BILL ANALYSIS
AB 295
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Date of Hearing: April 29, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Kevin De Leon, Chair
AB 295 (Ammiano) - As Amended: March 9, 2009
Policy Committee: Human
ServicesVote:6 - 0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill removes all references to a pilot project from the
wrap-around services program established as a pilot in 1996. In
addition, the bill extends the timeline for expending the
current funding in the pre-adoption and post-adoption services
pilot project from December 31, 2009, until June 30, 2010.
FISCAL EFFECT
Estimates suggest that at as of December 31, 2009, $1.3 million
in General Fund will remain unspent in the adoption services
pilot project. Without the extension of the project those funds
could be returned to the General Fund.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . This bill is intended to clean up the wrap-around
services statute by removing any references to the original
implementing pilot project. In addition, the bill extends the
adoptive services pilot project for 6 months in order to make
up for an initial delay in distributing the funds for the
project. According to the author, county projects were
implemented six to nine months later than originally expected
because the state was unable to immediately distribute the
money. In addition, there were some initial questions as to
whether or not certain types of funding and activities could
be used in the project, as a result counties ended up ramping
up their projects more slowly than they initially anticipated.
2)Pre-adoption and Post-adoption Services Pilot . The three-year
AB 295
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pilot project was created by AB 1808 (Committee on Budget;
Chapter 75, Statutes of 2006), the budget trailer bill related
to human services. $4 million in General Fund was included in
the 2006-07 budget for project. In total, the three-year
project received over $11 million in state GF.
The focus of the pilot is support for adoptions of foster
children ages nine and older who have been in foster care at
least 18 months and live with foster families who are not
related to them or in group homes. The participating counties
are San Francisco, Los Angeles, Alameda and Kern, along with
the department's Adoptions District Office in Sacramento.
3)Wrap-around Services . Wrap-around refers to a program that
provides comprehensive social and other services that are
wrapped around a child and family. California's program was
developed to support the placement of children in family-based
settings, rather than group homes or institutional settings.
Children are eligible for a period determined by an
individualized services plan if they have been adjudicated as
dependents or wards and would be placed in a group home with a
Rate Classification Level (RCL) of 10 or higher, or if they
would be voluntarily placed in out-of-home care through the
special education system.
There are at least 39 counties currently participating in the
program. According to DSS, most counties' programs are led by
community-based agencies. Based on county reports to DSS,
there were about 3,000 children statewide served by
wrap-around (with nearly half in Los Angeles) in July, 2008.
Analysis Prepared by : Julie Salley-Gray / APPR. / (916)
319-2081