Social Services

Requires CASA programs to submit state and federal background checks for all candidates. Establishes ongoing CAC I monitoring and CASA notifications. Requires semiannual verifications and termination; reinforces one CASA program per county. Authorizes fees for federal checks and ongoing notifications; state checks remain free.

Requires inflation adjustment to the $489 monthly supplement starting July 1, 2026. Establishes state-mandated local program costs funded only if annual funds are provided. Directs the department to adopt regulations setting uniform rates by facility category. Preserves existing supplements and requires CalSAWS updates for expectant-parent payments.

Establishes a three-year county pilot with DV consultants to improve DV and child welfare outcomes. Requires the DV consultant be from a victim service organization and qualified counselor. Mandates a comprehensive evaluation due by October 31, 2031 with input from DSS and stakeholders. Sunsets the authority on January 1, 2032.

Expands waivers for abuse victims to protect safety and escape. Requires uniform statewide information and a standardized waiver form. Establishes protocols by Jan 1, 2027 and operability by 2028 or SWWS readiness. Requires annual reporting on abuse-identified CalWORKs recipients.

Mandates at least one meal daily, five days a week, in person or to-go for virtual congregate use. Removes RDAs requirement for additional meals beyond the minimum. Adds a path for home-delivered meals under federal Home Delivered Nutrition Services. Introduces virtual congregate setting concept without defined standards.

Mandates a placement transition policy to support foster youth moves and reunification. Gives foster youth input in transition planning and sharing information. Creates a unified resource family approval system with state guidance and a year deadline.

Establishes a data-driven push to place foster children with relatives. Requires counties to compare kin placement rates to statewide averages and ICWA benchmarks in 2027. If below average, consult the Center for Excellence to adopt kin-placement practices. Requires notifying identified adult relatives within 30 days of removal.

Duration is tied to the home visiting model, not a fixed term. Allows post-exit services up to 12 months or until the model completes, with written opt-in. Funding remains voluntary; counties may cap enrollment. Expansion of enrollment requires department approval.

Expands CalFresh food benefits eligibility by automatically qualifying most college programs starting July 2026. Creates a data-sharing system between financial aid and social services to identify eligible students. Requires colleges to contact students about CalFresh benefits starting in 2027 academic year. Mandates annual reporting on program approvals and denials through 2030.

Shifts third-stage childcare administration from counties to contracted providers. Expands third-stage income eligibility toward 85% of the state median income. Extends family fee exemptions to 24 months and waives fees for CalWORKs recipients. Expands attendance rules to include medical and educational appointments and space-holding.

Requires county welfare officials to form MOUs with AAA, ILC, or ADRC for shelter access. Adds definitions for emergency shelter and aligns with the State Emergency Plan. Establishes interagency collaboration requiring MOUs to ensure continuous services in evacuations. Provides no appropriation but allows reimbursement under the mandate framework.

Adds requirement to include adoptive and existing parents on final adoption orders. Clarifies omitting an existing parent on the order does not terminate rights. Expands CA-born minor jurisdiction and endorses out-of-state home studies meeting CA standards. Establishes a 180-day investigation window for independent adoptions.

Expands CalWORKs by disregarding hours worked for unemployment if income limits are met. Allows aid during strikes and lockouts and includes striker's needs per federal law. Adds self-employment to welfare-to-work activities. Requires feasibility study by Jan 1, 2028 and plans with labor agreements by 2025.

Establishes the FOSTER Act to guide nonminor dependents on tax filing. Requires guidance to counties and juvenile probation departments by July 30, 2026 with updates every two years. Requires annual mailings to nonminor dependents with eligibility, max credit, other credits, and VITA resources. Mandates the mailing window Nov 1 through Jan 31; local costs reimbursed only if funds provided.

Expands SEFBRP to include diapers and wipes. Authorizes use of SEFBRP funds to purchase, distribute, and reimburse diapers and wipes. Defines eligible food banks as EFAP/CSFP participants and CA Feeding America members. Grants procurement exemptions and allows informal implementation, pending appropriation.

Establishes a temporary panel to study support for aging immigrants regardless of status. Implementation is conditioned on appropriation and may use in-kind contributions. Requires the panel to deliver findings by July 1, 2028 and a joint report by December 31, 2028. Sunsets the program on January 1, 2029 unless extended.

Expands access to juvenile case files for county and city counsel and related agency attorneys. Authorizes county or city counsel for child welfare or probation to access files. Permits civil-proceeding attorneys to inspect and copy juvenile files. Creates a state-mandated local program with potential cost reimbursement.

Establishes an independent Developmental Services Ombudsperson with immediate effect. Repeals the old Self-Determination Ombudsperson and expands oversight to related programs. Requires appointment by the director after input from a consumer-advocacy committee for a four-year term. Enables complaints, investigations, public deidentified data, confidentiality, and a 2028 review.

Updates CalWORKs to allow aid when a child lives with the parent without removing all children. Sets SAWS-driven operative date and bans retroactive payments. Allows reunification to satisfy welfare-to-work with a CalWORKs plan or CW services and CalWORKs plan. Exempts immunization requirements for reunification plans and notes local costs.

Authorizes tribal agreements to administer child welfare and prevention programs. Eliminates tribal cost share; the state bears nonfederal costs; counties cover costs when transfers. Provides funding for independent legal representation and requires a cost plan by 3/31/2026. Offers startup funding for three years, contingent on Budget Act.

Introduces a cross-county transfer mechanism for nonminor dependents based on best interests. Requires transfer order within 30 court days and new county gains jurisdiction within 10 days. Requires court to consider transfer during reviews and in reports for nonminors. Adds criteria for evaluating transfer: access to services, residency eligibility, connections.

Updates eligibility rules to treat state tax-exempt status as qualifying for grants. Establishes ESAVN to provide resettlement services for asylees and vulnerable noncitizens. Requires grant recipients to have three years' experience and malpractice insurance. Enacts as an urgency statute with immediate effect.

Establishes income exclusions for pupil member pay in means-tested programs and scholarships. Authorizes interim guidance via all-county letters until regulations are adopted. Operative date depends on CalSAWS readiness and DSS will notify the Legislature. Provides reimbursement to local agencies if costs are state-mandated.

Authorizes courts to apply a preponderance standard to remedies when spoliation is proven. Establishes spoliation framework with defined terms and written findings. Applies to specified elder care facilities; excludes hospital-owned facilities. Becomes inoperative if Medi-Cal funding is not appropriated.

Creates the California ABLE Program Trust as a state instrumentality with broad powers. Authorizes grants, gifts, and appropriations for the program fund and administrative fund. Allows targeted outreach to subgroups and partnerships to boost participation. Requires tax form instructions to show direct deposits to ABLE and Scholarshare.