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AB 12 Question of the Week
Q: I’m attending college in a different county than I grew up in and exited foster care from. I’m participating in a THP-Plus program here in the county where I’m attending college. The county I exited care from did not opt into the THP-Plus extension established by Senate Bill 1252, however the county I currently reside in did opt in. Can I access the additional 12 months of THP-Plus here? For the answer, follow this LINK.
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Are NMDs Eligible for Food Stamps? Find Out!
The CalFresh Program, federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and known informally as “food stamps”, can provide a vital resource to youth participating in extended foster care, particularly those who are parenting. Since the 2012 implementation of extended foster care, foster youth, providers, social workers, caregivers and other supportive adults have had questions about eligibility, application information, monthly benefit amounts and more.
On Thursday, May 12th from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. the John Burton Foundation will host a web seminar on non-minor dependents and CalFresh, joined by the California Department of Social Services and East Bay Children’s Law Offices. To register for the May 12th web seminar, follow this link. A flyer can be downloaded here.
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CA Senate Budget Subcommittee Hears Range of Proposals to Strengthen Child Welfare
The California State Budget process continues to make its way towards the June 15th deadline, with the Senate Budget Subcommittee #3 meeting last week, on April 21st. At the hearing, chaired by Senator Holly Mitchell, a range of child welfare proposals were heard for potential investment.
These included a $30 million proposal to provide short-term child care vouchers for foster parents, a $1.65 million augmentation to support public health nurses serving foster youth, a $5 million augmentation to THP-Plus, a $10 million proposal to invest in pregnancy prevention, a $15 million investment in the implementation of the state’s program for Commercially Sexually Exploited Children, a $3.625 proposal to expand access to the Chafee Education and Training Voucher and a proposal to increase investment to provide child-centered permanency services.
The subcommittee did not take any formal action, so it is not yet know what proposals will be included in the Senate’s version of the budget. For the full-agenda, follow this link. To view the committee hearing, follow this link.
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Report Reveals 580,000 California Children Illegally Denied Mental Health Services
A coalition of children's advocacy organizations including Mental Health Advocacy Services, the Western Center on Law and Poverty, and Learning Rights Law Center, just released Failing Grade: How California’s School Districts Have Abandoned Children with Disabilities. The report details how children with mental disabilities have failed to receive the school based mental health services to which they are legally entitled, and includes policy recommendations.
Since 2011 when Assembly Bill 114 eliminated the state mandated partnership between school districts and county mental health agencies providing special education students with educationally related mental health services, fewer children have been receiving mental health services. The report follows a state audit and report issued in January 2016 that found that the California Department of Education, the state entity responsible for AB 114 funds, is tracking neither expenditures nor outcomes.
Failing Grade uncovers a number of findings, including only one out of seven children eligible for mental health services receive them, less than half of the children actually receiving services are receiving the right type of services, and children are being sent to the juvenile justice system rather than being given health care. To read the report, follow this link.
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New Opportunity for Dependency Courts to Address Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy
The National Campaign to End Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy just released a Request for Proposals for a new project, Training and Technical Assistance Project: Addressing Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy in Dependency Courts. The goal of the project is to improve educational and economic outcomes for youth involved in the child welfare or juvenile justice systems by reducing teen and unplanned pregnancy.
The National Campaign will select six jurisdictions overseeing dependency cases across the United States to receive intensive training and technical assistance on the new judge’s toolkit, When You Decide: A Judge’s Guide to Pregnancy Prevention Among Foster Youth developed by the National Campaign and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
Designed to guide judges in ensuring youth are able to make healthy choices, the Toolkit focuses on youth getting from appropriate system stakeholders, the support, knowledge, and tools needed to make healthy long-term decisions regarding sex and reproduction. The deadline for proposals is May 31, 2016.
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