NCJ Number
162973
Date Published
1990
Length
124 pages
Annotation
Senate Bill 14, passed in 1982, reshaped California's child welfare service system and made fundamental changes in goals of the State's foster care system; in 1986, California's Senate Select Committee on Children and Youth convened a hearing to determine how well the bill was working and to identify any necessary modifications.
Abstract
The hearing clearly demonstrated that policies implemented by Senate Bill 14 were sound and should not be change. Several factors, however, were identified that posed barriers to the law's full implementation. These included an overburdened child welfare service system and foster care system, lack of coordination among various programs and agencies responding to reports of child abuse, lack of relevant data with which to evaluate programs and outcomes for children and families, lack of services for families, and problems and delays within the juvenile court. The Senate Select Committee on Children and Youth appointed a task force of experts to make recommendations to the legislature on ways to protect children, including recommendations to effect greater coordination among child abuse reporting statutes, child welfare services, and juvenile court dependency proceedings. Task force recommendations were largely contained in Senate Bill 243 which enacted comprehensive changes in juvenile court dependency procedures, Senate Bill 834 which created a statewide training program for child welfare services workers, and Senate Bill 1219 which clarified child abuse reporting laws. Witnesses testified at the hearing on provisions contained in Senate Bill 243, and written testimony was also provided. An appendix contains further information on provisions of Senate Bill 243. Tables and figures