Foster care: rights of foster youth.

Assembly Member Elhawary's foster care legislation requires the California Department of Social Services to provide foster parents with educational resources about culturally and ethnically appropriate grooming and hygiene products for youth in their care.

The measure builds upon existing foster youth rights by adding specific requirements around cultural competency in daily care. Under current law, foster youth have the right to receive grooming and hygiene products that respect their culture, ethnicity, and gender identity. The new provisions create a formal mechanism for educating caregivers about selecting and providing these products appropriately.

The Department of Social Services would develop and distribute materials to help foster parents understand and meet their obligations regarding culturally sensitive grooming and hygiene support. While the bill mandates the creation of these educational resources, it does not include a direct appropriation, indicating implementation costs would be absorbed within existing departmental budgets.