Children’s Services

Support AB 896

(ELHAWARY) FOSTER CARE TRANSITION PLANNING: The Legislature has recognized the importance of stability for children in foster care in the past, providing for placement preservation strategies to avoid unnecessary or abrupt foster care placement changes, which can be harmful to a child’s development. This proposed legislation builds on that work to ensure that when a placement change is necessary, it is managed in a way that creates the least disruption for the child and their caregivers. (Co- Sponsored with Youth Law Center)

Support AB 898

(BRYAN) FAMILY URGENT RESPONSE SYSTEM: This legislation expands the Family Urgent Response System (FURS) to allow for direct county referrals and allows for FURS to be utilized by those in family preservation and family maintenance services to prevent entries into the foster system. FURS is a coordinated statewide, regional, and countylevel 24/7 response system designed to provide collaborative and timely state-level phonebased response and countylevel in-home, in-person mobile response during situations of instability, to preserve the relationship of the caregiver and the child or youth. (Co-Sponsored with Children Now)

Support AB 970

(McKINNOR) MANDATED REPORTER TRAINING AND DECISION-MAKING TOOL: This legislation creates a pilot program in Los Angeles County to provide mandated reporters with standardized training and supportive decision-making tools to help them fulfill their duties in reporting suspected abuse or neglect and connecting families to community supports when appropriate. (Co-Sponsored with Los Angeles County)

Adult Services

Support AB 346

(NGUYEN) IN-HOME SUPPORTIVE SERVICES PARAMEDICAL FORMS: IHSS applicants in need of paramedical services are required to obtain multiple health care certification forms. This bill streamlines the paramedical services certification process by allowing the same licensed healthcare providers authorized to sign the form to establish IHSS services (SOC 873) to also sign the paramedical form (SOC 321) to approve paramedical services.

Support AB 871

(STEFANI) ELDER FINANCIAL ABUSE REPORTING: County Adult Protective Services (APS) are on the front lines of combatting elder financial abuse and exploitation, often coordinating with financial institutions. This bill requires financial institutions to train its mandated reporters on an annual basis of suspected elder financial abuse on how to report to both local and dederal authorities, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Internet Crime Complain Center and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Reporting to local authorities is essential, but additional reporting to federal agencies can provide investigative support to local agencies, increasing the likelihood that stolen funds will be recovered.

CalWORKS

Support AB 607

(RODRIQUEZ) CALWORKS HOME VISITING PROGRAM: Under existing law, the CalWORKs Home Visiting Program (HVP) can only be offered to pregnant individuals and families with a child under 24 months of age. This legislation removes the statutory cap and instead allows families to remain in the program for up to five years. For children who participate to age five, research shows improved language and cognitive development, improved math and reading scores, reduced absenteeism, and decreased school suspensions. (Co-Sponsored with Children Now)