BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1148
Page 1
Date of Hearing: January 12, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES
Jr., Jim Beall, Chair
AB 1148 (Davis) - As Introduced: February 27, 2009
SUBJECT : Virtual Assistant and Living Education program.
SUMMARY : Establishes a web site to store the vital records and
resources of foster youth. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the Office of the State Foster Care Ombudsperson
(Ombudsperson) to consult with all appropriate state
departments and to establish and implement the Virtual
Assistant Living and Education (VALE) program, on a
centralized, statewide basis, as specified.
2)Specifies that the VALE program consist of an interactive,
secured, Internet Web site designed to give foster youth and
their care providers access to a foster youth's personal
information. The information maintained on the VALE Web site
shall include, but shall not be limited to, all of the
following:
a) Birth records;
b) Social security numbers;
c) Immunization and other medical records;
d) School records;
e) Official identification cards; and
f) Resumes.
AB 1148
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3)Requires the VALE Web site to:
a) Allow a foster child to develop a personal database to
store important telephone numbers and addresses; and
b) Provide information and links to connect foster youth to
appropriate resources to meet their educational needs,
independent living skills requirements, and work needs.
4)Requires the Ombudsperson to ensure that the VALE Web site
maintains the confidentiality of medical and other records on
the Web site.
EXISTING LAW
1)Establishes a system of child welfare services, including
foster care, for children who have been or are at risk of
being abused or neglected.
2)Establishes the Ombudsperson as an autonomous entity within
the Department of Social Services in order to provide children
who are placed in foster care with a means to resolve issues
related to their care, placement, and services. WIC 16161
3)Requires the county welfare department, at any hearing to
terminate jurisdiction over a dependent child who has reached
the age of majority, to submit a report to the court verifying
that certain information, documents and services have been
provided to the child, including documents such as a social
security card, birth certificate and proof of citizenship and
assistance in obtaining health insurance, housing, employment
and financial aid for higher education. WIC 11403.
4)Requires the county welfare department to screen every foster
youth who is nearing emancipation (between 16 and one-half and
17 and one-half years of age) for SSI eligibility and to
submit an SSI application if a youth is likely to be eligible
for those benefits. WIC 13757. Requires the county welfare
department to request a consumer credit disclosure on behalf
of a youth who reaches his 16th birthday while in foster care,
and to make specified referrals for counseling if appropriate.
AB 1148
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WIC 10618.6.
FISCAL EFFECT : This bill has not yet been analyzed for a fiscal
effect.
COMMENTS : According to the California Department of Social
Services, over 4,255 state children emancipate or "age out" of
the foster care system each year. Of these emancipating youth,
1,402 were located in Los Angeles. Approximately 50% of
emancipated youth become homeless within six months in Los
Angeles and Alameda counties, according to the Covenant House
California, a privately-funded agency serving homeless youth.
A newly released report, California's Fostering Connections to
Success Act and the Costs and Benefits of Extending Foster Care
to 21, addresses the challenges faced by youth who age out of
foster care in California and across the nation. Their findings
about foster youth include:
One in four becomes incarcerated within two years of
leaving foster care.
Less than 50% graduate from high school; fewer than
5 percent graduate from college.
One in five experience homelessness within a year
and a half of aging out of foster care.
The report was co-authored by Dr. Mark Courtney of the
University of Washington and Amy Dworsky and Clark Peters of the
University of Chicago. According to the report, every $1
invested in continued foster care supports and services results
in a return of $2.40.
Under existing law, the county welfare department must verify to
the court that it provided certain information, documents and
services to foster youth who reached the age of majority while
in foster care. These requirements are focused on essential
documents and services that youth will need in their adulthood
(e.g. their social security card and assistance to obtain
housing). This bill requires the Ombudsperson to establish a
web site to essentially 'house' the vital records and life
resources information that a foster youth will need to access
once emancipated.
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Young people emancipating from California's foster care system
face a difficult transition to adulthood completely on their own
because, unlike most of us, they have no family to rely on for
support and guidance. Without a family safety net, foster youth
have no choice but to rely on the foster care system (i.e.,
county welfare departments and social workers) to provide this
guidance. Counties are already required to provide these vital
documents and resources to emancipating youth, however, due to
their high workload and reduction in funding in recent state
budgets has made complying with this requirement difficult. As
a result, foster youth who do not receive vital identification
documents prior to emancipation often become ensnarled in a
bureaucratic web that can be intimidating for them to face
alone. Securing essential documents such as an immunization
record, birth certificate and Social Security card can be
difficult enough for the average adult, but for foster youth,
who often lack the skills or knowledge to track down the
necessary documentation, the bar is set higher. These barriers
can delay or prevent a youth from enrolling in school, applying
for jobs, receiving medical services, and accessing the
additional resources available to them which exacerbate the
negative outcomes mentioned earlier. This bill seeks to provide
a centralized, web based, depository to store critical documents
and information to assist foster youth in transitioning into a
life outside of the foster care system.
Is the Ombudsperson the appropriate entity to establish VALE?
The bill requires the Ombudsperson to establish and implement
VALE. It appears that the Ombudsperson has already established
a web site with various resources for foster youth.
www.fosteryouthhelp.ca.gov appears to list links to critical
resources, such as education, employment, general and mental
health, housing assistance, driver's license, that are necessary
to function once emancipated.
Suggested amendments
The author may wish to consider adding a timeline for
implementing VALE, and requiring the Ombudsperson to
additionally consult with the County Welfare Directors'
Association and foster care advocates when establishing and
implementing VALE.
Related legislation
AB 1148
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AB 270 (De La Torre) Requires a county welfare department to
verify in its report to the court that specified information,
services and documents have been provided to a foster youth.
This bill was held on suspense in the Assembly Appropriations
Committee.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
None on file.
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Frances Chacon / HUM. S. / (916)
319-2089