ACR 58 Assembly Concurrent Resolution

BILL NUMBER: ACR 58	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 9, 2005

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Parra

                        APRIL 26, 2005

   Relative to foster youth.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   ACR 58, as amended, Parra.   Foster youth. 
   This measure would recognize that the rights of foster youth are
critical to ensuring their well-being and future, and would urge the
State Departments of Social Services, Education,  Health
Services,  and Mental Health, as well as other designated
entities, to develop practices to  facilitate making
  assist  foster youth  aware of 
 in understanding  their rights and available resources.
   Fiscal committee: yes.





   WHEREAS, Ninety-five thousand foster  children 
 youth  are in care in California. In removing a child from
his or her family and placing that child in foster care, the state
 assumes   and counties assume  enormous
responsibility.  In effect,   Both  the
state  is committed   and counties commit 
to protecting  the child   these children 
and ensuring that  the child thrives and develops 
 these children thrive and develop  the skills, supports,
and enduring relationships that will sustain  him or her
  them  into adulthood; and

   WHEREAS, Foster youth are uniquely vulnerable, because they are
completely dependent on the state to meet their needs, and require
additional protection, resources and support to make a successful
transition to adulthood; and

   WHEREAS, The Legislature has recognized the importance of the
rights of foster youth by enacting numerous measures to ensure and
strengthen those rights, and has further expressed the intent to
ensure that the rights of children in out-of-home placement are
preserved and not infringed upon; and

   WHEREAS, The Legislature has recognized the need to expand the
foster youth bill of rights to include specific education and higher
education rights  as   , noting that 
education is the foundation and key to self-sufficiency for many
foster youth; and

   WHEREAS, If members of the child welfare community and the public
are unaware of the rights of foster youth, they are unable to meet
their collective responsibility to ensure foster youth are cared for
and have adequate access to information; and

   WHEREAS, Foster youth often lack access to information about their
rights and available resources in their community. When youth are
aware of their rights in foster care, they are able to self-advocate,
which is critical to their success. It is necessary that all foster
youth know that they have specific rights, and that they know they
can call the Office of the State Foster Care Ombudsperson if there is
a violation of those rights; and

   WHEREAS,  Outreach   Education outreach 
by the state and local foster care ombudsperson offices to 
educate  foster youth and  providers 
the child welfare community  needs to be consistently supported
 so   to ensure that  the rights afforded
foster youth are meaningful. In recent years, the travel abilities of
the Office of the State Foster Care Ombudsperson have been limited
due to budget concerns; and

   WHEREAS, Nearly one in every four calls to the Office of the State
Foster Care Ombudsperson  concern's   reports
 a violation of a foster youth's rights. There is a need to
expand the scope of the Office of the State Foster Care Ombudsperson
to include the ability to independently report to the public and the
Legislature regarding the concerns and complaints of foster youth;
and

   WHEREAS, Two promising steps toward the ensuring that foster youth
are informed of their rights and have access to the resources needed
to be successful are the creation of local foster care ombudsperson
offices and the centralization of all resources to foster youth in a
"one stop center"; and

   WHEREAS,  Everyone who comes into contact with foster
youth should make it their duty to   All individuals in
the child welfare community  share responsibility for ensuring
that  the   foster  youth know their rights
and are informed of available education, employment, housing,
health, and financial resources; now, therefore, be it

   Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes that the rights
of foster youth are critical to ensuring their well-being and future;
and be it further

   Resolved, That the Legislature urges the State Department of
Social Services, the State Department of Education,  and
  the State Department of Health Services,  the
State Department of Mental Health, the County Welfare Directors
Association of  California, the National Association of 
Social Workers, the California Judicial Council, the California State
Foster Parent Association, the California Alliance for Children and
Family Services, and the California Chief Probation Officers
Association to develop practices that  will facilitate making
foster youth aware of their rights, and of   assist
foster youth in understanding their rights and  the resources
available to support them both in foster care and as they transition
out of the foster care system; and be it further

   Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit this
resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.