ACR 204, as introduced, Quirk. Court Adoption and Permanency Month.
This measure would designate November 2016 as Court Adoption and Permanency Month, and would encourage the courts and their local communities to join in activities to expedite permanency for children.
Fiscal committee: no.
P1 1WHEREAS, Consistent with its commitment to support practices
2and procedures that promote access to justice and improved case
3outcomes for California’s children and families, the Judicial
4Council has recognized November as Court Adoption and
5Permanency Month every year since 1999; and
6WHEREAS, Half a million incidents of child abuse and neglect
7are reported each year in California, and about 25,200 children
8enter child welfare-supervised foster care for the first time; and
9WHEREAS, Nearly 61,900 children in California live apart
10from their families in child welfare: supervised out-of-home care;
11and
12WHEREAS, Thirty-eight percent of the children in foster care
13in California have lived apart from their families for two or more
14years; and
P2 1WHEREAS, Twenty-four percent of the youth in care are
2transitional-age youth aged 16 to 20, inclusive; and
3WHEREAS, Of the more than 29,600 California children who
4left foster care in the 12 months preceding May 2016, 52 percent
5were reunited with their families, 21 percent were adopted, and 7
6percent exited foster care without reunifying or obtaining a
7permanent home by the time they reached the age of majority; and
8WHEREAS, Local courts and communities throughout
9California have created programs promoting permanency that have
10resulted in a reduction in the number of children waiting to live in
11safe, stable, and permanent homes; and
12WHEREAS, The Judicial Council remains committed to working
13with the Governor, the Legislature, and local courts and
14communities to ensure that every abused or neglected child finds
15a safe, stable, and permanent home with a loving family as quickly
16as possible; and
17WHEREAS, The Assembly and Senate are committed to
18working together to improve outcomes for children in the child
19welfare system; now, therefore, be it
20Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
21thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby designates
22November 2016 as Court Adoption and Permanency Month, during
23which the courts and their local communities are encouraged to
24join in activities to expedite permanency for children; and be it
25further
26Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
27of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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