BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2342
Page A
Date of Hearing: April 13, 2010
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES
Jim Beall, Jr., Chair
AB 2342 (Evans) - As Introduced: February 19, 2010
SUBJECT : Foster youth: outreach programs
SUMMARY : Requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to
develop a resource guide for foster youth outlining statewide
programs and services related to education, housing, mental
health, independent living programs and career and job
opportunities. Directs DSS to make the resource guide available
both on its web site, and in printed format, and to seek public
and private grants to fund the development and distribution of
the resource guide.
EXISTING LAW
1)Establishes, under federal law, the county-based Independent
Living Program to assist emancipated and former foster youth
with daily living skills, finding housing, learning to manage
finances, and career planning. (Public Law 99-272).
2)Establishes the Office of the State Foster Care Ombudsman
(Ombudsman) to as an autonomous entity within the DSS to
provide children placed in foster care with the means to
resolve issues related to their care, placement and services.
Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) Section 16161.
3)Requires the Ombudsman to disseminate information regarding
the rights of children and youth in foster care, and allows
the office, counties, foster care providers and others to use
that information in fulfilling their responsibilities to
inform foster youth about their rights. WIC 16164.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS :
Author's statement : According to the author, "There are many
local and state, and public and nonprofit organizations in
California that have developed their own version of a resource
guide for foster youth, however, these resource guides usually
include information for each specific organization only, or are
AB 2342
Page B
not developed specifically to include information for foster
youth. Developing and distributing a resource guide will
provide foster youth, particularly those foster youth "aging
out" of the system, with a valuable tool that they can use to
navigate the complex, and sometimes intimidating, system of
public agencies and organizations statewide."
Need for this bill : In April, 2010, researchers with Chapin
Hall at the University of Chicago released their fourth
installment in a long-term study following 600 foster youth
"aging out" of foster care in 3 Midwest states, the "Midwest
evaluation of the adult functioning of former foster youth:
Outcomes at age 23 and 24"<1> (Midwest Study). This most recent
release of the Midwest Study tracked outcomes for former foster
youth at 23 and 24 years old, and the results are startling.
The research found that fewer than half of the former foster
youth were employed, compared with a 76% employment rate among
their peers who had not been in foster care. Among those who
were employed, median income was well below federal poverty
guidelines. Almost 40% of former foster youth reported having
been homeless or "couch surfing" since exiting foster care. At
ages 23 or 24, participants were over three times as likely to
not have a high school diploma as their counterparts in the
general population, and only 6 percent had attained a two or
four-year degree. Six in ten young men who exited foster care
had been convicted of a crime.
The Midwest Study also gathered information regarding the young
adults' perceptions of their transition to adulthood. Most of
the study participants expressed a need for more training and
assistance in independent living skills like budgeting and money
management, employment and housing. In citing the need for this
bill, the author points out that foster youth transitioning to
adulthood in California, are also often unaware of the programs
and services available in their community, and do not know where
to find help.
According to the author, "The resource guide will also be useful
to foster parents, social workers, teacher, counselors, mentors,
and other professionals that work with foster youth in helping
---------------------------
<1> Courtney, M., Dworsky, A., Lee, J., & Raap, M. (2009)
Midwest evaluation of the adult functioning of former foster
youth: Outcomes at age 23 and 24. Chicago: Chapin Hall at the
University of Chicago.
AB 2342
Page C
them secure hosing, employment, access to health and mental
health services and continuing education and training.
Connecting transitioning youth with information on existing
programs and services available to them statewide will increase
their opportunities for experiencing a successful transition
into independence."
The author provides examples of statewide resource guides for
foster youth in the states of New York, Texas, and Illinois.
Most of these publications are available electronically and in
print, and target adolescent foster youth, or youth "aging out"
of foster care. In Texas, for example, the Texas Foster Youth
Justice Project, a project of the Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid,
created a guide for foster youth, "A Guide for those 'aging out'
of foster care in Texas", in coordination with the Travis County
Women Lawyers Association and the Supreme Court of Texas
Permanent Judicial Commission for Children, Youth and Families.
This comprehensive guide covers foster youth rights, transition
planning, education (including higher education), employment,
housing, marriage, healthcare, identification, immigration,
personal finance, and relevant laws. The handbook is
approximately 75 pages in length.
Currently, the Ombudsman maintains a web site,
www.fosteryouthhelp.ca.gov/default.htm , developed by a former
foster youth, which provides information and resources related
to foster youth rights, education, housing, and employment,
among other topics. In addition, the Ombudsman has developed a
printed publication for foster youth, but this publication is
not available electronically.
Arguments in Support: The California State PTA writes,
This bill would require the State Department of Social
Services to develop a "toolkit" for foster youth that
outlines available state programs and services, and
the eligibility standards for those programs and
services, including independent living programs and
career and job opportunities.
Federal law now requires child welfare agencies to
help youth make the transition to adulthood by
requiring during the 90-day period immediately before
a youth exits from care at age 18, 19, 20, or 21 that
the child's caseworker, and other representatives as
AB 2342
Page D
appropriate, helps the child develop a personal
transition plan. The plan must be as detailed as the
child chooses and include specific options on housing,
health insurance, education, local opportunities for
mentoring, continuing support service, work force
support and employment services?
AB 2342 will help further the goal envisioned by
federal legislation by providing foster youth with a
resource to help them plan and use important services.
Suggested amendments:
1)As drafted, the resource guide would potentially require
covering topics for all children and youth in foster care.
Consistent with the objectives stated by the author, the
author may wish to narrow the scope of the resource guide to
specifically target statewide programs and services relevant
to adolescent foster youth, or youth who will be "aging out"
of foster care.
2)In considering the first amendment, the author may wish to
include additional information about programs and services
important to a successful transition to adulthood, such as
health and personal finance.
3)The author may also wish to consider directing an entity other
than DSS, such as the Ombudsman, or the Administrative Office
of the Courts (AOC), to develop the resource guide. The
Ombudsman, for example, could build upon its existing web site
and publications in creating the resource guide.
4)In order to ensure a comprehensive review of programs and
services available to foster youth, the author may also wish
to require consultation with specified foster youth
stakeholders, such as all relevant state departments, the AOC,
the Ombudsperson, or foster youth advocates (e.g. California
Youth Connection) in developing the resource guide.
Prior Legislation:
AB 1983 (Bass) of 2006 would have required DSS to form a
workgroup to identify services available to former foster youth,
and the eligibility requirements for those services, and to
perform outreach to make those services more accessible. AB
AB 2342
Page E
1983 was held on the Assembly Appropriations Committee Suspense
File.
AB 2342
Page F
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Probation, Parole and Correctional Association
(CPPCA)
California State PTA
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Michelle Doty Cabrera / HUM. S. / (916)
319-2089