BILL NUMBER: AB 2462	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Dababneh

                        FEBRUARY 21, 2014

   An act to amend Section 10609.7 of the Welfare and Institutions
Code, relating to social services.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 2462, as introduced, Dababneh. Child welfare services: caseload
standards.
   Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to
convene a stakeholder group to conduct an evaluation of the adequacy
of current child welfare services budgeting methodology and to make
recommendations for revising the methodology, including appropriate
caseload levels, in order to adequately fund the system. Existing law
states the intent of the Legislature that this stakeholder group
include in its next report the core strategies needed to establish
minimum caseload standards.
   This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those
provisions.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 10609.7 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
amended to read:
   10609.7.  (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
   (1) The department has convened the Child Welfare Services
Stakeholders Group for the purpose of making recommendations to
redesign California's child welfare system to create and sustain a
flexible system,  comprising   comprised of
 public and private partnerships, that provides a comprehensive
system of support for families and communities to ensure the
well-being of every child.
   (2) In the first year of the stakeholders group, there was
significant attention brought to the carrying capacity of direct
service professionals through the development of an implementation
plan of child welfare services workload study pursuant to Section
10609.5.
   (3) The stakeholders group has convened a series of working
groups, including the Human Resources Workgroup, whose tasks are to
develop core strategies and recommendations resulting in a high
capacity, competent, satisfied child welfare services workforce 
that is  able to perform the essential functions of the
redesigned child welfare system.
   (4) In the second year, the Human Resources Workgroup report found
that workload issues have not appreciably declined and that for the
child welfare services redesign to be successful, workforce
considerations need to be at the forefront of all redesign efforts.
   (5) The stakeholders group and its Human Resources Workgroup have
entered the third year of the redesign process for the state's child
welfare services.
   (b) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Human Resources
Workgroup of the Child Welfare Services Stakeholders Group include in
its next planned report the core strategies needed to establish
minimum caseload standards under the redesigned child welfare
services system for all service areas.
   (c) It is the intent of the Legislature that the Human Resources
Workgroup also make recommendations for implementing the new caseload
standards, including a recommendation that would achieve at least 20
percent of the caseload reductions annually over a specified period
of time, as required under the newly recommended standards.