Bill Text: CA AB2342 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Foster youth: outreach programs.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Vetoed) 2010-09-30 - Vetoed by Governor. [AB2342 Detail]
Download: California-2009-AB2342-Enrolled.html
BILL NUMBER: AB 2342 ENROLLED
BILL TEXT
PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 18, 2010
PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 19, 2010
AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 17, 2010
AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 2, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 28, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 15, 2010
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Evans
FEBRUARY 19, 2010
An act to add Section 16523 to the Welfare and Institutions Code,
relating to foster youth.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2342, Evans. Foster youth: outreach programs.
Existing law provides for child welfare services, which are public
social services directed toward, among other purposes, protecting
and promoting the welfare of all children, including those in foster
care placement.
Existing law requires the Office of the State Foster Care
Ombudsperson to be established in the State Department of Social
Services with prescribed powers and duties relating to the management
of foster children, including the dissemination of information on
the rights of children and youth in foster care and the services
provided by the office.
This bill would require the office, in consultation with relevant
state departments, the Administrative Office of the Courts, and
foster youth stakeholders, to develop a resource guide for
emancipating foster youth that outlines available statewide programs
and services, and the eligibility standards for those programs and
services, as specified. This bill would require the office to
incorporate the resource guide into its existing Internet Web site
and print publications.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) California has the highest number of foster youth of any state
in the nation, with approximately 84,000 youth in foster care and
over 4,500 youth emancipating from the system every year.
(b) Foster youth transitioning out of foster care, most often than
not, leave the system without any real preparation, family support,
or education, to achieve gainful employment. Without a network of
support to guide them into a successful adulthood, foster youth
preparing to leave foster care face greater challenges and obstacles
to independence.
(c) In the California Youth Connection 2009 Summer Leadership and
Policy Conference Report, foster youth reported that they are not
prepared for the often daunting transition from foster care to
adulthood. Foster youth in foster homes, long-term foster homes, or
other out-of-home placements found that when the juvenile dependency
court terminates jurisdiction of their case, they are not prepared
for the realities of adulthood. According to a report released in
2010 by the Public Policy Institute of California, titled "Foster
Care in California Achievements and Challenges," many children who
emancipate lack strong connections to a network of supportive adults.
For instance, 64 percent of children who emancipated in 2008 and
2009 lived last with someone who was neither a relative or a
guardian. Only one in five (21 percent) was last placed with a
relative at the exit time of from the foster system. An additional 16
percent were placed with a guardian not related to them.
(d) According to the studies of California's former foster youth,
within 18 months of emancipation, 40 to 50 percent become homeless,
65 percent need immediate housing; 46 percent complete high school,
compared to 84 percent of the general population, 50 percent
experience high rates of unemployment within five years of
emancipation, 33 percent have incomes at, or below, $6,000 per year,
which is substantially below the federal poverty level of $7,890 for
a single individual and 33 percent have no form of health insurance.
Moreover youth transitioning from foster care have disproportionately
high rates of physical, developmental, and mental health problems,
and foster youth with multiple placements are five to 10 times more
likely to become involved with the juvenile justice system than youth
in the general population.
(e) When transitioning from foster care into independent living,
most foster youth are unaware of the programs and services available
to them in their own community and do not know where to find help or
whom to ask for help.
(f) In "A Summary of Foster Youth Recommendations from California
Youth Connection Conferences," a report released in 2006, foster
youth reported that emancipation services are not plentiful and often
unheard of by youth in foster care, partly because they do not exist
in many counties. Many youth are unaware of any services offered to
emancipated youth.
(g) There are many local, state, public, and nonprofit
organizations in California that have developed their own version of
a resource guide for foster youth, however, these resource guides
usually include information specific to a local government, county,
or organization, or are not developed specifically to include
information on programs and services for foster youth.
(h) Developing and distributing a resource guide that includes
information on available statewide programs and services will provide
emancipating foster youth with a valuable tool that they can use to
navigate a complex, and sometimes intimidating, system of public
agencies and organizations.
(i) Connecting transitioning youth with information on existing
programs and services available to them will increase their
opportunities for experiencing a successful transition into
independence.
SEC. 2. Section 16523 is added to the Welfare and Institutions
Code, to read:
16523. (a) The Office of the State Foster Care Ombudsperson shall
develop a resource guide for emancipating foster youth that outlines
available statewide programs and services, and the eligibility
standards for those programs and services. The programs and services
included in the resource guide shall include, but not be limited to,
those associated with education, including preparing for and
assessing postsecondary or vocation education and financial aid,
health and health care coverage, housing assistance and transitional
living programs, mental health services, independent living programs,
accessing and obtaining personal identification documents, personal
finance, career planning, and job training opportunities.
(b) The office shall incorporate the resource guide into its
existing Internet Web site and print publications.
(c) The office shall consult with relevant state departments, the
Administrative Office of the Courts, and foster youth stakeholders,
including, but not limited to, California Youth Connection, to
develop the resource guide.
