STATE POLICY
Changes on the Horizon: The Recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Children in Foster Care
On December 10th, 2008, HEY staff attended the public forum, Changes on the Horizon: The Recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Children in Foster Care (BRC) & the Impacts of New Federal Legislation.”
The forum was hosted by State Assemblymember Jim Beall, Jr. and was attended by several other State Assemblymembers, community leaders and foster care advocates who spoke about the final recommendations of the BRC. Newly elected Assemblymember (and former SF Supervisor) Tom Ammiano reconfirmed his dedication to foster children, and postured that the budget situation will continue to negatively affect the foster care system, so that foster care advocates need to be prepared for difficult times ahead. All the speakers expressed their commitment to improving the foster care system, and their approval of the final recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission. The audience filled the Grand Ballroom at the San Francisco Marriott, and although we could find no formal count of attendees, a conservative guess is that over 1500 people attended from throughout California. To see the final recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Commission visit www.courtinfo.ca.gov
The forum included a presentation by Justice Carlos Moreno of the California Supreme Court, who also serves as Chair of the BRC. Judge Moreno praised the 50 of 58 CA counties who have agreed to create collaborative local action planning teams – a recommendation of the Blue Ribbon Commisison. Following the presentations, each county team met to begin conversations about creating individualized county action plans to follow the BRC recommendations. Judge Moreno also noted that the recommendations were made regardless of fiscal concerns in order to truly define how to improve foster care and emancipation practices. He invited the county action teams to respond creatively to the budget situation.
The panel also introduced California Bill AB 12, which would ensure California opts into 2 federal funding opportunities available through HR 6893 (The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act) including 1) re-enacting the existing Kin-Gap program to align with federal requirements and 2) providing foster care support to youth until age 21. If California chooses to opt into HR 6893, California will begin to receive federal payments for foster care services that previously were shouldered entirely by the state. For a more detailed description of HR 6893, go to www.cacollegepathways.org and download a summary of the law. The CA bill (AB 12) still needs to pass through several committees before being formally presented to the Assembly floor, but to see the current form of the bill, visit www.acfya.org. Presenters from the John Burton Foundation for Children Without Homes, California Youth Connection, the County Welfare Directors Association of California and California Department of Social Services expressed their support for California to opt into HR 6893 by passing AB 12, and their confidence in the strength of the Blue Ribbon Commission’s recommendations. HEY also supports
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