decisions about the allocation of court resources. In adopting performance measures, the Judicial Council shall consult with the council and the secretary. The performance measures shall be based on data that is available from current or planned data collection processes and to the greatest extent possible, shall ensure uniformity of data reporting.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2007, Ch. 130, Sec. 254. Effective January 1, 2008.)


text:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) Identifying and engaging family members are critical components of providing effective child welfare services to children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect.

(b) For Indian children subject to an Indian child custody proceeding, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 224.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, dedicated and specialized efforts for family finding, engagement, and support are critical to promote the stability and security of Indian tribes and families, to comply with the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (25 U.S.C. Sec. 1901 et seq.) and other applicable federal and state law, and to protect the best interests of the child.

(c) Often, family members may become caregivers for children or may be able to provide other help and support to children and families on an ongoing basis.

(d) Supporting dedicated and specialized efforts for family finding, engagement, and support has been shown to increase the success of identifying relative caregivers and engaging relatives and other supportive adults to support children and families during and after reunification, and can support permanency in cases where reunification cannot occur. These dedicated and specialized efforts have proven to increase placements with and connections to relatives up front when children first enter out-of-home care, and to increase legal and relational permanency for children who have been in out-of-home care for a longer time.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 2022, Ch. 573, Sec. 24. (AB 207) Effective September 27, 2022.)

path: 9. PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES > 5.6. Excellence in Family Finding, Engagement, and Support Program


text:
(a) Subject to an appropriation of state funds, there is hereby established the Excellence in Family Finding, Engagement, and Support Program. This program shall be administered by the State Department of Social Services.

(b) In administering the program, the department shall do all of the following:

(1) Develop, in consultation with the County Welfare Directors Association of California and the Chief Probation Officers of California, an allocation methodology for counties that elect to receive funds under this section.

(2) On or before March 1, 2023, make funds available to participating counties according to the allocation methodology developed pursuant to paragraph (1).

(c) (1) A county may elect to participate in the program by submitting a written notice to the department in accordance with instructions issued by the department.

(2) A county that elects to participate in the program shall provide a match of local funds, which may include in-kind contributions of services or other resources from the county or community-based organizations, equal to one-half of all state funds provided to the county under the program.

(d) (1) The department shall consult with Indian tribes to develop an allocation methodology and procedures for program participation for Indian tribes, consortia of tribes, or tribal organizations, as defined in Section 137.10 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(2) An Indian tribe, consortia of tribes, or tribal organization, as defined in Section 137.10 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, that enters into an agreement with the department pursuant to Section 10553.1 of this code or Section 1919 of Title 25 of the United States Code shall, in accordance with the agreement, be eligible to receive allocations of funds under this section.

(e) Funds allocated under this section and the local match described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) shall be used for specialized permanency work, including culturally responsive, family-centered, and trauma-informed family finding and engagement services. Services shall focus on establishing and maintaining permanent connections for foster children. Funded activities shall include any or all of the following:

(1) Training of staff on family finding and engagement practices and models.

(2) Staffing and tools to identify, locate, and engage persons related to the child by blood or marriage, identification and engagement of other family-like relationships, and in the case of an Indian child, to make active efforts to engage with the tribe to determine the child’s extended family members, as defined in Section 224.1. This may include use of internet and social media tools, genograms, database searches, and other technological tools to support family finding.

(3) Outreach and engagement of the child and family team members and all other current and prior service providers, case managers, and other connections to the foster child, to identify and engage possible family and family-like connections.

(4) Plan development and case management for the child, family, and family-like connections to identify and address any barriers to establishing or reestablishing positive, loving, and supportive relationships. Counties and participating tribes shall engage children continuously in plan development, case planning, and services of importance to the child.

(5) Implementation of model programs, strategies, or promising practices identified by the department in consultation with tribes, the County Welfare Directors Association of California, the Chief Probation Officers of California, and child and youth advocacy organizations. The model programs, strategies, or promising practices include, but are not limited to, model programs, strategies, or promising practices that focus on up front family finding and engagement and that focus on family finding and engagement techniques to find permanent families and relationships for foster children who have been in out-of-home foster care for 24 months or longer, who are not living with a relative, for whom reunification is no longer in the case plan, and who have not been placed with a family who is in the process of adopting them or assuming guardianship over them.

(f) A participating county may elect to contract with a nonprofit community-based organization to provide the services described in this section.

(g) A participating county or contracted nonprofit community-based organization shall employ family-finding workers who have experience or training in family-finding strategies or practice, which may include lived experience.

(h) (1) Family-finding workers shall be assigned to family-finding responsibilities full time but may be employed by either the participating county or a nonprofit community-based organization with which the participating county has contracted for this purpose.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a participating county or tribe without a family-finding worker assigned full time to family-finding responsibilities due to an insufficient caseload, as determined by the department, may submit a written request to the department for authorization to use funding to pay for the portion of a family-finding worker’s time dedicated to family-finding activities. The request shall be submitted in a manner to be prescribed by the department and shall include, at a minimum, the following information:

(A) Caseload information to support the assertion of an insufficient caseload for the worker to be assigned full time to family-finding responsibilities.

(B) The proportion of the family-finding worker’s time assigned to family-finding responsibilities.

(i) A county shall provide information to the department on which of the activities specified in paragraphs (1) to (5), inclusive, of subdivision (e) the participating county has performed.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 46, Sec. 50. (AB 161) Effective July 2, 2024.)

chapter: 5.6. Excellence in Family Finding, Engagement, and Support Program


text:
(a) (1) The department shall establish procedures for program data collection and reporting.

(2) The department shall consult with Indian tribes that enter into agreements with the department pursuant to Section 10553.1 of this code or Section 1919 of Title 25 of the United States Code to develop procedures for program data collection and reporting for Indian tribes, consortia of tribes, or tribal organizations.

(3) Participating counties shall collect and report program data in accordance with written instructions issued by the department, which shall be determined in consultation with the County Welfare Directors Association of California, the Chief Probation Officers of California, child and youth advocacy organizations, and the representatives of county child welfare workers. These data shall include, but not be limited to, information regarding training completion, strategies and models utilized by participating counties, and services provided. This information shall include activities, as described in subdivision (e) of Section 16546.5, for which participating counties provide information to the department for allocations, as described in subdivision (i) of Section 16546.5.

(b) (1) The department shall establish procedures for tracking and reporting program outcomes measures, in consultation with the County Welfare Directors Association of California, the Chief Probation Officers of California, child and youth advocacy organizations, and the representatives of county child welfare workers.

(2) The department shall consult with Indian tribes that enter into agreements with the department pursuant to Section 10553.1 of this code or Section 1919 of Title 25 of the United States Code to develop procedures for tracking and reporting program outcome measures for Indian tribes, consortia of tribes, or tribal organizations.

(3) The department shall work with counties and tribes to identify the most efficient manner to track outcomes utilizing the statewide child welfare information system. Any additional program outcomes shall be reported in accordance with written instructions issued by the department.

(4) Outcomes to be measured shall be developed in consultation with the County Welfare Directors Association of California, the Chief Probation Officers of California, child and youth advocacy organizations, and the representatives of county child welfare workers, and shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(A) Changes in the percentage of children initially or subsequently placed with a relative or nonrelative extended family member.

(B) Changes in the percentage of children placed in a family setting.

(C) Changes in placement stability experienced by children in out-of-home care.

(D) Changes in length of time to permanency for children in out-of-home care through reunification, guardianship, or adoption.

(E) Changes in racial disproportionality of children who experience placements in congregate care.

(F) Changes in racial disproportionality of children who experience placement disruption.

(G) Changes in the percentage of children placed with relatives or nonrelative extended family members after having been in out-of-home foster care for 24 months or longer in a nonrelative placement and subsequently been subject to family finding and engagement.


text: Funds allocated under this chapter may be used to supplement, but shall not supplant, funds for existing family finding and engagement programs. Participating counties shall maintain records demonstrating that project funds have not supplanted funding for existing programs. These records shall be made available to the department upon request. The department shall consult with Indian tribes that enter into agreements with the department pursuant to Section 10553.1 of this code or Section 1919 of Title 25 of the United States Code regarding the maintenance and availability of records for project funds for Indian tribes, consortia of tribes, or tribal organizations.


text:
(a) Subject to an appropriation of state funds, the department shall establish, or contract for the establishment of, the Center for Excellence in Family Finding, Engagement, and Support. The Department shall consider input from stakeholders regarding the desired priorities of the center.

(b) The center shall provide, or contract for the provision of, multitiered, culturally appropriate training and technical assistance to county child welfare and probation departments, participating tribes, and foster care providers to enhance their practices, policies, and efforts for family finding, support, and engagement. This may include, but is not limited to, any of the following:

(1) Conducting evidence-based, organization-specific assessments of implementation activities.

(2) Strengthening trauma-informed practices and programs related to finding, engaging, and supporting relatives, and in the case of an Indian child, extended family members, as defined in Section 224.1, and the children with whom they interact as caregivers or as providers of other support toward reunification, permanency, or other ongoing involvement in a child’s life.

(3) Developing and training workforce regarding how to support family finding and engagement, including, in the case of an Indian child, ensuring due diligence to inquire pursuant to Section 224.2, and improving staff skills and practices regarding reunification, permanency, or other ongoing involvement of relatives or extended family members in a child’s life.

(4) Providing guidance and research on evidence-based family finding and engagement models and practices.

(5) Providing peer-to-peer learning opportunities for counties, participating tribes, and providers to share and leverage best practices for family finding and engagement program and practice development and sustainability.

(6) Other relevant training and technical assistance for counties, participating tribes, and providers regarding reunification, permanency, or other ongoing involvement of family members in a child’s life, including, in the case of an Indian child, the child’s tribe and tribal community.

(c) Once the center has been established and a training model has been developed, the center shall train family finding and engagement program staff from counties, participating tribes, and contracted nonprofit community-based organizations to ensure model fidelity and best practices.


text: Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the department may implement, interpret, or make specific this chapter, in whole or in part, by means of all-county letters or similar written instructions, without taking any further regulatory action. These all-county letters or similar written instructions shall have the same force and effect as regulations.


text: Contracts entered into or amended pursuant to this chapter are exempt from Chapter 6 (commencing with Section 14825) of Part 5.5 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, Section 19130 of the Government Code, Part 2 (commencing with Section 10100) of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code, and the State Administrative Manual, and are exempt from the review or approval of any division of the Department of General Services.


text:
For the purposes of this chapter:

(a) “Department” means the State Department of Social Services.

(b) “Foster youth” means a child or nonminor dependent who is a dependent or ward of the juvenile court or who is at imminent risk of entering foster care.

(c) “Intensive services foster care home participating in this pilot” means a home that is an approved intensive services foster care resource family that provides enhanced care and supervision by a parent or parents who have completed specialized training and meet other requirements pursuant to standards developed by the department and who are supported by an integrated program designed as an alternative to placement into a short-term residential therapeutic program.

(d) “Participating entity” means a county or a regional collaborative of counties that has received a grant pursuant to this chapter.

history: (History: Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 86, Sec. 53. (AB 153) Effective July 16, 2021.)

path: 9. PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES > 6. Children’s Crisis Continuum Pilot Program


text:
(a) The department, jointly with the State Department of Health Care Services, and with input from county child welfare departments, probation departments, tribes, impacted youth and families, youth advocates, service providers, community-based organizations, county behavioral health departments, foster youth, families, and other stakeholders, shall establish the Children’s Crisis Continuum Pilot Program, including guidelines for foster youth eligibility and the selection, operation, and evaluation of the pilots, for the purpose of developing treatment options that are needed to support California’s commitment to keep youth in families to the greatest possible degree based on the best interest of the youth, and to eliminate the placement of foster youth with complex needs in out-of-state facilities whenever possible.

(b) The guidelines for the operation of the pilots shall, at a minimum, include the tracking of the elements required in Section 16555 and provision of each of the following within the structure of the pilot:

(1) Family supports and services to keep youth in family settings from escalating to more restrictive settings whenever possible.

(2) Limits on placements in the restrictive treatment settings operated within the pilot to the most critical and urgent situations where supports and services cannot be provided to keep a youth safe in a family setting.

(3) Limits on length of stay in the restrictive treatment settings operated within the pilot consistent with state law requirements and to the time needed to stabilize the youth and transition the youth to a family setting.

(4) In facility plans of operation, identification of the strategies, treatment, services, and supports that the facility will employ to protect youth served by the program and in each youth’s treatment and needs and services plans, identification of the specific strategies, treatment, services, and supports that will be used to protect that individual youth.

(5) Require that when youth are placed in restrictive treatment settings within the pilot that youth and families are connected seamlessly to a continuum of care and services to promote healing and step down to family-based care.

(6) Require all facilities, services providers, and agencies used by the pilot to meet all state law requirements for their licensure category, align their services and programs to the trauma-informed care required by federal and state laws, and comply with all state laws, guidelines, and policies established for the pilot.

(c) In implementing the pilot program, the department, jointly with the State Department of Health Care Services, shall do all of the following:

(1) Incentivize participation in the pilot program by counties or regional collaboratives of counties in order to develop or enhance comprehensive, integrated, high-end continuums of care, as defined jointly by the department and the State Department of Health Care Services, for foster youth.

(2) (A) Provide technical assistance to applicants, including those that are not selected to participate, and the selected participating entities. Technical assistance shall include guidance on program implementation and leveraging multiple sources of public revenue to support long-term sustainability.

(B) When providing technical assistance to small and rural counties, the department shall consider the unique needs of those counties and, in addition to any other technical assistance needed, shall assist the county to mitigate barriers to participation in the pilot program, including by designing an adjusted or modified continuum of care, as described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 16553.

(3) Identify and seek to address any regulatory barriers to support the successful implementation of the pilot program.

(4) Award grants pursuant to this chapter and oversee the successful implementation of the pilot program.

(d) The State Department of Health Care Services shall determine if any federal approvals related to the Medi-Cal program are necessary to implement one or more components of any of the proposals selected for participation in the pilot program and, if necessary, seek approval no later than June 1, 2022. It is the intent of the Legislature to maximize federal funding received pursuant to Subchapter XIX (commencing with Section 1396) of Chapter 7 of Title 42 of the United States Code.

(e) Any component of a proposal selected for participation in the pilot program that requires federal approval shall be implemented only to the extent that all necessary federal approvals are obtained and only if and to the extent that federal financial participation is available and is not otherwise jeopardized.

(f) The pilot program shall be implemented for five years from the date the grant recipients are selected. This subdivision also applies to any pilot program funds allocated pursuant to this chapter prior to July 1, 2023.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 43, Sec. 78. (AB 120) Effective July 10, 2023.)

chapter: 6. Children’s Crisis Continuum Pilot Program


text:
(a) The department, jointly with the State Department of Health Care Services, shall develop and administer a request for proposals process, and shall develop selection criteria, to determine which applicants shall be selected to participate in the pilot program. At a minimum, the selection criteria shall include both of the following requirements:

(1) A lead county applicant. To become a participating entity, each lead county applicant shall designate either the county child welfare department, the county behavioral health department, the county mental health plan, or the probation department to lead the application and implementation process.

(2) Submission of a Children’s Crisis Continuum Pilot Program plan by the applicant that includes, at a minimum, a plan to contract with community-based providers or entities to meet all of the following requirements:

(A) A demonstrated ability to partner and collaborate across county child welfare, behavioral health, probation, developmental services, and education departments in the design, delivery, and evaluation of the pilot program.

(B) A clear articulation of the funding streams and how they will be used and demonstration of the ability to maximize all sources of local, state, and federal funding.

(C) An oversight plan, pursuant to guidance developed by the department, that includes utilization review controls to ensure appropriate usage of the continuum of care that serves children at all times in the least restrictive setting, in a manner that is consistent with applicable federal and state law and the intent of the Legislature in enacting this chapter.

(D) A commitment to gathering and providing necessary youth-specific information and data, and information that may pertain to the overall pilot site, consistent with the evaluation criteria set forth in Section 16555 and any other outcomes reporting that the department may require.

(b) The department shall require proposals to participate in the pilot program to be submitted no later than December 1, 2022, and shall disburse grant funds no later than June 30, 2023.

(c) The department shall select counties or regional collaboratives of counties to participate in the pilot program on a competitive basis to ensure that the process is fair.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 43, Sec. 79. (AB 120) Effective July 10, 2023.)


text:
(a) (1) The Children’s Crisis Continuum Pilot Program shall be designed, in partnership with county child welfare departments, county probation departments, and county behavioral health plans, to contract with a county behavioral health plan or plans for the provision of medically necessary mental health services, including specialty mental health services, through the continuum of care described in subdivision (b).

(2) All participating entities shall agree to provide any information requested by the department to assist in evaluating the pilot program and preparing the report described in Section 16555.

(b) (1) A participating entity shall develop, in collaboration with a workgroup, a highly integrated continuum of care for the foster youth served in the pilot program. Except where otherwise indicated in this chapter, the continuum of care shall be designed within current statutes and regulations for crisis stabilization units, children’s crisis residential programs, psychiatric health facilities, intensive services foster care and other resource families, and short-term residential therapeutic programs to permit the seamless transition for the appropriate treatment of the foster youth, between treatment settings and programs. The continuum shall include, at a minimum, all of the following:

(A) A crisis stabilization unit.

(i) The crisis stabilization unit shall have the capacity to provide assessment and stabilization for up to 23 hours and 59 minutes for up to eight foster youth, be licensed as a 24-hour health care facility or hospital-based outpatient program or provider site, and comply with all regulations contained in Chapter 11 (commencing with Section 1810.100) of Division 1 of Title 9 of the California Code of Regulations that are applicable to the provision of crisis stabilization, and specifically including Section 1810.210.

(ii) The crisis stabilization unit shall be colocated with, or within 30 miles of, a psychiatric health facility or other secure hospital alternative setting capable of meeting the needs of youth experiencing a mental health crisis in order to reduce delays in care when the host county mental health plan has found inpatient treatment to be medically necessary.

(B) A crisis residential program.

(i) The crisis residential program shall provide highly individualized stabilization services for foster youth who do not require inpatient treatment. The crisis residential program shall be operated in accordance with all statutes and regulations governing the placements of foster youth, including the California Community Care Facilities Act (Article 1 (commencing with Section 1500) of Chapter 3 of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code). The crisis residential program shall be operated in accordance with all statutes and regulations governing its licensure category, including, for short-term residential therapeutic programs, the interagency placement committee process established pursuant to Section 4096.

(ii) The crisis residential program may be a program that receives funding pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 11460 to the extent federal Medicaid funding is not available and is not otherwise jeopardized.

(iii) The crisis residential program shall not serve more than four foster youth at a time.

(C) A psychiatric health facility, as defined in Section 1250.2 of the Health and Safety Code.

(i) The psychiatric health facility shall be licensed by the State Department of Health Care Services and shall provide a secure, highly individualized, therapeutic, hospital-like setting for foster youth who require inpatient treatment and shall be operated in accordance with Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 77001) of Division 5 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations.

(ii) The psychiatric health facility shall not have more than four beds.

(iii) Before placement into a psychiatric health facility, the participating entity shall submit a report to the director or the director’s designee using a template established by the department, in collaboration with the State Department of Health Care Services and county entities. The report shall include a statement describing the circumstances that necessitate a psychiatric health facility placement, the results of assessments, prior services provided to the foster youth, the anticipated duration of the treatment in the setting, and identification of any barriers to serving the foster youth in a less restrictive setting.

(iv) These intensive crisis programs shall be integrated with community-based supports and tiered placement settings, including Intensive Services Foster Care (ISFC) and Enhanced ISFC homes.

(D) Intensive services foster care homes participating in this pilot that have integrated specialty mental health services.

(i) To support foster youth in stepping down to less restrictive placements and maintain available capacity in more acute treatment settings, a participating entity shall maintain at least two times the number of intensive services foster care homes participating in this pilot as the number of beds available in the treatment settings described in subparagraphs (A) to (C), inclusive.

(ii) Intensive services foster care homes participating in this pilot shall be enhanced to include in-home staff who are available to provide care, additional behavioral support, permanency services, specialty mental health services, and educational services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, as needed.

(iii) The residence of an intensive services foster care home participating in this pilot may be owned or operated by the foster parent or parents, a county, or by a private nonprofit organization. For purposes of this chapter, the limitations of Section 18360.35 do not apply.

(E) Community-based supportive services.

(i) Community-based supportive services shall be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

(ii) A participating entity shall utilize a community-based model that provides intensive transition planning and aftercare services using a team approach. Each county child welfare agency, probation department, and mental health plan, in consultation with the local interagency leadership team established pursuant to Section 16521.6, shall jointly provide, arrange for, or ensure the provision of, at least six months of aftercare services for foster youth in the placement and care responsibility of the county child welfare agency or county probation department who are discharged from a short-term residential therapeutic program to a family-based setting. The model shall include the development of an individualized family-based aftercare support plan that identifies necessary supports, services, and treatment.

(iii) Community-based supportive services shall be available to provide front-end and back-end integrated transition services and supports to continue treatment gains made in more restrictive placements and minimize reliance on interventions that may be traumatic for foster youth, including ambulance transport, emergency department visits, and law enforcement involvement.

(iv) Community-based supportive services shall include an intensive transition planning team consisting of, at a minimum, a mental health professional with a master’s degree who is either licensed or license-eligible, a support counselor with a bachelor’s degree, and a peer partner. An expedited transition planning services team may serve up to four foster youth at a time and shall have the ability to support foster youth in any out-of-home treatment setting in the continuum of care. The department may approve an alternate proposal for these transition planning services, including modified standards.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the department may consider a proposal that does not include a psychiatric health facility, or a psychiatric health facility and a crisis stabilization unit.

(c) A participating entity shall provide a foster youth participating in the continuum of care, or ensure foster youth participating in the continuum of care are provided, with all of the following:

(1) One-on-one services, when clinically indicated.

(2) Single occupancy rooms, unless a double occupancy room is clinically indicated by the individual plan of care developed by a multidisciplinary treatment team.

(3) A deinstitutionalized environment with warm and comforting decor, food, and clothing that maintains safety at all times.

(d) The continuum of care created by a participating entity shall, across all service settings, reflect all of the following core program features and service approaches:

(1) Highly individualized and trauma-informed services.

(2) Culturally and linguistically responsive and competent treatment.

(3) Alignment with the integrated core practice model and a commitment to encouraging the voices of foster youth and their families and a team approach to all decisionmaking. The child and family team shall be involved in all treatment planning and decisions and family engagement and involvement in treatment shall be central to all programs within the continuum of care.

(4) Coordinated and streamlined assessment practices to ensure that level-of-care determinations are appropriate and that foster youth are able transition between more restrictive and less restrictive placements across the continuum of care, as needed.

(e) A participating entity shall establish policies and procedures that demonstrate compliance at all times with the notification and due process requirements of the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act (Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 5000) of Part 1 of Division 5) and any other applicable laws pertaining to involuntary treatment. This subdivision does not limit the protections to foster youth related to voluntary or involuntary treatment settings.

(f) The department, jointly with the State Department of Health Care Services, may establish operational procedures, performance and evaluation standards, and utilization criteria for participating entities pursuant to this section. These standards and criteria shall be developed in consultation with the State Department of Developmental Services, the State Department of Education, the Judicial Council of California, county placing agencies, behavioral health plans, and other interested stakeholders.


text:
(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to appropriate moneys to the department in the annual Budget Act or other statute for the purpose of administering a grant program to provide funding to participating entities for the duration of the Children’s Crisis Continuum Pilot Program.

(b) The department, jointly with the State Department of Health Care Services, shall work with participating entities to consider long-term plans to support the successful operation of a continuum of care.


text:
(a) No later than April 1, 2027, the department, jointly with the State Department of Health Care Services, shall submit an interim report to the Assembly Committee on Human Services and the Senate Committee on Human Services that includes, at a minimum, all of the following:

(1) A description of the impact of the pilot program on desired outcomes, including any reduced reliance on hospitals, emergency departments, out-of-state facilities, and law enforcement in responding to the acute needs of foster youth who require more intensive short-term treatment, and reduced absences from placement by youth who received services within the pilot program.

(2) An analysis that includes all of the following elements:

(A) The reasons youth were served by the pilot program.

(B) To the extent not covered in subparagraph (A), a discussion of the most common needs of youth placed into the pilot program that could not be met in family care and the services available in the pilot program to meet those needs.

(C) The number of youth served in the pilot program, including the number of youth receiving services in each component or level of care in the pilot program, and the length of time youth were served for each service and level of care in the pilot program, including time spent in congregate care settings.

(D) Types of services provided by the pilot program.

(E) Outcomes for youth who received services within the pilot program related to youth safety, well-being, and permanency at 6 months and 12 months after participating in the pilot program, or upon exit from foster care.

(F) Other impacts of the pilot program interventions and services on the youth.

(G) The impact of the pilot program on the goals of building trauma-informed, in-home and community-based services.

(3) A description of the reasons foster youth were served by the pilot, the specific needs of the foster youth that could not be met in a family setting, services available to the foster youth in the pilot program and the actual services received, the impact of the interventions, services, and treatment on foster youth safety, well-being, and permanency, and the lengths of stay of the foster youth in the pilot program.

(4) Best practice recommendations related to the provision of services to foster youth with high acuity mental health needs, including, but not limited to, recommendations relating to program structure, cross-sector partnership and collaboration, and local financing.

(b) (1) The report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

(2) Pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, this section shall become inoperative on April 1, 2031, and, as of January 1, 2032, is repealed.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 43, Sec. 80. (AB 120) Effective July 10, 2023. Inoperative April 1, 2031, by its own provisions. Repealed as of January 1, 2032, by its own provisions.)


text: Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the department and the State Department of Health Care Services may implement, interpret, or make specific this chapter, in whole or in part, by means of plan or county letters, information notices, plan or provider bulletins, or other similar instruction, without taking any further regulatory action. Any guidance issued pursuant to this section shall be issued on an ongoing basis during the pilot program implemented pursuant to this chapter.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 43, Sec. 81. (AB 120) Effective July 10, 2023.)


text:
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) The Continuum of Care Reform (CCR) was enacted to improve California’s child welfare system and its outcomes through, in part, the selection and use of comprehensive initial child assessments.

(2) In 2018, the department selected the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment tool as the evidence-based, functional assessment tool as part of the implementation of the CCR. Pursuant to Section 16523.55, the requirement under Section 16523.5 for quarterly updates to the Legislature by the department on the implementation of the CCR has included a requirement for status updates on the utilization of the CANS assessment tool.

(3) The Legislature supports the use of a standardized CANS assessment tool completed to fidelity to guide case management and to identify trauma-informed services and supports tailored to meet the individual needs of children in foster care, with the goal of obtaining permanency and stability for every child and nonminor dependent.

(4) The Legislature further supports a trauma-informed approach to using the CANS assessment tool to reduce the number and duplication of assessments of youth.

(b) For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) “Child” means a person, including an Indian child as described in subdivision (a) of Section 224.1, who is under 18 years of age and placed into foster care by a placing agency.

(2) “Integrated Practice-Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths” or “IP-CANS” shall have the same meaning as the IP-CANS, described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (h) of Section 11461.

(3) “Nonminor dependent” has the same meaning as a nonminor dependent in subdivision (v) of Section 11400.

(4) “Placing agency” means a county child welfare agency, a county probation department, or an Indian tribe that has entered into an agreement pursuant to Section 10553.1.

(c) (1) Beginning January 1, 2026, all placing agencies shall ensure completion of IP-CANS assessments for every child and nonminor dependent placed in foster care under the care and supervision of the placing agency, in accordance with the standards and guidelines developed by the department pursuant to subdivision (d). The IP-CANS assessment shall be informed by members of the child and family team, including the child or nonminor dependent, the family of the child or nonminor dependent, and the child’s tribe in the case of an Indian child.

(2) The placing agency shall ensure completion of an IP-CANS assessment and entry into the statewide child welfare information system for each child or nonminor dependent within 60 days of their entry or reentry into foster care, as defined by the department, or within 30 days in the case of an Indian child.

(3) The placing agency shall ensure completion of a new or updated IP-CANS assessment for each child or nonminor dependent at least once every six months after the IP-CANS assessment is completed pursuant to paragraph (2), and more frequently to address the needs or changing circumstances of the child or nonminor dependent as directed by the department.

(4) The IP-CANS assessments shall determine the child’s or nonminor dependent’s tier for purposes of the Tiered Rate Structure established in subdivision (h) of Section 11461.

(d) (1) The department shall engage with a working group regarding guidelines and standards on the use of the IP-CANS that shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(A) Outcome measures, tools, training, coaching, and other supports necessary to ensure the IP-CANS assessments are completed to fidelity.

(B) The timing and use of the IP-CANS assessments in determining a child’s or nonminor dependent’s tier in the Tiered Rate Structure.

(C) The conditions that trigger the completion of an updated or new IP-CANS assessment.

(D) The impact of changes in the child’s or nonminor dependent’s tier as determined by subsequent IP-CANS assessments, including the timing of changes in the components of the Tiered Rate Structure based on changes in the child’s or nonminor dependent’s tier and exceptions which will apply in order to support placement in a family home.

(2) Not later than January 1, 2025, the department shall issue guidance and instructions for this subdivision to placing agencies regarding implementation by July 1, 2025, of the guidelines and standards developed pursuant to this subdivision.

(e) Notwithstanding the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the department may implement, interpret, or make specific this chapter by means of all-county letters or similar written instructions, which shall be exempt from submission to or review by the Office of Administrative Law. These all-county letters or similar instructions shall have the same force and effect as regulations until the adoption of regulations no later than January 1, 2030.

history: (History: Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 79, Sec. 30. (SB 119) Effective July 29, 2025.)

path: 9. PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES > 6.5. Foster Care Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths Programs