Amended in Assembly April 20, 2016

Amended in Assembly March 31, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1984

Introduced by Assembly Member Linder

February 16, 2016

An act to add and repeal Section 16007 begin delete to end delete begin insert of end insert the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to foster youth.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1984, as amended, Linder. Foster youth: enrichment activities.

Existing law provides that it is the policy of the state that all minors and nonminors in foster care have specified rights, including, among others, the right to attend school and participate in extracurricular, cultural, and personal enrichment activities, consistent with the child’s age and developmental level, with minimal disruptions to school attendance and educational stability.

This bill would require the State Department of Social Services, on or before March 1, 2017, to convene a workgroup and would require the workgroup to develop an implementation plan for the California Foster Youth Enrichment Grant Program. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2018, upon appropriation by the Legislature and in consideration of the implementation plan, to establish that program in order to provide grants of $500 or less to qualified foster youth to enable the foster youth to participate in activities that enhance the foster youth’s skills, abilities, self-esteem, or overall well-being. The bill would specify eligibility criteria for receipt of a grant and the authorized uses of a grant. The bill would require a recipient, within 6 months after receipt of a grant, to submit documentation that describes how the grant was used and the actual cost, supported by copies of receipts, of the program, product, or service, and directly related costs, purchased with the grant. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2021, to submit a report to the Legislature begin insert containing end insert the addresses, among other things, data on the number of applications received and the number of grants awarded. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2022.

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

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

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begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

end insert begin insert

The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

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(a) California foster youth face many challenges. Approximately
three-fourths of youth in foster care have spent two or more years
in the system between birth and 12th grade. While in foster care,
about 70 percent of youth had three or more placements. Less than
half of all foster youth complete high school.

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(b) Although the state has seen a reduction in the number of
children in foster care and a decreased reliance on group homes,
it continues to struggle to find stable, fulfilling families for children.

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(c) Participating in enrichment activities, including, but not
limited to, sports leagues, camps, college preparation courses,
arts, music, and formative social experiences, can greatly
contribute to a foster youth’s sense of normalcy and increase the
likelihood of a successful transition to adulthood.

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begin delete SECTION 1. end delete

begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

Section 16007 is added to the Welfare and Institutions
Code, to read:

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16007.  

(a) (1) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

(A) California foster youth face many challenges. Approximately
three-fourths of youth in foster care have spent two or more years
in the system between birth and 12th grade. While in foster care,
about 70 percent of youth had three or more placements. Less than
half of all foster youth complete high school.

(B) Although the state has seen a reduction in the number of
children in foster care and a decreased reliance on group homes,
it continues to struggle to find stable, fulfilling families for
children.

(C) Participating in enrichment activities, including, but not
limited to, sports leagues, camps, college preparation courses, arts,
music, and formative social experiences, can greatly contribute to
a foster youth’s sense of normalcy and increase the likelihood of
a successful transition to adulthood.

(2)

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begin insert

begin insert 16007. end insert   

end insert

begin insert (a) end insert  The purpose of this section is to establish the
California Foster Youth Enrichment Grant Program, which will
provide grants to foster youth to participate in activities that
enhance their skills, abilities, self-esteem, or overall well-being.

(b) On or before March 1, 2017, the State Department of Social
Services shall convene a workgroup composed of individuals and
groups that represent the interests of foster youth. The workgroup
shall develop an implementation plan to maximize the California
Foster Youth Enrichment Grant Program’s impact.

(c) On or before January 1, 2018, upon appropriation by the
Legislature and in consideration of the plan developed pursuant
to subdivision (b), the State Department of Social Services shall
establish the California Foster Youth Enrichment Grant Program
to provide grants to qualified foster youth to enable the foster youth
to participate in activities that enhance the foster youth’s skills,
abilities, self-esteem, or overall well-being.

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(d) Grant applicants shall meet all of the following criteria
immediately prior to approval of a grant:

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(1) Be a California foster youth between six years of age and
17 years of age, inclusive, or a California nonminor dependent.

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(2) Be placed in a foster family home, certified family home,
or group home.

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(3) Be enrolled in a California school.

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(d) A grant shall be awarded to a foster youth who meets all of
the following eligibility criteria:

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(1) Is in foster care under the placement and care responsibility
of a county welfare department, county probation department,
Indian tribe, consortium of tribes, or tribal organization that has
entered into an agreement pursuant to Section 10553.1.

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(2) Is 6 years of age to 21 years of age, inclusive.

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(3) Is enrolled in an elementary, middle, or high school, or an
equivalent educational program, or in a postsecondary educational
institution in California.

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(e) (1)  Grants

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begin insert (e) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert Grants end insert awarded under this section begin insert for activities that
contribute to the enhancement of an individual foster youth’s skills,
abilities, self-esteem, or overall well-being end insert shall be five hundred
dollars ($500) or begin delete less and end delete begin insert less. Grants end insert shall be used to fund a
program, service, or product, and any directly related costs, that
provide any of the following to a foster youth:

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(A)

end delete

begin insert ( end insert begin insert 1) end insert  Skill development, including, but not limited to, lessons in
music, dance, or drama, and the rental or purchase of equipment
needed to further skill development.

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(B)

end delete

begin insert ( end insert begin insert 2) end insert  Academic or school-related assistance, including, but not
limited to, school trips, college campus visits, Advanced Placement
or International Baccalaureate exam fees, test preparation courses
or materials, and books.

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(C)

end delete

begin insert ( end insert begin insert 3) end insert  Recreational or social participation, including, but not limited
to, summer camp attendance, sports league participation,
school-sponsored formal dance attendance, and participation in
school graduation activities.

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(2) Grants shall not be awarded to fund any activity that does
not directly contribute to the enhancement of an individual foster
youth’s skills, abilities, self-esteem, or overall well-being,
including, but not limited to, either of the following:

end delete begin delete

(A) Child care expenses for the foster youth or his or her child.

end delete begin delete

(B) A vacation with the foster youth’s foster family.

end delete

(f) Applications for grants under this section shall be on forms
developed by the department, and shall include, at a minimum, all
of the following:

(1) Evidence that the applicant meets the eligibility criteria
specified in subdivision (d).

(2) A description of the need for and proposed use of the grant,
the anticipated cost of the program, product, or service, and directly
related costs, and the projected benefit to the foster youth.

(3) Any other information that the department determines is
necessary to further the intent of this section.

(g) Within six months after a grant is awarded, the recipient
shall submit documentation, on forms developed by the department,
that describes how the grant was used and the actual cost, supported
by copies of receipts, of the program, product, or service, and
directly related costs, purchased with the grant. A foster youth
shall not be eligible for a subsequent grant until this documentation
is received.

(h) (1) On or before January 1, 2021, the department shall
submit a report to the Legislature that addresses, at a minimum,
all of the following:

(A) Data on the number of applications received, aggregated
by year.

(B) Data on the number of grants awarded, aggregated by year.

(C) Data on the programs, products, or services, and directly
related costs, the grants were used to fund, aggregated by year.

(D) A description of the documentation a recipient is required
to submit pursuant to subdivision (g).

(E) Data on the number of recipients who provided the
documentation required pursuant to subdivision (g) and who did
not provide the documentation required by subdivision (g),
aggregated by year.

(2) The report required pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
Code.

(i) It is the intent of the Legislature that the department explore
the feasibility of transitioning the program to private funding and
control.

(j) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2022,
and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that
is enacted before January 1, 2022, deletes or extends that date.