BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2474|
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CONSENT
Bill No: AB 2474
Author: Beall (D) & Blakeslee (R)
Amended: 4/8/10 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE : 3-0, 6/10/10
AYES: Liu, Runner, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Romero, Vacancy
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 74-0, 5/6/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Community care facilities: foster family
agencies
SOURCE : California Alliance for Child and Family
Services
DIGEST : This bill extends by one year, to January1,
2012, the sunset provision on the requirement for certain
foster family agencies to employ one full-time social work
supervisor for every eight social workers.
ANALYSIS :
Existing law
1. Establishes a system of community care facilities
licensing, administered by the Department of Social
Services (DSS), to license and approve out-of-home
placements for abused and neglected children.
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2. Establishes foster family agencies (FFAs) as nonprofit
organizations that recruit, train, certify, and provide
support for foster parents who care for children with
intensive care needs as an alternative to group home
placement.
3. Provides for the licensure and regulation of FFAs by
DSS, and applies social worker personnel requirements.
4. Reduces the FFA rate effective October 1, 2009 by 10
percent, and allows FFAs flexibility in applying the
reduction, provided the amount paid to foster families
providing care to foster children was not reduced more
than 10 percent.
5. Requires treatment FFAs to employ at least one full-time
social work supervisor for every eight social workers in
the agency, and sunsets this provision January 1, 2011.
This bill extends by one year, to January1, 2012, the
sunset provision on the requirement for certain foster
family agencies to employ one full-time social work
supervisor for every eight social workers.
Background
Established in 1985 as an alternative to group home
placements, FFAs are not-for-profit agencies that train,
recruit and certify foster parents. Statewide, there are
an estimated 250 FFAs providing care and treatment to
approximately 18,500 foster children. Initially intended
as an alternative to group home placement for children with
higher service needs, FFAs now provide placements to almost
half of all foster children in nonrelative placements in
California.
DSS distinguishes between two types of FFAs for the
purposes of rate setting and regulations. "Treatment
foster care", also referred to as "therapeutic foster care"
provides a higher level of care to children with needs that
cannot be met in foster family homes, and who would
otherwise require a group home placement. FFAs may also
certify a family home seeking to adopt a foster child as a
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"nontreatment foster care" placement.
FFA and other foster care provider rates were cut by 10% as
part of the state budget passed last year, effective
October 1, 2009. While the group home rate cut was stayed
and group home rates were ordered increased by 32% as part
of a lawsuit already pending prior to the budget
reductions, California Alliance of Child and Family
Services v. John Wagner, et al ., FFAs were not represented
in the group homes lawsuit and, as such, are still subject
to the rate decrease.
Acknowledging the impact of the 10% FFA rate cut, last
year, the Legislature approved, and the Governor signed SB
597 (Liu), Chapter 339, Statutes of 2009, which included a
provision allowing treatment FFAs to adjust the ratio of
social work supervisors to social workers to the current
1:8 ratio. The ratio change will expire, however, on
January 1, 2011.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 6/14/10)
California Alliance for Child and Family Services (source)
Aldea Children & Family Services
Alternative Family Services
Association of Community Human Service Agencies
County Welfare Directors Association of CA (CWDA)
Crittenton Services for Children and Families
David & Margaret Youth and Family Services
Family Care Network
Five Acres - Boys' & Girls' Aid Society of Los Angeles
Innte Circle Foster Family Agency
Kinship Center
Lillliput Children's Services
President/CEO, Hathaway-Sycamores Child & Family Services
Rebekah Children's Services
Rosemary Children's Services
Transitions Children's Services
Valley Teen Ranch
Victor Youth Services
Youth For Change
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ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : The sponsor of this bill, the
California Alliance for Child and Family Services, writes,
"In budget year 2009-10, FFA rates were cut by 10% and
prior to that cut, FFA rates had been frozen for 14 out of
the past 19 years. As a result, the FFA rates to cover the
cost of care and social work for foster children has
declined to just 63% of what it originally was in 1990. In
order to absorb the 10% rate cut, many FFAs were forced to
lay off social workers, are borrowing money to keep
operating, are spending down their savings, are fundraising
in an increasingly competitive environment or have shut
down their programs.
"In order to absorb some small measure of relief from the
10% cut, the Legislature approved and the Governor signed
SB 597 (Liu) in 2009 allowing FFAs to use a one-to-eight
ratio for social worker supervisors to social workers,
rather than the one-to-six ratio. This provision was only
approved for one year and it expires on January 1, 2011.
Savings incurred to FFAs from increasing this ratio is
estimated to be 1% of their total budget.
"In light of the dire budget constraints of the State,
[this bill]will extend the deadline allowing the ratio of
Foster Family Agency social workers to go from a 1:6 ratio
to a 1:8 ratio by one more year, until January 1, 2012. At
a minimum, the FFAs need some flexibility within the
rate-setting and community care licensing systems."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Tom Berryhill, Blakeslee, Blumenfield,
Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles
Calderon, Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De
Leon, DeVore, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher,
Fong, Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani,
Garrick, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill,
Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lieu, Logue,
Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Miller, Monning, Nava, Nestande,
Niello, Nielsen, Norby, V. Manuel Perez, Portantino,
Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio,
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Audra Strickland, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico,
Tran, Villines, Yamada, John A. Perez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Bass, Block, De La Torre, Gilmore,
Mendoza, Vacancy
CTW:do 6/14/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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