As the first year in a two year legislative session, 2011 proved to produce several new laws that have a significant impact on youth currently in and transitioning from our foster care system. AB 212, a CYC sponsored bill, which made changes to improve AB 12, was signed by the Governor on October 4th.
Additionally, CYC members supported several new bills that were signed into law including priority enrollment for foster youth attending California's public colleges and universities, an idea which had been introduced in previous CYC campus support program legislation and a bill to mandate social services to provide birth certificates to foster youth, which CYC members heavily advocated for.
AB 791- Ammiano (Signed by Governor 6/30/11)
- This bill would require the court, when it terminates or declines to order reunification services, to order that the child’s caregiver, or, if the child is over the age of 16, the child (if appropriate) receive his or her birth certificate.
AB 159- Beall (Signed by Governor 7/25/11)
- Foster family agencies are required to have one supervisory social worker for each 8 social workers (or fraction thereof) that they employ (the ratio used to be 1:6).
AB 212- Beall (Signed by Governor 10/4/11)
- AB 212 redesigned the re-entry provision in AB 12 (2010) so that a youth who does not want to participate in extended foster care is discharged from the dependency system.
- If the youth later changes his or her mind and would like to re-enter foster care, AB 212 allows for the youth to sign a Voluntary Re-entry Agreement or petition the juvenile court in his county of residence.
- The bill also creates a transitional jurisdiction status that allows youth who are exiting the delinquency system (probation), who cannot safely return home and who otherwise meet the requirements of AB 12 to access extended benefits without having to remain on probation.
AB 194- Beall (Signed by Governor 10/4/11)
- Requires California Community Colleges (CCC) and the California State University (CSU), and requests the University of California (UC), to give priority enrollment in classes to foster youth or former foster youth up to 24 years of age.
AB 709- Brownley (Signed by Governor 10/4/ 11)
- Currently, a foster child is to be enrolled in a school even if they cannot produce clothing or medical records normally required for admission.
- This bill would clarify that medical records include immunization records and would expand the bill to include enrollment in a child care or other private educational institution.
SB 578- Negrete McLeod (Signed by Governor 10/4/11)
- Among other things, this bill would require a school district and county office of education to accept the coursework satisfactorily completed by a pupil in foster care while attending another school district, a juvenile court school, or a nonpublic, nonsectarian school or agency even if the pupil did not complete the entire course and to award that pupil full or partial credit for the coursework completed.
- The bill would prohibit a pupil in foster care from being required to retake a course or portions of a course for which the school district has provided full or partial credit unless the school district of County Office of Education finds that the pupil is reasonably able to complete the requirements in time to graduate from High School while the pupil still remains eligible for Foster Care. This fixes the problem of credit for core classes being used as credit for elective curriculum.
SB 368- Liu (Signed by Governor 10/4/11)
- This bill would allow a Court to limit a parent’s right to make decisions regarding developmental services with respect to a dependent child.
- The Court would then have the authority to appoint an authorized representative or, if none is available, could make decisions with the input of interested parties.
AB 687- Fletcher (Signed by Governor 10/4/11)
- This bill would authorize a licensed private adoption agency to conduct the inquiry into the whereabouts of a father in the case of a stepparent adoption.
SB 926- Runner (Signed by Governor 10/26/11)
- In order to assess the appropriateness of a relative for possible placement of a child, this bill allows the child’s attorney or the agent of the attorney (in addition to the CSW – already codified), to disclose, as appropriate, the fact that the child is in custody, the alleged reasons for the custody, and the projected likely date for the child’s return home or placement for adoption or legal guardianship.
