BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 295
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   April 29, 2009

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Kevin De Leon, Chair

                    AB 295 (Ammiano) - As Amended:  March 9, 2009 

          Policy Committee:                              Human  
          ServicesVote:6 - 0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              

           SUMMARY  

          This bill removes all references to a pilot project from the  
          wrap-around services program established as a pilot in 1996. In  
          addition, the bill extends the timeline for expending the  
          current funding in the pre-adoption and post-adoption services  
          pilot project from December 31, 2009, until June 30, 2010. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Estimates suggest that at as of December 31, 2009, $1.3 million  
          in General Fund will remain unspent in the adoption services  
          pilot project. Without the extension of the project those funds  
          could be returned to the General Fund. 

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  . This bill is intended to clean up the wrap-around  
            services statute by removing any references to the original  
            implementing pilot project.  In addition, the bill extends the  
            adoptive services pilot project for 6 months in order to make  
            up for an initial delay in distributing the funds for the  
            project. According to the author, county projects were  
            implemented six to nine months later than originally expected  
            because the state was unable to immediately distribute the  
            money.  In addition, there were some initial questions as to  
            whether or not certain types of funding and activities could  
            be used in the project, as a result counties ended up ramping  
            up their projects more slowly than they initially anticipated.  

           
          2)Pre-adoption and Post-adoption Services Pilot  . The three-year  








                                                                  AB 295
                                                                  Page  2

            pilot project was created by AB 1808 (Committee on Budget;  
            Chapter 75, Statutes of 2006), the budget trailer bill related  
            to human services.  $4 million in General Fund was included in  
            the 2006-07 budget for project.  In total, the three-year  
            project received over $11 million in state GF. 

            The focus of the pilot is support for adoptions of foster  
            children ages nine and older who have been in foster care at  
            least 18 months and live with foster families who are not  
            related to them or in group homes.  The participating counties  
            are San Francisco, Los Angeles, Alameda and Kern, along with  
            the department's Adoptions District Office in Sacramento.  

           3)Wrap-around Services  . Wrap-around refers to a program that  
            provides comprehensive social and other services that are  
            wrapped around a child and family.  California's program was  
            developed to support the placement of children in family-based  
            settings, rather than group homes or institutional settings.   
            Children are eligible for a period determined by an  
            individualized services plan if they have been adjudicated as  
            dependents or wards and would be placed in a group home with a  
            Rate Classification Level (RCL) of 10 or higher, or if they  
            would be voluntarily placed in out-of-home care through the  
            special education system.  

            There are at least 39 counties currently participating in the  
            program.  According to DSS, most counties' programs are led by  
            community-based agencies.  Based on county reports to DSS,  
            there were about 3,000 children statewide served by  
            wrap-around (with nearly half in Los Angeles) in July, 2008.  

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081