BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2668
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 21, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 2668 (Quirk-Silva) - As Amended: May 7, 2014
Policy Committee: Human
ServicesVote:6 - 0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
Yes Reimbursable: Yes
SUMMARY
This bill permits non-minor dependents (foster youth) who are
also parents to enter into a parenting support plan.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Permits, beginning July1, 2015, a parenting non-minor
dependent who is participating in a supervised independent
living plan (SILP) to enter into a parenting support plan,
which may be developed between the non-minor dependent, an
identified responsible adult, and a representative of the
county child welfare agency or probation department.
2)Permits additional input to be provided by other individuals,
requires the plan to be developed as soon as is practicably
possible and to be designed to preserve and strengthen the
non-minor dependent parent family unit, and to assist the
parent in providing a healthy and safe environment for his or
her child and support the parent's educational and employment
goals.
3)Requires a person who wishes to become an "identified
responsible adult" for purposes of the plan to be at least 21
years old, pass a criminal background check, and meet other
criteria to be determined by the Department of Social Services
(DSS).
4)Requires DSS to convene a working group to develop and issue
an all-county letter that specifies the criteria a person must
meet to serve as an "identified responsible adult" to a
non-minor dependent parent.
AB 2668
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5)Provides that the plan shall in no way limit the non-minor
dependent parent's legal right to make decisions regarding the
care, custody and control of the child.
6)Provides an additional $200 per month to be paid to a
non-minor dependent parent for increased care and supervision
of the child, once the support plan has been completed and
submitted to the appropriate agencies.
FISCAL EFFECT
On-going costs likely in the range of $60,000 to $75,000
($40,000 to $55,000 GF) , depending on caseload, to provide a
$200 monthly supplement to parenting foster youth aged 18 to 20.
DSS reports there are currently 25 cases in a supervised
independent living plan. Social worker time and background
checks for the responsible adult are included in the figures.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . The author notes that young parents in the foster
care system face both the challenges of being in foster care
as well as the challenges of being a young, usually single,
parent. Studies of both groups have found they will experience
higher than average rates of poverty and unemployment and low
educational attainment. Unlike most young parents, foster
youth who become parents at an early age typically cannot turn
to their own parents for emotional support, daily or even
occasional assistance most young parents receive from their
families. Consequently, these young parents are often
completely on their own as they struggle to balance work,
school, and parenting responsibilities and are vulnerable and
high risk for poor outcomes. This bill seeks to provide
additional support to parenting non minor dependent foster
youth.
2)Background . AB 12 (Beall & Bass) Chapter 559, Statutes of
2010, in response to the federal Fostering Connections to
Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, re-enacted the
existing state and county-funded Kin-GAP program to align it
with new federal requirements and allow for federal financial
participation, and provided transitional foster care support
to qualifying foster youth ages 18 to 20, phased-in over three
years, beginning in 2012.
AB 2668
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The goal of AB 12 is to assist non minor dependents in their
transition to adulthood by providing them with the opportunity
to create a case plan tailored to their individual needs,
working towards independence through incremental levels of
responsibility.
Supervised independent living placements (SILPS) are
relatively new placements that are reserved for foster youth
16 years of age and over. They allow older foster youth to
live independently in their own domicile, but with a nearby
caregiving adult to help provide supervision for the youth,
but also to act as a mentor as the youth transitions into
adulthood.
This bill allows a parenting nonminor dependent who lives
independently in accordance with his or her SILP to
participate in a shared responsibility plan.
Analysis Prepared by : Jennifer Swenson / APPR. / (916)
319-2081