Child welfare services: domestic violence consultant pilot program.

Through a three-year pilot proposed by Assembly Member Lackey, with Assembly Member Carrillo as a coauthor, California would authorize county child welfare agencies to partner with a domestic violence consultant from a DV victim service organization to address families where domestic violence and child maltreatment intersect, enabling social workers to apply tailored engagement and intervention strategies informed by domestic violence expertise. The consultant must be a qualified domestic violence counselor as defined in the state's Evidence Code, and the pilot operates within county systems to support work with parent survivors and their children. The program is time-limited and would sunset on January 1, 2032, with a comprehensive evaluation due by October 31, 2031, and the evaluation process to incorporate input from the State Department of Social Services and stakeholders, including people with lived experience.

Under the pilot, the domestic violence consultant’s duties would include providing education on domestic violence–related dynamics and available services; discussing complicating factors such as children witnessing violence, homelessness, and substance use; addressing protective measures such as safety plans and restraining orders, and considerations around child removal in DV-affected homes; offering recommendations for accessing resources for families; and navigating how law enforcement responds to DV reports. The consultant may also provide direct support to parent survivors, such as facilitating shelter access, referring children to therapy, and sharing information about additional resources, where appropriate.

Implementation mechanics emphasize evaluation and governance rather than new funding within the bill. Counties that implement the pilot must conduct a comprehensive evaluation and report findings to the Legislature, including data on safety plans or restraining orders and outcomes; data on resource recommendations and their use; and data on law enforcement responses to DV reports, with the report prepared in line with standard state government reporting requirements. The proposal requires counties to seek input from the State Department of Social Services and stakeholders, including individuals with lived experience in domestic violence and child welfare, in the evaluation’s design and execution, while remaining explicit that the statute does not authorize a new appropriation and that fiscal considerations would fall under the Legislature’s budget process and the Fiscal Committee.

The bill adds a new authority to the Welfare and Institutions Code to enable this pilot framework, drawing on definitions in the Evidence Code for the DV consultant and aligning with Government Code provisions for reporting. It envisions coordination among county social workers, domestic violence service organizations, and state agencies, with data collection focused on safety measures, resource access, and law enforcement coordination as part of a bounded, seven- to nine-year policy window that culminates in a formal legislative review of the pilot’s findings. The sunset ensures the pilot operates within a finite period, inviting future policy decisions based on the evaluation, while preserving strict patient- and family-protective data handling within existing confidentiality statutory frameworks.