With the extension of foster care to age 21, California’s foster care system now finds itself serving more expectant and parenting youth than ever before. This poses serious challenges for county child welfare agencies as they struggle to meet the complex needs of these vulnerable, young families. It also provides an opportunity to improve the outcomes of these vulnerable young families, by bringing the resources of the child welfare system. This workshop included: an overview of parenting dependents in California, information about a range of approaches being used in the field to improve outcomes for parenting dependents, including the parenting support plan created by AB 2668, specialized conferences for pregnant and parenting youth, home visitation programs, pregnancy prevention strategies to prevent repeat pregnancies and the use of data to better understand the dynamics of unplanned pregnancy in your county.

Improving Services for California's Most Vulnerable Parents

• Donna Fernandez, Program Manager, Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services
• Rebecca Gudeman, Senior Attorney , National Center for Youth Law
• Amy Lemley, Executive Director, John Burton Foundation
• Jaime Munoz, Social Worker/Manager, Orange County Social Services Agency