THE GOAL

All foster children should live in the least restrictive, most family-like setting possible.

THE PROBLEM

• Current California CCL regulations do not allow foster children and youth to live a normal life in a family home.  The current regulations apply to a wide range of institutional settings that make foster children and their caregiver families feel different from other families in their communities.

• Examples of impractical regulations that stigmatize foster youth and their caregivers:
  • A seventeen-year old youth is never allowed to remain home alone — even when his foster mother needs to run to the store to pick up groceries for dinner.
  • Cleansing agents such as laundry detergents cannot be left in an accessible location for foster teens who want to do their laundry.
  • No more than two children can share a bedroom even for a single night —for example, when a relative, such as a grandparent, comes for a brief visit.

• Commonsense laws and regulations are an incentive to encourage quality families to consider opening their homes and hearts to California’s children in foster care.  Caregiver families frequently cite the lack of the ability to live a normal family life as a primary reason for deciding not to foster. As a result, foster youth frequently end up living in congregate care facilities such as group homes rather than in family homes. 

THE LEGISLATIVE SOLUTION

• SB 1641 requires the Director of DSS to establish a workgroup to review all the CCL foster care regulations with an eye to ensuring that foster children and youth live normal childhoods and the regulations encourage the recruitment of quality, capable caregiver families.

• SB 1641 requires placement of foster children in homes that are the least restrictive and most family-like and allows them to participate in reasonable, age-appropriate activities, such as sports, with the child’s caregivers being allowed to use a reasonable and prudent parent standard to determine age-appropriate activities.

• SB 1641 begins the process of changing the culture of foster care licensing from strict compliance to child well-being and normalcy for foster youth and their families.

 

For more information, contact:

Regina Deihl, Legal Advocates for Permanent Parenting (LAPP) - (650) 712-1442

Curt Child, National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) - (916) 444-2290