YLC Moves Foster Care Recommendations

Alice Bussiere, Staff Attorney, Youth Law Center offers this update on the foster care recommendations she presented at the Working Families Policy Summit:

The Youth Law Center is:

Co-sponsoring AB 12, which will extend foster care benefits to youth after the age of 18 and allow California to participate in the federal Kinship Guardianship Assistance program.  AB 12 has broad support, with 37 co-authors, and 8 co-sponsors including: the California Alliance of Child & Family Services, the California Youth Connection, the Children’s Law Center of Los Angeles, the County Welfare Directors’ Association of California (CWDA), the John Burton Foundation, the Judicial Council of California, and the SEIU State Council as well as the Youth Law Center.

• For more information on the bill, its current status, and support, see www.cafosteringconnections.org

• For the bill language, analysis and current status, see info.sen.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_12&sess=CUR&house=B&site=sen

Supporting SB 114, which will simplify Medi-Cal eligibility and redetermination procedures for former foster youth.  Co-sponsors, the Children’s Advocacy Institute, CWDA, and the Western Center on Law and Poverty, have worked with the authors, Senators Liu and Pavley, and the Department of Health Care Services to address the Governor’s concerns, which led to a veto of the previous bill.

• For the bill language, analysis and current status, see info.sen.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=sb_114&sess=CUR&house=B&site=sen

YLC is also continuing work on implementing other provisions of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act described in the chart we prepared for the Summit by:

Partnering with Public Counsel to create more specific sub-charts on specific provisions, with recommendations for implementing the federal law in California.

Supporting AB 938, which provides for early identification and notification of relatives of children who have removed from home because of abuse or neglect.  AB 938 also implements a recommendation of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Children in Foster Care to insure that all parties in juvenile court proceedings have a meaningful opportunity to review reports and meet with their attorneys prior to court hearings.

• For the bill language, analysis, and current status, see info.sen.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_938&sess=CUR&house=B&site=sen

Working with Public Counsel and staff at the Assembly Committee on Education to implement the education provisions of Fostering Connections.

Supporting AB 154, which will inform adoptive parents about the availability of the federal and state adoption tax credits.

• For the bill language, analysis, and current status see, info.sen.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_154&sess=CUR&house=B&site=sen