“This was a monumental event for everyone involved,” states Assemblymember Bass. “These bills were developed based on the ideas that we received when we met with all the people who attended today’s conference. They had the opportunity to be a part of the policy development process and we are excited that the Governor signed the legislation.”

The following bills were signed into law:

• AB 1979 (Bass) – Helps recruit volunteer mentors for foster youth by waiving the fees for background checks  
• AB 2195 (Bass) – Helps keep foster youth with relatives or extended family members during emergency circumstances and require health and safety checks for placement
• AB 2216 (Bass) – Helps ensure effective management and accountability the Foster Care System by building a new leadership structure
• AB 2480 (Evans) – Provides foster youth with adequate legal representation for juvenile cases
• AB 2488 (Leno) – Establishes a process for reconnecting siblings that have been separated by adoption and reduces the age at which they may seek information about their siblings from age 21 to 18
• AB 2985 (Maze) – requires a county welfare department to request a consumer credit disclosure on a foster youth turning 16 and to refer that foster youth to a credit counseling organization upon any indication of a disclosure revealing negative items or evidence of identity theft
• SB 1641 (Soto) – Convenes a workshop to review regulations and statutes of foster care placements to identify barriers and requirements which may stigmatize foster families or result in unnecessary restrictions on foster youth
• SB 1667 (Kuehl) – Specifies that foster parents must be notified of planned hearings relating to adoption and legal guardianship and must be given the opportunity to attend these hearing and present information to the court; it also requires child welfare agencies to send the Judicial Council Caregiver Information Form to foster parents to notify them of court hearings

Foster Care Bills Signed Into Law

A couple of hundred people were on hand to review the accomplishments and challenges of this year as well as set the policy agenda for 2007-2008 legislative session. In June, $82 million was allocated in the 2006-2007 state budget for Foster Care, the largest increase in more than a decade. These funds will provide support services to relative care; youth leaving the System and reducing caseloads.

“The funds represent a commitment that will enable us to address the gaps that currently exist in the System,” states Assemblymember Karen Bass, chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Foster Care. “This legislation will continue to move the needle forward as we address the needs of the state’s foster youth. It will provide foster youth with needed support and resources as well as increase the System’s standards and accountability.

This year’s foster care reform addresses emancipation, health, education, relative/kinship issues, social worker workload, court issues, state oversight, and caregiver support.

“This was a great year and it took a coalition of support and participation,” states Bass. “Its important to continue the momentum for next year in order to positively impact the System and the implement effective and tangible change.”