Social Services

Exempts close relatives from care plan requirements when serving as conservators for developmentally disabled adults. Maintains the presumption that a conservatee's personal residence is the least restrictive appropriate living option. Requires conservators to reevaluate placement if there are significant changes in the conservatee's needs.

Expands CalWORKs Stage 3 childcare eligibility by raising the income limit from 70% to 85% of state median income. Transitions childcare subsidy administration from welfare departments to institutions serving working families. Establishes a priority system for disenrolling families when program funding is limited.

Requires monitoring of child abuse records for Court Appointed Special Advocate program staff and volunteers. Mandates immediate notification to CASA programs when staff are named in child abuse investigations. Authorizes fee increases to cover costs of monitoring and notification services.

Reduces the required time to establish county residency for foster youth from one year to six months. Allows nonminor dependents to request jurisdiction transfers by showing connections to the new county. Requires courts to issue transfer orders within 60 days of a youth's request. Mandates courts to consider transfer requests during all review hearings for nonminor dependents.

Modifies legal representation rules for nonminor dependents in California dependency court proceedings. Removes the requirement for attorneys to prioritize safety over client wishes when representing nonminor dependents. Gives attorneys more flexibility in how they represent nonminor dependents in court proceedings.

Lowers the burden of proof in elder abuse cases when care facilities intentionally destroy evidence. Applies only to residential care facilities and skilled nursing homes, with specific exceptions. Requires courts to document in writing when lowering the evidence standard due to spoliation. Becomes inoperative if the state must reimburse facilities and funding is not appropriated.

Expands childcare reimbursement criteria to include absences for medical and educational appointments. Extends fee exemptions from 12 to 24 months for families receiving child protective services. Allows providers to claim reimbursement when holding spaces during care abandonment appeals. Prohibits charging family fees to families receiving CalWORKs cash aid.

Requires courts to evaluate human trafficking history before making child custody decisions. Mandates protective measures in custody orders when a child or parent is a trafficking victim. Creates a legal presumption against awarding custody to parents convicted of human trafficking.

Requires updating client files within 30 days when individuals with developmental disabilities change residences. Maintains existing data management requirements to ensure safety and well-being of developmentally disabled persons.

Eliminates CARF accreditation requirements for work activity and supported employment programs. Requires regional centers to evaluate programs using new state-developed service standards. Authorizes regional centers to impose sanctions on providers who violate safety or service standards. Maintains existing enforcement tools including corrective plans and program termination.

Expands access to juvenile case files for parents' treatment teams and probate court officials. Requires child welfare agencies to provide records within two weeks of written requests. Mandates that accessed records must be filed under seal in family law and probate cases. Creates stricter rules for sharing juvenile records with penalties for unauthorized disclosure.

Expands tribal agreements with California to include foster care prevention services for Indian children. Provides state funding for legal representation of tribes, parents, and children in tribal custody cases. Offers three-year startup funding for tribes establishing new child welfare programs. Requires tribes to meet state service standards while maintaining control over child welfare decisions.

Expands CalFresh food benefits eligibility to more college students through automatic program qualification. Requires financial aid systems to identify and notify eligible students about CalFresh benefits by January 2027. Mandates direct outreach to eligible students for CalFresh enrollment starting in the 2027-28 academic year. Streamlines the approval process by automatically qualifying campus-based programs for CalFresh eligibility.

Increases the maximum county burial assistance for indigent veterans from $350 to $1,000. Authorizes counties to provide financial support for burial or cremation expenses of qualifying veterans. Uses existing county funds to cover the increased burial and cremation benefit amounts.

Expands eligibility for state social services grants to include nonprofits with state tax-exempt status. Requires nonprofit organizations to have three years of experience providing immigrant services. Establishes a new program providing resettlement services for asylees and vulnerable noncitizens. Mandates reporting and monitoring requirements for all grant recipients.

Reduces the adoption request filing deadline from 10 to 7 working days after signing an adoption agreement. Requires immediate notification to child welfare if an adoption plan is terminated. Mandates detailed documentation before releasing newborns to prospective adoptive parents. Prohibits releasing children back to birth parents without a safety investigation.

Expands child abuse reporting requirements to include sending reports to attorneys of parents and legal guardians. Requires agencies to redact personal identifying information of all individuals except the child in abuse reports. Mandates sharing abuse reports with all attorneys representing children in the same placement facility. Excludes parents whose rights were terminated from receiving abuse reports about their children.

Protects recipients of guaranteed income payments from losing eligibility for state benefit programs. Defines guaranteed income as regular, unconditional cash payments meant to support basic needs. Applies to major programs including CalWORKs, CalFresh, Medi-Cal, and other state assistance programs. Requires counties to exclude guaranteed income when determining eligibility for benefits.

Makes technical changes to foster care sibling placement requirements.

Establishes new housing requirements for foster youth transitional housing programs to promote flexibility and independence. Requires counties to follow state standards for transitional housing without adding stricter local requirements. Allows foster youth to share housing units regardless of gender identity to increase housing options. Mandates specific staff-to-participant ratios to ensure proper supervision and support.

Requires counties to create disaster plans and form mutual aid regions to ensure food assistance during emergencies. Mandates state maintenance of updated disaster materials and applications in all required languages. Establishes procedures for counties to request emergency food benefits during federally declared disasters. Provides counties with free mobile technology to issue emergency benefit cards in disaster-affected areas.

Requires juvenile courts to develop detailed rehabilitation plans focused on transitioning youth to less restrictive programs. Mandates courts to hold hearings every 6 months to review progress and consider transfers to less restrictive settings. Orders transfer to less restrictive programs when youth show substantial progress in meeting rehabilitation goals. Establishes new standards for secure youth facilities including design, security, and educational requirements.

Extends the deadline for Veterans Affairs to report on veteran service provider certification rules to April 2026. Maintains existing certification requirements for nonprofit organizations serving veterans and their families. Requires veteran service providers to submit detailed documentation including audit reports and tax records.

Requires county jails to provide regular in-person visits between incarcerated parents and their children in foster care. Mandates video calls or phone contact when in-person visits are not possible due to safety or logistics. Requires child welfare agencies to document all scheduled visits and report them to the court. Orders jails and welfare agencies to coordinate visitation schedules and remove logistical barriers.

Establishes the Fresh Start Grants Program to replace existing tax credits with direct grant payments starting January 2027. Requires county welfare departments to calculate and distribute grants to eligible CalFresh recipients. Mandates comprehensive data security protocols to protect recipient information, especially for undocumented individuals. Creates a continuously appropriated Fresh Start Grants Fund to ensure sustainable program funding.