Amended in Senate June 16, 2016

Amended in Assembly March 31, 2016

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. begin delete Dual-status end delete begin insert Dual status end insert minors.

Existing law requires the probation department and the child welfare services 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 serve the best interests of the minor and the protection of society.

Existing law 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 requires the protocol to include a plan to collect data, and requires the Judicial Council to collect and compile the 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 instead require the Judicial Council to 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 committee, by January 1, 2018, to develop and report to the Legislature its recommendations to facilitate and enhance comprehensive data and outcome tracking for the state’s youth involved in both the child welfare system and the juvenile justice system, and would require the recommendations to include specified information, including standardized definitions related to these youth. The bill would also require the State Department of Social Services, on or before January 1, 2019, to 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 youth described above who are within their counties, and to issue instructions to all counties on the manner in which to completely and consistently track the involvement of these youth in both the child welfare system and the juvenile justice system.

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 shall 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, 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, education officials, and representatives from the
State Department of Social Services, county child welfare agencies,
and county probation departments. By January 1, 2018, the
committee shall develop and report to the Legislature, pursuant to
Section 9795 of the Government Code, its recommendations to
facilitate and enhance comprehensive data and outcome tracking
for the state’s youth involved in both the child welfare system and
the juvenile justice system. The committee’s recommendations
shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(1) A common identifier for counties to use to reconcile data
across child welfare and juvenile justice systems statewide.

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

(3) Identified and defined outcomes for counties to track youth
involved in both the child welfare system and the juvenile justice
system, including, but not limited to, outcomes related to
recidivism, health, pregnancy, homelessness, employment, 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.

begin insert

(6) An assessment of whether a single technology system,
including, but not limited to, the State Department of Social
Services’ Child Welfare Services/Case Management System
(CWS/CMS), is needed to track youth in the child welfare system
and the juvenile justice system.

end insert

(b) The State Department of Social Services shall, on or before
January 1, 2019, implement a function within the begin delete Child Welfare
Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS) end delete begin insert CWS/CMS end insert that
will enable county child welfare agencies and county probation
departments to identify youth involved in both the child welfare
system and the juvenile justice system who are within their counties
and shall issue instructions to all counties on how to completely
and consistently track the involvement of these youth in both the
child welfare system and the juvenile justice system.