AB 1911, as amended, Eggman. Dual status 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 thebegin delete Child Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS)end deletebegin insert applicable case management systemend insert 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 241.2 of the Welfare and Institutions
2Code is repealed.
Section 241.2 is added to the Welfare and Institutions
4Code, to read:
(a) The Judicial Council shall convene a committee
6comprised of stakeholders involved in serving the needs of
7dependents or wards of the juvenile court, including, but not limited
8to, judges, probation officers, social workers, youth involved in
9both the child welfare system and the juvenile justice system, child
10welfare and juvenile justice attorneys, child welfare and juvenile
P3 1justice advocates, education officials, and representatives from the
2State Department of Social Services, county child welfare agencies,
3and county probation departments. By January 1, 2018, the
4committee shall develop and report to the Legislature, pursuant to
5Section 9795 of the Government Code, its recommendations to
6facilitate and enhance
comprehensive data and outcome tracking
7for the state’s youth involved in both the child welfare system and
8the juvenile justice system. The committee’s recommendations
9shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:
10(1) A common identifier for counties to use to reconcile data
11across child welfare and juvenile justice systems statewide.
12(2) Standardized definitions for terms related to the populations
13of youth involved in both the child welfare system and the juvenile
14justice system.
15(3) Identified and defined outcomes for counties to track youth
16involved in both the child welfare system and the juvenile justice
17system, including, but not limited to, outcomes related to
18recidivism, health, pregnancy, homelessness,
employment, and
19education.
20(4) Established baselines and goals for the identified and defined
21outcomes specified in paragraph (3).
22(5) An assessment as to the costs and benefits associated with
23requiring all counties to implement the committee’s
24recommendations.
25(6) An assessment of whether a single technology system,
26including, but not limited to, the State Department of Social
27Services’ Child Welfare Services/Case Management System
28begin delete (CWS/CMS),end deletebegin insert (CWS/CMS) or the Child Welfare Services-New
29System (CWS-NS),end insert is needed to track youth in the child
welfare
30system and the juvenile justice system.
31(b) The State Department of Social Services shall, on or before
32January 1, 2019, implement a function within thebegin delete CWS/CMSend delete
33begin insert applicable case management systemend insert that will enable county child
34welfare agencies and county probation departments to identify
35youth involved in both the child welfare system and the juvenile
36justice system who are within their counties and shall issue
37instructions to all counties on how to completely and consistently
P4 1track the involvement of these youth in both the child welfare
2system and the juvenile justice system.
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