BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 1790 Page 1 CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS AB 1790 (Dickinson) As Amended June 11, 2014 Majority vote ----------------------------------------------------------------- |ASSEMBLY: |78-0 |(May 28, 2014) |SENATE: |34-0 |(August 7, | | | | | | |2014) | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Original Committee Reference: HEALTH SUMMARY : Requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to convene a stakeholder group, as specified, to identify barriers to mental health services by mental health professionals with specified training. Requires the stakeholder group, on or before September 30, 2015, to make specific, non-binding recommendations to specified groups to address the identified barriers. The Senate amendments clarify that private organizations providing specialty mental health services may participate in the stakeholder group convened by DSS and extend the date by which the stakeholder group must make recommendations from September 30, 2015, to January 31, 2016. AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill required the county mental health plan where an adopted child who is eligible for specialty mental health services resides, to provide medically necessary specialty mental health services. Requires DSS to convene a stakeholder group to identify barriers to the provision of mental health services by mental health professionals with specialized clinical training in adoption or permanency issues to children released for adoption. FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs. COMMENTS : According to the author, most children enter foster care with traumatic histories caused by abuse and neglect and most suffer multiple losses within foster care - separation from siblings, friends, and neighbors. Despite the increase in the numbers of children achieving permanence through adoption and guardianship, placement of a child into a stable and motivated family is not considered sufficient to compensate for AB 1790 Page 2 psychosocial problems related to prior trauma and chronic maltreatment. The author states as the number of adopted children with significant developmental and emotional issues surrounding their adoption experience has grown, the need has increased for child welfare professionals and clinicians with an in-depth understanding of adoption and permanency issues and the skills to work effectively with adoptive persons and their families. In May 2011, a coalition of leading child welfare organizations, including the Child Welfare League of America, the North American Council on Adoptable Children, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Voice for Adoption, and many others, participated in a congressional hearing on the need for post-adoption services and recommended policy reforms. One of the recommendations to come out of that hearing was to ensure that services offered to adoptive families embrace best practice and are provided by adoption-competent professionals. Mission Focused Solutions (MFS), the sponsor of this bill, writes that while the child welfare field's awareness of the need for adoption competent clinicians is heavily supported by respected research, graduate education in relevant fields does not usually include adoption issues. MFS argues that this bill addresses an underlying and critical need by empowering prospective adoptive and guardianship families with knowledge about the importance of working with adoption or permanency competent mental health professions when they seek help for their families and creating a well-researched criteria for adoption/permanency clinical competence. The California Association of Adoption Agencies writes that as their member agencies, who struggle to refer clients to adoption-competent mental health providers they strongly support this bill. The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT) has an oppose unless amended position on this bill stating they understand the sponsor's interest in assuring proper training for mental health professionals working with adoptive/foster families, the practical impact of this legislation would likely harm currently employed marriage and family therapists (MFTs), as well as those seeking employment. CAMFT states they are aware of numerous MFTs working in this field within various non-profit agencies and organizations licensed and contracted by the state, as well as MFTs working for the state and these MFTs were hired because they met the AB 1790 Page 3 qualifications of the job, and did not necessarily have the exact training spelled out in this legislation. CAMFT asks that language in the Legislative Findings be removed as it implies that MFTs are not qualified to work with this population, which is inaccurate. Analysis Prepared by : Paula Villescaz / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097 FN: 0004451