Amended in Assembly March 28, 2016

Amended in Assembly March 18, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1911

Introduced by Assembly Member Eggman

February 11, 2016

An act to repeal and add Section 241.2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to juveniles.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1911, as amended, Eggman. Dual-status minors.

Existing law requires the probation department and begin insert the end insert child welfare begin delete service end delete begin insert services end insert department in each county to jointly develop a written protocol, as specified, to ensure appropriate local coordination in the assessment of a minor who is both a dependent child and a ward of the juvenile court. Existing law requires, whenever a minor appears to be both a dependent child and a ward of the juvenile court, the county probation department and the child welfare services department, pursuant to that jointly developed written protocol, to initially determine which status will begin delete best end delete serve the best interests of the minor and the protection of society. begin delete Existing end delete

begin insert Existing end insert law begin insert authorizes the probation department and the child welfare services department in a county to create a jointly written protocol to allow the 2 departments to jointly assess and produce a recommendation that the child be designated as a dual status child, as specified. Existing law end insert requires the protocol to include a plan to collect data, and requires the Judicial Council to collect and compile begin delete that end delete begin insert the end insert data. Existing law requires the Judicial Council to prepare an evaluation of the results of the implementation of the protocol, as specified, and to report its findings and any resulting recommendations to the Legislature within 2 years of the date those counties first deem a child to be a dual status child.

This bill would begin insert instead end insert require the Judicial Council begin delete to, on or before January 31, 2017, end delete begin insert to end insert convene a committee comprised of stakeholders involved in serving the needs of dependents or wards of the juvenile court, as specified. The bill would require the begin delete committee end delete begin insert committee, by January 1, 2018, end insert to develop and report to the Legislature its recommendations to facilitate and enhance comprehensive data and outcome tracking for the state’s begin delete dually involved, crossover, and dual status youth, end delete begin insert youth involved in both the child welfare system and the juvenile justice system, end insert and would require the recommendations to include specified information, including standardized definitions related to begin delete the populations of youth involved in both the child welfare system and the probation system. end delete begin insert these youth. end insert The bill would also require the State Department of Social begin delete Services to, end delete begin insert Services, end insert on or before January 31, begin delete 2017, end delete begin insert 2019, to end insert implement a function within the Child Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS) that will enable county child welfare agencies and county probation departments to identify begin delete the dually involved end delete youth begin insert described above who are end insert residing within their counties, and to issue guidance to all counties on the manner in which to track joint assessment hearing information completely and consistently for begin delete dually involved end delete begin insert these end insert youth.

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

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

SECTION 1.  

Section 241.2 of the Welfare and Institutions
Code is repealed.

SEC. 2.  

Section 241.2 is added to the Welfare and Institutions
Code, to read:

241.2.  

(a) The Judicial Council begin delete shall, on or before January 31,
2017, end delete begin insert shall end insert convene a committee comprised of stakeholders
involved in serving the needs of dependents or wards of the
juvenile court, including, but not limited to, judges, probation
officers, social workers, begin insert youth involved in both the child welfare
system and the juvenile justice system, child welfare and juvenile
justice attorneys, child welfare and juvenile justice advocates, end insert and
representatives from the State Department of Social Services.
begin delete Within one year from the date of its first meeting, end delete begin insert By January 1,
2018, end insert the committee shall develop and report to the begin delete Legislature end delete
begin insert Legislature, pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code, end insert
its recommendations to facilitate and enhance comprehensive data
and outcome tracking for the state’s begin delete dually involved, crossover,
and dual status youth. end delete begin insert youth involved in both the child welfare
system and the juvenile justice system. end insert The committee’s
recommendations shall include, but not be limited to, all of the
following:

(1) A common identifier counties may use to reconcile data
across child welfare and begin delete probation data end delete begin insert juvenile justice end insert systems
statewide.

(2) Standardized definitions for terms related to the populations
of youth involved in both the child welfare system and the
begin delete probation end delete begin insert juvenile justice end insert system.

(3) Identified and defined outcomes for counties to track begin delete for
dually involved, crossover, and dual status youth, such as end delete begin insert youth
involved in both the child welfare system and the juvenile justice
system, including, but not limited to, end insert outcomes related to recidivism
and education.

(4) Established baselines and goals for the identified and defined
outcomes specified in paragraph (3).

(5) An assessment as to the costs and benefits associated with
requiring all counties to implement the committee’s
recommendations.

(b) The State Department of Social Services shall, on or before
January 31, begin delete 2017, end delete begin insert 2019, end insert implement a function within the Child
Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS) that will
enable county child welfare agencies and county probation
departments to identify begin delete the dually involved end delete youth begin insert involved in both
the child welfare system and the juvenile justice system who are end insert
residing within their counties and shall issue guidance to all
counties on how to track joint assessment hearing information
completely and consistently for begin delete dually involved end delete begin insert these end insert youth.