BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1790
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 1790 (Dickinson)
As Amended August 13, 2014
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |78-0 |(May 28, 2014) |SENATE: |34-0 |(August 18, |
| | | | | |2014) |
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Original Committee Reference: HEALTH
SUMMARY : Requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) to
convene a stakeholder group, as specified, to identify barriers
to mental health services by mental health professionals with
specified training. Requires the stakeholder group, on or
before September 30, 2015, to make specific, non-binding
recommendations to specified groups to address the identified
barriers.
The Senate amendments clarify that private organizations
providing specialty mental health services may participate in
the stakeholder group convened by DSS and extend the date by
which the stakeholder group must make recommendations from
September 30, 2015, to January 31, 2016.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY , this bill required the county mental
health plan where an adopted child who is eligible for specialty
mental health services resides, to provide medically necessary
specialty mental health services. Required DSS to convene a
stakeholder group to identify barriers to the provision of
mental health services by mental health professionals with
specialized clinical training in adoption or permanency issues
to children released for adoption.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8, negligible state costs.
COMMENTS : According to the author, most children enter foster
care with traumatic histories caused by abuse and neglect and
most suffer multiple losses within foster care - separation from
siblings, friends, and neighbors. Despite the increase in the
numbers of children achieving permanence through adoption and
guardianship, placement of a child into a stable and motivated
family is not considered sufficient to compensate for
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psychosocial problems related to prior trauma and chronic
maltreatment. The author states as the number of adopted
children with significant developmental and emotional issues
surrounding their adoption experience has grown, the need has
increased for child welfare professionals and clinicians with an
in-depth understanding of adoption and permanency issues and the
skills to work effectively with adoptive persons and their
families.
In May 2011, a coalition of leading child welfare organizations,
including the Child Welfare League of America, the North
American Council on Adoptable Children, the Dave Thomas
Foundation for Adoption, Voice for Adoption, and many others,
participated in a congressional hearing on the need for
post-adoption services and recommended policy reforms. One of
the recommendations to come out of that hearing was to ensure
that services offered to adoptive families embrace best practice
and are provided by adoption-competent professionals.
Mission Focused Solutions (MFS), the sponsor of this bill,
writes that while the child welfare field's awareness of the
need for adoption competent clinicians is heavily supported by
respected research, graduate education in relevant fields does
not usually include adoption issues. MFS argues that this bill
addresses an underlying and critical need by empowering
prospective adoptive and guardianship families with knowledge
about the importance of working with adoption or permanency
competent mental health professions when they seek help for
their families and creating a well-researched criteria for
adoption/permanency clinical competence. The California
Association of Adoption Agencies writes that as their member
agencies, who struggle to refer clients to adoption-competent
mental health providers they strongly support this bill.
The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
(CAMFT) has an oppose unless amended position on this bill
stating they understand the sponsor's interest in assuring
proper training for mental health professionals working with
adoptive/foster families, the practical impact of this
legislation would likely harm currently employed marriage and
family therapists (MFTs), as well as those seeking employment.
CAMFT states they are aware of numerous MFTs working in this
field within various non-profit agencies and organizations
licensed and contracted by the state, as well as MFTs working
for the state and these MFTs were hired because they met the
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qualifications of the job, and did not necessarily have the
exact training spelled out in this legislation. CAMFT asks that
language in the Legislative Findings be removed as it implies
that MFTs are not qualified to work with this population, which
is inaccurate.
Analysis Prepared by : Paula Villescaz / HEALTH / (916)
319-2097
FN: 0004898