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Legislation Introduced to Improve Outcomes for Vulnerable Young Families in Foster Care
Assembly Member Phil Ting has introduced Assembly Bill 1838, which would increase the infant supplement paid to youth in foster care who have a dependent child and also allow the infant supplement to begin six months prior to the birth of their child.
According to information provide by Mr. Ting’s office, the infant supplement was established in 1988 in federal law and in 1989 in state law to provide much-needed financial support to young parents in foster care. The infant supplement is currently $411 per month, which is far below the estimated cost of caring for a child, which First Place for Youth estimates to be approximately $1,400 per month. AB 1838 would make the infant supplement equal to the basic rate paid on behalf of youth in foster care.
AB 1838 will be heard in Assembly Human Services on Tuesday, March 29. Please send in a letter of support by Friday, March 18. To learn more about AB 1838, read the fact sheet.
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Support Proposal to Expand "California's 529 Plan" for Foster Youth
Assembly Member Tony Thurmond has introduced Assembly Bill 2506, which would improve access to the Chafee Education and Training Voucher (Chafee ETV), the only dedicated form of financial aid for foster youth. The Chafee ETV was established by Congress in 2002 in recognition of the fact that the rate of college degree attainment for foster youth is far below the general population. Since then, the number of older youth has increased significantly, but the budget for the Chafee has remained flat, leaving 1 in 4 eligible youth without a grant.
AB 2506 would entitle all eligible students who apply for a Chafee ETV to receive a grant if they apply by specific deadline. It would also prohibit the use of the Chafee ETV at post-secondary institutions that do not meet specific graduation and loan repayment rates.
AB 2506 will be heard in Assembly Human Services on Tuesday, April 12. Please send in a letter of support by Friday, April 1. To learn more about AB 2506, read the fact sheet.
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State Funding Proposed to Reduce Unplanned Pregnancy and Protect Reproductive Rights of Foster Youth
The County Welfare Directors Association of California and the John Burton Foundation are requesting funding from the California State Legislature to prevent unplanned pregnancy among youth in foster care and to protect their reproductive rights. A 2014 study found that 26 percent of 17 year-olds in foster care had been pregnant at least once, a rate that is over ten times higher than that for non-foster youth, aged 15 to 19 in California.
This high rate pregnancy has serious implications for foster youth, whose likelihood of lifelong economic stability is significantly diminished by a teen birth, as well as for their children, who experience high rates of child maltreatment and have a disproportionate number of substantiated reports of abuse against them before age 5, according to a 2013 study.
Under the budget proposal, counties would receive up to $10 million to prevent youth in foster care from becoming pregnant using a range of strategies, including specialized training for social workers, caregivers and foster youth, improving access to reproductive health services for foster youth and the creation of local policies and procedures on the topic of reproductive health.
To add your organization’s name to a support letter going to the Assembly and Senate Budget Subcommittees in April, follow this LINK.
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Web Seminar to Discuss Need for Better Child Care for Foster Youth
The Alliance for Children’s Rights and Children Now will host a web seminar on Wednesday, March 16 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on a proposal to increase access to child care for caregivers of foster children.
The web seminar will focus on understanding the intersection of our child welfare and child care systems, barriers to accessing high-quality child care for foster children and propose a policy solution to ensure that all foster children are able to get the care they need to be successful and stable in their placements/ To register, follow this link.
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