Instructions to counties regarding assessing children in group homes. [Download]
Summaries of select CalWORKs, CalFresh, Health and Housing Regulations
Foster Care
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]
ACL 14-38: New Health Rights And Social Worker And Probation Officer Responsibility To Educate Foster Children And Non-Minor Dependents On Foster Youth Personal Rights (6/16/14)
Instructions about health and personal rights. WIC 16001.9 specifies that minors and non-minor dependents shall have the same rights, and be informed of them every six months. All youth 12 or older also shall get age appropriate information on reproduction, and pregnancy and STD prevention. [Download]
ACL 14-36: CDSS Title IV-E Foster Care Candidacy Policy And Procedures (5/20/14)
Following up on a federal review of cases claimed for federal foster care, DSS has issued clarification. Some of it was procedural (failure to list requisite language or get all the needed signatures) and some was more substantive (no policies or procedures in place to identify foster care candidates). The letter goes through all the findings and the steps to ensure compliance. [Download]