BILL NUMBER: SB 436 CHAPTERED 10/07/05 CHAPTER 629 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE OCTOBER 7, 2005 APPROVED BY GOVERNOR OCTOBER 7, 2005 PASSED THE SENATE SEPTEMBER 8, 2005 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 8, 2005 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 2, 2005 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 21, 2005 AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 13, 2005 INTRODUCED BY Senator Migden FEBRUARY 17, 2005 An act to amend Section 10609.4 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to foster care. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 436, Migden Foster care: transitional housing. Existing law provides that a person less than 21 years of age who has emancipated from a county that has elected to participate in a transitional housing placement program for youths between 18 and 21 years of age who meet certain conditions, shall also be eligible for a county transitional housing placement program that provides supervised housing services. Existing law establishes the Transitional Housing for Foster Youth Fund, which is continuously appropriated for purposes of paying the state share of the cost relating to transitional housing services for eligible emancipated foster youth. Existing law requires the department to develop statewide standards for the Independent Living Program for emancipated foster youth established pursuant to federal law. Under existing law, a county department of social services is required to prepare an annual Independent Living Program report on the county's implementation of the program. This bill would require the county department of social services in a county that provides transitional housing placement services to include in its annual Independent Living Program report a description of currently available transitional housing resources in relation to the number of emancipating pregnant or parenting foster youth in the county, and a plan for meeting any unmet transitional housing needs of the emancipating pregnant or parenting foster youth. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 10609.4 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read: 10609.4. (a) On or before July 1, 2000, the State Department of Social Services, in consultation with county and state representatives, foster youth, and advocates, shall do both of the following: (1) Develop statewide standards for the implementation and administration of the Independent Living Program established pursuant to the federal Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-272). (2) Define the outcomes for the Independent Living Program and the characteristics of foster youth enrolled in the program for data collection purposes. (b) Each county department of social services shall include in its annual Independent Living Program report both of the following: (1) An accounting of federal and state funds allocated for implementation of the program. Expenditures shall be related to the specific purposes of the program. Program purposes may include, but are not limited to, all of the following: (A) Enabling participants to seek a high school diploma or its equivalent or to take part in appropriate vocational training, and providing job readiness training and placement services, or building work experience and marketable skills, or both. (B) Providing training in daily living skills, budgeting, locating and maintaining housing, and career planning. (C) Providing for individual and group counseling. (D) Integrating and coordinating services otherwise available to participants. (E) Providing each participant with a written transitional independent living plan that will be based on an assessment of his or her needs, that includes information provided by persons who have been identified by the participant as important to the participant in cases in which the participant has been in out-of-home placement in a group home for six months or longer from the date the participant entered foster care, consistent with the participant's best interests, and that will be incorporated into his or her case plan. (F) Providing participants with other services and assistance designed to improve independent living. (G) Convening persons who have been identified by the participant as important to him or her for the purpose of providing information to be included in his or her written transitional independent living plan. (2) A detail of the characteristics of foster youth enrolled in their independent living programs and the outcomes achieved based on the information developed by the department pursuant to subdivision (a). (c) The county department of social services in a county that provides transitional housing placement services pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 11403.2 shall include in its annual Independent Living Program report a description of currently available transitional housing resources in relation to the number of emancipating pregnant or parenting foster youth in the county, and a plan for meeting any unmet transitional housing needs of the emancipating pregnant or parenting foster youth. (d) In consultation with the department, a county may use different methods and strategies to achieve the standards and outcomes of the Independent Living Program developed pursuant to subdivision (a). (e) In consultation with the County Welfare Directors Association, the California Youth Connection, and other stakeholders, the department shall develop and adopt emergency regulations in accordance with Section 11346.1 of the Government Code that counties shall be required to meet when administering the Independent Living Program and that are achievable within existing program resources. The initial adoption of emergency regulations and one readoption of the initial regulations shall be deemed to be an emergency and necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, or general welfare. Initial emergency regulations and the first readoption of those regulations shall be exempt from review by the Office of Administrative Law. The initial emergency regulations and the first readoption of those regulations authorized by this subdivision shall be submitted to the Office of Administrative Law for filing with the Secretary of State and each shall remain in effect for no more than 180 days.