BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2481
Page A
Date of Hearing: April 25, 2006
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES
Noreen Evans, Chair
AB 2481 (Evans) - As Amended: April 5, 2006
SUBJECT : Foster Care.
SUMMARY : Increases foster parent and adoptive parent
recruitment, retention and supports. Specifically, this bill :
1)Establishes the Foster Parent Recruitment and Retention
Program and requires the Department of Social Services in
consultation with the County Welfare Director's Association to
administer the program.
2)Increases by 5% the rate paid to foster parents for supports
related to caring for a foster child.
3)Bases future rate increases on percentage changes in the state
cost-of-living based to the California Necessities Index.
4)Creates a foster and adoptive parent recruitment and retention
program to support local services needed by foster and
adoptive parents.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Provides for Aid to Families with Dependent Children Foster
Care (AFDC-FC) for children who have been removed from their
homes due to abuse or neglect.
2)Establishes a rate of foster care provider payments with
respect to children placed in a licensed or approved family
home with a capacity of six or less in an approved home of a
relative or nonrelative legal guardian.
3)Appropriates state funds for allocation to each county for the
adequate care of each child eligible to receive AFDC-FC.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown; potentially $20 million in combined
federal, state and county funds the establishment of a
recruitment, retention and support fund for foster and adoptive
parents, and an additional $10 million for a 5% rate increase
for foster parent payments.
AB 2481
Page B
COMMENTS : When children are removed from their home due to
abuse and neglect, every effort is made to place a child with a
relative or non-related extended family member (NREFM). When
kinship placement is not available, foster homes and adoptive
homes are the next best and most suitable placements for
children.
According to the author, "foster families provide care and
supervision to foster children and are an important alternative
to placing children into more costly institutional settings such
as group homes. Foster parents also work in partnership with
county social workers, helping to identify and resolve the
on-going needs of children, and facilitating the receipt of
important services for foster children including medical and
mental health services. Increasingly, foster parents are
working with the birth families to support family reunification
efforts between children and their birth families."
It is important to place children as close to home as possible.
Disruptions and trauma resulting from removal can be minimized
by enabling children to continue attending their school of
origin and maintaining connections with their family and
friends. This can be accomplished more easily if children
remain in their community. Placement within a child's community
is consistent with the State's Outcomes and Accountability
System (AB 636, Statutes of 2001), which tracks the prevalence
of placements of foster children with non-kin foster homes
within a mile of home removal.
The bill sponsor, the County Welfare Director's Association
observes that "state efforts to recruit, retain and support
these caregivers are woefully inadequate. California has not
increased the reimbursement rates for foster family home
placements in over five years. As a result, the basic rate,
which pays for only board and care costs for a foster child, has
remained static, despite the fact that the cost of living has
increased over 21% since 2001 (based on CNI changes over this
time). In fact, California now pays less to care for a foster
child than the average kennel charges to board and feed a dog.
Kennels charge an average of $620 per month to care for a dog,
compared to the average cost of $505 per month for basic board
and care for a foster child."
The number of foster family home placements has steadily
AB 2481
Page C
decreased since 1998, while the number of children placed into
more expensive foster family agency and group homes has remained
relatively consistent over time, despite a decrease in the
overall foster care caseload. In addition, placements of foster
children within their home communities (specifically within a
mile distance of home removal), a state outcome measure, has
improved only slightly, by 1.4%, between January 2004 and
January 2006. Both of these outcomes are influence by the lack
of foster family homes and relative caregivers. Inadequate
supports for foster family homes also jeopardizes placement
stability and increases the likelihood that children will be
placed in multiple foster homes.
Improving adoption outcomes, and specifically improving
timeliness to adoptions, is both a federal and state performance
goal. While California has made some improvements, more can be
done to ensure that adoptive families remain in tact after the
adoption is finalized. For example, adoptive parents often find
themselves addressing their adopted child's emotional and
psychological issues arising from past abuse, neglect or loss of
birth family as the child ages. This can result in the child
acting out, and this often requires linkage to counseling,
support groups, and other services for the adoptive family.
Currently, adoptive families often have little access to
after-care supports and services.
AB 2481 encourages parity in covering the costs of board and
care of foster children placed into non-institutional,
family-based settings. In addition, the State-administered fund
will support locally-driven efforts to recruit and retain foster
and adoptive families in ways that best meet families' needs.
These efforts will help to recruit and retain families to
provide stable, long-term homes for foster children and support
both federal and state outcome improvement efforts in the child
welfare system.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Coalition for Youth (CCY)
California State Association of Counties CSAC)
County Welfare Director's Association (CWDA)
County of Ventura, Human Services Agency
Butte Co. Dept. of Employment and Social Services
AB 2481
Page D
Humboldt Co. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Imperial Co. Dept. of Social Services - Children and Family
Services
Madera Co. Dept. of Social Services
Marin Co. Child Protective Services
Merced Co. Human Services
Monterey Co. Dept. of Social and Employment Services
National Association of Social Workers, CA Chapter (NASW-CA)
National Center on Youth Law (NCYL)
Sacramento Co. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Child
Protective Services Division
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Shasta Co. Dept. of Social Services
Sonoma Co. Board of Supervisors
Tehama Co. Dept. of Social Services
Whole Person Learning
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Caitlin O'Halloran / HUM. S. / (916)
319-2089