Juveniles: incarcerated parent: visitation.

Assembly Member Quirk-Silva's legislation mandates regular visitation between incarcerated parents in county jails and their dependent children in foster care, establishing new requirements for maintaining family connections during periods of parental incarceration. The bill requires county jails to facilitate scheduled in-person visits between parents and their children unless such contact would be detrimental to the child's well-being or logistically unfeasible.

When in-person visits cannot occur, the legislation provides for video conferencing or phone communication alternatives. Children age 12 and older may opt for these remote options, while younger children may do so in consultation with their caregivers or social workers if developmentally appropriate. The bill requires child welfare agencies to coordinate visitation schedules with jails and document all planned visits, including any cancellations or delays, in court reports for status review hearings.

County jails and child welfare agencies must notify incarcerated parents in writing of their visitation rights and procedures for requesting visits. The bill also permits licensed community organizations to facilitate scheduled visits between parents and children. While imposing new duties on local agencies, the legislation specifies that only costs determined to be state-mandated by the Commission on State Mandates will qualify for state reimbursement.