BILL ANALYSIS
AB 880
Page 1
GOVERNOR'S VETO
AB 880 (Cohn)
As Amended August 23, 2005
2/3 vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |47-28|(May 19, 2005) |SENATE: |28-8 |(August 29, |
| | | | | |2005) |
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|ASSEMBLY: |72-6 |(August 31, | | | |
| | |2005) | | | |
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Original Committee Reference: HUM. S.
SUMMARY : Requires the California Department of Social Services
(DSS) in conjunction with stakeholders to draft guidelines
outlining best practices in the use of advanced technology to
assist counties in identifying all relatives and
nonrelative-extended family members at the earliest possible
moment for the foster child.
The Senate amendments :
1)Add the County Welfare Directors of California, the California
Youth Connection and the Alliance of Child and Family Services
as members of the stakeholders workgroup charged with drafting
best practice guidelines.
2)Require DSS in conjunction with the stakeholders to develop a
cost-benefit analysis including estimates of the funding
needed to support family finding technology that counties can
utilize and develop recommended funding strategies including
public and private partnerships.
3)Ensure that a search for relative caregivers is initiated
before permanent placement decisions are made for children who
are unable to be reunited with their parents.
AB 880
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4)Ensure that children are actively involved in their case plan
and permanence planning process.
5)Make other technical changes.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, minor absorbable workload costs to allow DSS to draft
the best practice guidelines.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill required DSS to form a
workgroup to develop best practices to assist counties in
identifying all relatives, nonrelatives and extended family
members of children in foster care.
COMMENTS : According to the author, at least "eight counties
including: Alameda County, Monterey County, Orange County,
Placer County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Stanislaus
County, San Mateo County have voluntarily initiated programs to
provide the vital function of seeking to find a foster child's
relatives and nonrelative extended family members using new
advances in technology." These advanced search methods can
serve to find family members who may agree to house children who
would otherwise be at risk of foster care placement. Relative
homes offer stability to children in crisis and enhance family
reunification.
Through this bill, DSS may identify best practices as reported
by the counties that are planning, designing, and implementing
strategies to prioritize the placement of children. The
creation of public and private partnerships will be encouraged
and will enhance programs designed to quickly identify the
relative and nonrelative extended family members of children
placed in foster care.
GOVERNOR'S VETO MESSAGE :
Counties have made significant progress in employing
effective methods and practices for identifying and
locating relatives for the purpose of finding
appropriate homes for children in foster care.
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Current law requires counties to make considerable
effort to identify and locate family members when
making foster care placements. Because California is
a national leader in identifying relatives of
children in foster care this bill is unnecessary. In
California, child welfare services are delivered by
counties. Some counties already use innovative
computer technology to locate family members and the
remaining counties have the option to enact similar
measures without the need for legislative
intervention.
Additionally, the bill does not provide resources to
develop the cost benefit analysis of using locator
technology.
Analysis Prepared by: Caitlin O'Halloran / HUM. S. /
(916)-319-2089
FN: 0013497