Introductory information regarding the Approved Relative Caregiver (ARC) Funding Option Program enacted by SB 855. Relatives who care for a non-federally eligible child in foster care is not eligible to receive foster care payments. Instead, the relatives can get CalWORKs payments. The CalWORKs benefits are not a per-child payment, however, but are based on the size of the family as a whole, and are less than the AFDC-FC rate. To address this issue, the Legislature has enacted the ARC Funding Option Program, which gives counties the option to provide funding equal to the basic foster care rate to an approved relative caregiver of a non-federally eligible child. [Download]
Summaries of select CalWORKs, CalFresh, Health and Housing Regulations
Foster Care
ACIN I-40-14: Child Welfare Services Reviews (7/15/14)
Information to counties about the benefits of conducting qualitative reviews of programs across the entire continuum of child and family services. [Download]
ACIN I-43-14: Assessments To Determine The Appropriateness Of The Group Home Placement For Children And Youth In Group Home Care Over One Year In Duration And Plans For Transitioning Into A Family-Based Setting (7/25/14)
Instructions to counties regarding assessing children in group homes. [Download]
ACIN I-37-14: (CalWORKs: Final Regulations To Implement AB 1712 And AB 212 Non-Minor Dependents (7/10/14)
Passing on the emergency regulations on Non-Minor Dependents (NMDs), as well as some CalWORKs changes. (The CalWORKs changes include exempting NMD’s from: Statewide Fingerprint Imaging System requirements; state residency requirement when placed with an approved relative who resides out-of-state; referral to the local child support agency for child support payments (for NMD’s over age 19 and if living with their own minor children). [Download]
ACIN I-25-14: Working With Families Who Move Interstate (5/14/14)
Promising practices intended to reduce barriers to the provision of child welfare services to intact families who relocate to other states. If a family with an open emergency response referral that indicates safety risk moves, the worker should contact the new jurisdiction and alert them of the family’s presence and status. When the relocation of a family is a component of the case or safety plan, the caseworker is encouraged to obtain a release of information from the custodial parent that would allow for the sharing of information during and after the move to the new state. [Download]
ACIN I-21-14: The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Of 2003 And Its Impact On California Foster Care Group Homes (6/17/14)
The PREA of 2003 requires development of standards for detection, prevention, reduction, and punishment of prison rape. In addition to adult criminal justice facilities, PREA applies to juvenile “confinement” facilities, such as Juvenile halls, camps, ranches, detention and other commitment facilities for youth in California’s delinquency system. Group home foster care placements, whether probation or child welfare supervised, are not confinement” facilities and therefore not covered by the PREA requirements. However, the letter reminds counties that group home foster care placements must ensure compliance with existing state statutory and regulatory placement, supervision and reporting standards designed to prevent maltreatment and abuse of children residing in group homes and other community care facilities. [Download]