After 18 Months, How is Extended Foster Care Going in California?

Yesterday, the
Children's Advocacy
Institute releaseda
new report,
"California's Fostering
Connections: Ensuring
that theAB 12Bridge
Leads toSuccess for
Transition Age Foster
Youth." Authored by
attorney Melanie
Delgadothe report
reviews the first 18
months of extended
foster
care implementation
inCalifornia,
interviewing officials
from 10counties,
current andformer
fosteryouthanda
wide range of child
welfare stakeholders
from aroundthe
state.

The report highlights
areas where the
legislationis going
well.These include
the re-entry process,
which both
practitioners and
youthcite as user-friendly. Youth
participants stated
that they appreciate
the opportunity to
continue their
education and
establishthemselves
inhousing.

The report also
highlights are for
improvement.These
include whether
fundingwillbe
adequate, giventhe
higher-than-expected
participationrate and
the implementation of
2011Realignment,
which placesthe full
cost of non-federally
eligibleyouthonthe
counties. Another
issue of concern
identifiedby the report
was whethersocial
workers have received
adequate trainingon
AB 12andthe adult
systems utilizedby
Non-Minor
Dependents.The
delayinTHP+FC was
also identifiedas an
area of concern,
togetherwith
questionsas to
whetheryouthfrom
the juvenile probation
system are fully
utilizing extended
fostercare.

The report includes a
fullset of
recommendations to
overcome the
obstacles identifiedin
the report, which
include reducing
social worker and
court caseloads,
reinstatingdual
jurisdiction, ensuring
the adequacy of the
Transitional
Independent Living
Case Plan, increasing
supports for parenting
dependents and
revisiting the
readiness assessment
usedfor the
Supervised
Independent Living
Placement, among
others.

According toDelgado,
the report is aneffort
to keepCalifornia
moving forwardin its
effort tosupport older
youthinfoster
care. “The passage of
AB 12is only the
beginning. To ensure
that ourfoster youth
can thrive once they
exit California’s
fostercare system,
California must
continue toact to
improveAB 12
implementation andto
remove obstacles to
the
success of foster
youth,” notedMelanie
Delgado. Toreadthe
fullreport, visit this
following LINK.

New Study Finds 2 in 5 Teen Parents Had Been Reported to Child Protective Services

Aresearchbrief by
Professor Emily
Putnam-Hornstein
has shednew light on
the experience ofteen
parents inLos
Angeles County. The
study, fundedby the
ConradN. Hilton
Foundationis one ina
four-part series,
“California’s Most
Vulnerable Parents.” It
looks at the rateof
maltreatment among
the largerpopulation
teenparents and
concludes that many
teenparents are
known to Child
Protective Services
(CPS) inthe decade
prior to givingbirth. Of
teens whogave birth
in2009 inLos
Angeles, 41.3 percent
hadbeen reportedfor
allegedmaltreatment
during the prior
decade toCPS; 19.7
percent had been
substantiatedand 9.6
percent had been
placed intofoster
care. These figures
are higherfor younger
adolescents andlower
for olderadolescents.

The findings come at
the same time that the
National Centerfor
HealthStatistics
reports that teen
pregnancy has hit
record lows.
According toits
recently releaseddata
brief, between1990
and2009, pregnancy
rates forteenagers
age 15to17were
down53percent while
pregnancy rates for
teenagers age 18to
19weredownby 36
percent. During the
same time, the birth
rate for teens alsofell
steadily alongwiththe
abortionrate for
teens.

More $ For You!!!!

THP+FC Rate Increases Retroactively for FY
2013-14
The California Department of Social Services
has increased the Transitional Housing
Placement Plus Foster Care (THP+FC) rates
according to the California Necessities Index
(CNI) by 2.65 percent. According to All
County Letter No. 13-62E, released on
November 25th, the THP+FC single site and
remote site rate has increased to $2,871,
previously $2,797; and the THP+FC host
family rate has increased to $2,284,
previously $2,225. These Fiscal Year (FY)
2013-14 rates are retroactively effective to
July 1, 2013.

ACL 13-62E also made a minor correction to
previously issued Wraparound rates for
federally-eligible children, and clarified that
infant supplement rates for providers for FY
2013-14 will remain at the levels approved
effective January 1, 2008. The infant
supplement rate for THP+FC providers is
$411 per dependent child per month, equal to
that of all other foster care placements
except group homes, for which the rate is
$890. To download ACL 13-62E, follow this
LINK.