Amended in Senate April 11, 2013

Amended in Senate April 1, 2013

Senate Bill No. 602

Introduced by Committee on Human Services (Senators Yee (Chair), Berryhill, Emmerson, Evans, Liu, and Wright)

February 22, 2013

An act to amend Sections 18961, 18962, and 18963 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to child abuse prevention.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 602, as amended, Committee on Human Services. Child abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment projects.

Existing law allows the Office of Child Abuse Prevention to fund, through allocations provided to local counties, child abuse and neglect prevention and intervention programs. Existing law provides the criteria under which a county selects agency projects and services to be funded under these provisions, including that priority shall be given to private, nonprofit agencies and that training and technical assistance shall be provided by private, nonprofit agencies, as specified. Existing law requires funds allocated to a county to revert to the State Children’s Trust Fund and be administered, as provided, if that county chooses not to contract or subcontract for the provision of services.

This bill would remove required training and technical assistance by private, nonprofit agencies as a selection criteria. This bill would also remove the requirement that funds allocated to a county that chooses not to contract or subcontract for the provision of services revert to the State Children’s Trust Fund. The bill would make conforming changes to related provisions.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 18961 of the Welfare and Institutions
Code is amended to read:

18961.  

(a) Projects and services funded pursuant to this article
shall be selected using the following criteria:

(1) Priority shall be given to private, nonprofit agencies with
programs that serve the needs of children at risk of abuse or neglect
and that have demonstrated effectiveness in prevention or
intervention.

(2) Agencies shall be eligible for funding provided that evidence
is submitted that the proposed services are not duplicated in the
community, are based on needs of children at risk, and are
supported by a local public agency, including, but not limited to,
one of the following:

(A) The county welfare department.

(B) A public law enforcement agency.

(C) The county probation department.

(D) The county board of supervisors.

(E) The county public health department.

(F) The county mental health department.

(G) The school district.

(3) Services provided shall be culturally and linguistically
appropriate to the populations served.

(4) Services may include, but need not be limited to, day care,
respite services, transportation, mental health services, services
provided through home visiting programs, parent education and
support programs, domestic violence services, disability services,
early developmental screening and assessment, and counseling
services.

(5) Applicant agencies shall demonstrate the existence of a 10
percent cash or in-kind match that will support the goals of child
abuse and neglect prevention and intervention.

(6) Funding shall be used to supplement, but not supplant, child
welfare services authorized pursuant to Chapter 5 (commencing
with Section 16500) of Part 4.

(7) Priority for services shall be given to children who are at
high risk, including children who are being served by the county
welfare departments for being abused and neglected and other
children who are referred for services by legal, medical, or social
services agencies.

(8) Service to minority populations shall be reflected in the
funding of projects.

(9) Projects and services shall clearly be related to the needs of
children, especially those 14 years of age and under.

(b) In a county that has established a multidisciplinary council,
the council shall be utilized to provide recommendations to the
board of supervisors for the funding processes and priorities.

(c) Each county shall monitor the projects and services it funds.

(d) Beginning in the 2011-12 fiscal year, and for each fiscal
year thereafter, funding and expenditures for programs and
activities under this section shall be in accordance with the
requirements provided in Sections 30025 and 30026.5 of the
Government Code.

SEC. 2.  

Section 18962 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
amended to read:

18962.  

The county child welfare agency shall provide to the
Office of Child Abuse Prevention, no later than October 1 of each
year, an annual expenditure report to include funds expended,
populations served, and other information deemed necessary based
on a process to be developed by the department, in consultation
with counties.

SEC. 3.  

Section 18963 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
amended to read:

18963.  

Unless otherwise specified in the annual Budget Act,
the funds appropriated in the annual Budget Act to the State
Department of Social Services for the purposes of this article shall
be allocated as follows:

(a) A sum equal to 90 percent of the appropriation shall be
allocated to the board of supervisors of each of the participating
counties.

(b) A sum equal to 7 percent of the appropriation shall be
allocated to the State Children’s Trust Fund established under
Section 18969 for innovative, child-centered approaches which
indicate promise of quality, cost-effective services to prevent child
abuse and neglect.

(c)  The Office of Child Abuse Prevention shall reserve a sum
equal to 3 percent of the appropriation, to be used to provide
administrative oversight and consultation that shall include
activities necessary to do all of the following:

(1) Ensure that each county allocates revenues through the use
of an accountable process that utilizes a multidisciplinary approach,
particularly including strengthening child abuse councils and
allocates revenues in a manner consistent with a county expenditure
plan for all Child Abuse Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment
program revenues. The county plans shall explain how services
funded under this article are coordinated with the array of services
available in the county and are based on unmet need. The Office
of Child Abuse Prevention shall review and approve these plans
prior to authorizing county expenditure of funds. The Office of
Child Abuse Prevention shall require counties to submit annual
reports on program services.

(2) Ensure Child Abuse Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment
program compliance and accountability to the county plan and
legislative intent.

(d) Counties with provider contracts in effect as of June 30,
1998, may continue those contracts. However, no county shall
receive an augmentation of Child Abuse Prevention, Intervention,
and Treatment funds unless the county modifies its program in
accordance with subdivision (c). During the 1998-99 state fiscal
year, if a county qualifies to receive an augmentation of funds,
counties may augment existing provider contracts without
competitive bids.

(e) The Office of Child Abuse Prevention may contract with a
statewide nonprofit consortium with broad-based statewide
representation to provide training and technical assistance, and to
improve accountability for the use of funds in the Child Abuse
Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment program using funds
identified in subdivision (c).

(f) A portion of the funds specified in subdivision (c) may be
allocated to the State Children’s Trust Fund to be used for statewide
training and technical assistance services. Moneys for statewide
training and technical assistance may be supplemented under
subdivision (a) by an amount not to exceed 0.50 percent of the
total Child Abuse Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment
appropriation but the total amount allocated statewide for training
and technical assistance shall not exceed 2 percent of the total
Child Abuse Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment appropriation.
begin delete This augmentation may be accomplished byauthorizing end delete begin insert To
accomplish this augmentation, end insert the board of supervisors of each
participating county begin delete to end delete begin insert may end insert allocate annually a portion of its
allocation under this section as a supplement to funds for statewide
training and technical assistance. Activities to be funded with these
supplemental moneys may be specified by the allocating county
and approved by the State Department of Social Services.