BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 196
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Date of Hearing: May 15, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 196 (Mansoor) - As Amended: May 7, 2013
Policy Committee: Human
ServicesVote:6 - 0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill requires DSS, in consultation with the County Welfare
Directors Association (CWDA), foster parents, caregivers, and
current and former foster youth, to develop and implement a
foster parent evaluation process. Specifically, this bill:
1)Specifies the evaluation process shall allow a foster youth
over 10 years of age and nonminor dependents, to provide
feedback on the quality of care they receive in licensed
foster care homes or group homes every six months, and upon
exit from those homes.
2)Requires the development of an evaluation tool that allows
foster youth to provide feedback on their caregivers.
3)Specifies that the evaluation shall be designed to gather
information on a series of specified subjects.
4)Requires DSS to consider how the information gathered can
inform improvement in existing and future efforts to recruit,
train and retain high quality foster parents.
5)Requires DSS to implement the foster parent evaluation process
and promulgate all necessary regulations no later than January
1, 2015.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Given the complexity of the evaluation requirements, it is
likely the evaluation will need to be administered in person
by a county social worker. On-going costs in excess of $1
AB 196
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million (GF) per year for the workload associated with social
workers administering the evaluation twice a year to over
20,000 foster youth and processing the information obtained
through the evaluation.
2)One-time costs potentially in excess of $100,000 to develop an
evaluation tool that effectively captures the required
information.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . The author notes that AB 196 is modeled after a
component of Florida's Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI)
Project. He notes that the QPI in Florida has resulted in the
development of innovative tools for foster parents and
children in foster care including an exit interview for
children and youth in foster care to provide feedback on their
caregivers.
Under current law, the placement and care of foster children
is overseen by a social worker. That social worker should
maintain some level of regular contact with both the child and
the caregiver. Presumably, the foster child could provide
feedback to the social worker on their experiences in a
particular placement. However, there is no formalized process
that allows foster children to provide detailed feedback on
their caregivers as part of an evaluation process. This bill
creates that process.
The author contends AB 196 would establish an important tool
by which foster children could be allowed to contribute their
input to improve the quality of foster care.
2)Support . The California Youth Connection (CYC) states the
bill would allow youth to provide feedback on issues crucial
to program success.
Analysis Prepared by : Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)
319-2081
AB 196
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