The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has provided information about additions to the Resource Family Approval (RFA) program made by AB 1930. The RFA program created a new approval process for foster family homes, relative and non-relative extended family members interested in caring for children in foster care. AB 1930 made three changes to the program.
First, AB 1930 extended the Foster Family Home and Small Family Home Insurance Fund to resource families. The fund covers claims for bodily or personal injury to foster children during the foster care relationship. Previously the fund only applied to foster family homes and small family homes.
Second, AB 1930 provides caregiver immunity for any act or omission made by the caregiver when acting as a reasonable and prudent parent, and for any act or omission of a child or nonminor dependant while in the caregiver’s home. Immunity does not apply when the act exceeded a caregiver’s duty, the act was made with malice or bad faith or was the result of recklessness or gross negligence of the caregiver, the act or omission did not comply with instructions from the county placement agency, and when liability is expressly imposed by another statute.
Finally, AB 1930 created exceptions to confidentiality of the RFA Written Report, including authorizing release to the applicant or resource family, a tribal agency, a county child welfare agency or probation department, CDSS, a licensed foster family agency, a county adoption agency, a licensed adoption agency, or the child welfare agency of a sending state. (ACL 19-72, August 26, 2019.)