At the Alliance, we partner with policymakers to identify opportunities to reform and improve our child welfare systems and promote stability, equity, and justice for young people throughout California.
We’re delighted to share that four bills that were sponsored and co-sponsored by the Alliance recently moved to the Governor’s desk for consideration. If approved, this important legislation will help more young people and their caregivers access vital supports and the services they need to thrive. Governor Newsom will sign or veto these measures by next Friday.
Reducing Barriers to Family Reunification
AB 1686 (Bryan) increases the likelihood that children, especially children from very low-income families, will be reunified with their parents from foster care by requiring countries to presume that the costs parents are required to pay are likely to pose barriers to family reunification.
Access to Guardianships in Juvenile Court Cases
AB 2309 (Friedman) promotes family decision making by addressing families’ and advocates reported challenges with the WIC Section 360(a) guardianship process.
Expanding Access to Diplomas for Highly Mobile Students
SB 532 (Caballero) expands and strengthens rights for youth in foster care, youth experiencing homelessness, former juvenile court school students, children of military families, and migratory children.
Clarifying Access to Juvenile Court Records
SB 1071 (Umberg) helps resolve long court delays by clarifying that attorneys and judges participating in a Department of Social Services administrative hearing involving a youth in foster care may have access to the juvenile case file for purposes of that confidential hearing and establishes timelines by which counties must make pertinent records available.
You can join the Alliance in advocating for these critical measures by submitting letters to the Governor’s Office requesting his support. Contact ehickey@alliancecr.org for letter templates, and learn more about all our legislative priorities at the link below.
