Legislation

Governor Corrects Unequal Treatment for Youth Living with Relatives

This summer, a historic change took place thanks to years of advocacy work led by the Alliance and a coalition of partners: Governor Brown signed a new state budget that corrects a longstanding inequality in the way relative foster parents are supported in meeting a child’s needs. Studies demonstrate that children placed with relatives experience …

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Federal Family First Act (H.R. 5456) A Step Backwards for California’s Foster Children

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) joined Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (R-OR) in introducing the Family First Act, which ostensibly allows states to utilize federal funds for preventative and supportive services while also limiting when federal funds can …

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Budget Request for Child Care for Foster Children Moves Forward

At this moment, members of the Legislature’s Conference Committee are meeting to decide which proposals to include in the 2016-2017 state budget. One of the proposals under consideration is the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children, which would allocate $22 million annually to provide time-limited child care vouchers to foster children. The request …

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Governor Brown’s May Revised Budget Proposes Home-Based Family Care Rate for ALL Families – Including Kin!

On May 13, 2016, Governor Brown released his updated budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The proposal calls for the creation of a four-tiered Home-Based Family Care rate that is based on the child’s level-of-care. This new home-based family care rate will replace the existing rate structure for out-of-home placements, which provides a basic rate …

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Legislative Update 2015

AB 423: Enhancements to the Approved Relative Caregiver Program AB 423 is a clean-up bill that addresses the state’s new Approved Relative Caregiver Program. AB 423 will ensure that families start receiving CalWORKs benefits immediately upon the placement of the child(ren) into their home by requiring counties to initiate the funding. This will ensure that …

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Legislative Season 2015

Continuum of Care Reform: Working toward a financial support model that stabilizes placements and promotes permanency Children housed in group homes are at greater risk of high school dropout, incarceration and eventual homelessness as compared to those raised in family settings. It is estimated that 3,000 youth have resided in California’s group homes for more …

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Vulnerable Young Children will Now Receive Uninterrupted Services

Four-year-old Jessica lives with her grandmother in the Antelope Valley, where the highest percentages of 0-5 year olds in foster care reside, and the fewest resources are available. Jessica has cerebral palsy and significant communication and social-emotional issues resulting from prenatal exposure to drugs and neglect as an infant. She was placed in a non-relative …

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CA Makes Historic Investment in Foster Kids Raised by Relatives

Governor Jerry Brown signed the 2014 – 2015 California budget today, Friday, June 20, which includes a $30 million investment in the futures of foster children who are raised by relatives. This is the most important policy victory for foster children since the extension of foster care to age 21 through AB 12 in 2012. …

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Bill Seeks to Minimize Delays in Therapies for Disabled Children

The Alliance continues to work to pass legislation that will minimize delays in critical therapies for foster youth with disabilities. Assembly Bill 1089 (Calderon) – Improving the Regional Center Transfer Process for Foster Youth bill seeks to ensure that foster children do not lose vital regional center services when they move from one home to …

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LAUSD and District’s Around the State Unveil Draft Plans that Focus on Foster Youth

The Los Angeles Unified School District’s newly unveiled draft Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) demonstrates the promise of California’s new school funding scheme – the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) – for foster youth.  The draft plan includes nearly $10 million in new services for foster youth and the hiring of nearly 100 new counselors …

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