Letter to the GovernorConnect & Fol low!  

CONNECTED CAREGIVERSUpdates & Opportunities for Resource/Kinship/Foster/Adoptive/Guardian Families in CA

M A R C H 2 0 2 0 V O L . 1 6

02SNEAK PEEK

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Parents & Caregivers forWel lness Webinar Training

Caregiver Day at theCapitol

Tips for Teens

Cal i fornia Department ofSocial Services Resources

BY JENN REXROAD

I would like to start by saying THANK YOU toeveryone who is parenting a child or youth in/fromfoster care. Families face many challenges in thebest of times, and fostering during a pandemic addsmany more complex challenges. Placement stabilityis more important than ever, and yet families havenow lost much of the support they might have hadprior to the quarantine, including school support,therapy, respite, child care, and more. We areadvocating for increased support for families andimmediate change to some policies needed toaccommodate children and families during this timeof crisis. Attached is a letter that CAC prepared witha coalition of other child welfare advocates tocommunicate the immediate needs of families. Weare here for support and to connect you withinformation and resources that will help you duringthis time of crisis.

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Fostering Through a Pandemic

CAC (Virtual) Coffee withCaregivers Support Group

California Alliance of Caregivers partneredwith the Alliance for Children's Rights forthe 3rd time to host Caregiver Day at theCapitol. The highlight of the day washearing from Dr. Nadine Burke Harris andher mission to reduce childhood adversityby half in a generation. She gave apassionate and heartfelt presentation ofencouragement about the affect of"buffering care" on children who havesuffered abuse and neglect. The focus of advocacy meetings was on thecost of the Hidden Foster Care system,education stability, and the continuedneed to expand the child care bridgeprogram to more children and families.Nearly 100 meetings were held, andalthough attendance was affected by theincoming pandemic, caregivers rallied tohold influential meetings with legislatorsand staff. Although priorities have nowchanged, the connections that we madeand the realities that we communicatedare fresh in the minds of decision-makersin the state capitol.

State priorities are quickly changing witha looming recession, extended tax filingdeadline, and COVID-19 response. Thecurrent state priorities are COVID-19,Homelessness, and Wildfires. It isuncertain how the legislative process willproceed at this time. We are still watching current legislationwhen and if it progresses. We will testifyat hearings if/when they occur and wecontinue to provide feedback and lettersof support. Our online legislation updateis here and is updated in real time. We will be trying out a webinar format ofthe Resource Family Policy Summits forlocal groups and agencies. We hope toprovide a helpful version of this engagingworkshop and listening session virtually.We will miss seeing you in person!However, we anticipate the ability toinclude more caregivers.

Legislation Update

Caregiver Day at the Capitol

PROGRA M PLA N ELIGIBILITY- Youth age 13 to 26 inclusive (youth in

care at County Child Welfare discretion)

- Were in foster care on their 13th birthday or later

- Proof- Ward of Court or County Dependency Letter

INTERESTED?

Free Phones for Foster YouthC A L I F O R N I A L I F E L I N E P R O G R A M F O R F O S T E R Y O U T H

A pp l icat ion Process

- FREE Smartphone (LG Empire) or FREE Bring Your Own Phone* and low cost refurb replacements

- Unlim ited Talk

- Unlim ited Text

- Unlim ited Data with 3GB High Speed

- Mobile HotSpot

- SD Video

- Digital literacy training and ongoing tech support

For more information or to get on the wait list, please call, email or text iFoster at: 1-855-936-7837 / phone@ifoster.org / 530-414-5060

* Phones must be approved to work on Boost Mobile network

Get on the Wait l is t

Help make the sign up process easier https://www.tfaforms.com/4734458

- Sign up for iFoster (www.ifoster.org)

- Upload Application and ward of the court letter to your digital locker - if under 16 - email application to support@ifoster.org

Funding provided by the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission

For Parents and Caregivers of Children with Mental Health Needs

During the current COVID-19 crisis, we are

preparing webinars to address the emerging

needs of families and to connect them with

emerging resources. If your group or agency

would like to schedule or attend a training on a

specific topic, please contact Dayna.

Provider Information Notice (PIN) and RecentlyPosted All County Letter (ACL) Summaries

On March 4, 2020, Governor Newsom issued a Proclamation of a State ofEmergency (“Proclamation”) for California in response to the Novel Coronavirus(COVID-19) in California. Since that time, based on enhanced risk to older andvulnerable Californians and the fast rate of spread, the State has implementedmultiple preventive actions.

Read below for the most up-to-date requirements and guidance for countychild welfare social workers and juvenile probation officers regarding servingchildren and families during the evolving situation related to the Coronavirus(COVID-19). Be sure to click the appropriate link to read each letter in itsentirety.

All County Letter 20-25

Support from County Child Welfare Services (CWS) to front-lineinvestigative workers by prioritizing their access to supports which willallow them to assess the safety of children.How CLETs may be used for Emergency Placements if live scans areunavailable.In-person visits vs. teleconferencing for making monthly visits tochildren, families and non-minor dependents.Recommendations for parent/child and sibling visits; and for contact withparents/guardians who have children in foster care.Outreach, support and resources for Youth in college. Visiting youth placed out of state.Alternative options for holding Child & Family Team meetings.Visits with children & youth in adoptive placements and instances ofrelinquishment.

Subscribe Past Issues RSSTranslate The Judicial Council is working with the superior courts of all counties torequest emergency orders for operational modifications. Caregivers need support. The ACL contains many links to resources theycan lean on for health and behavioral health, education, medicationmaintenance, etc.

Provider Information NoticesPIN 20-06-CCLD, March 18, 2020 - provided information to all CommunityCare Licensing Division (CCLD) program staff regarding cancellations of allpublic meetings due to the spread of COVID19. Stay in contact with your localCCL regional office to be current with rescheduled dates and alternativearrangements.

PIN 20-05-CCLD, March 11, 2020 - announced a dedicated CCLD COVID-19e-mail address available to all licensees, providers, and the public to use inasking questions related to COVID-19 CCLCOVID-19INFO@dss.ca.gov.

In subject of email, include facility type (Residential Care for Elderly,Adult Residential, Child Care, Children’s Residential, Continuing CareContracts, etc)If phone response desired, include the phone number in emailRefer to CCLD homepage http://www.ccld.ca.gov/ for current PINs aswell as other useful links.

PIN 20-04-CCLD, March 6, 2020 - provided notification of the Governor'sProclamation of a State of Emergency in response to the occurrence of COVID-19 in California and waivers that may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

PIN 20-02-CRP, March 4, 2020 - PIN 20-02-CRP provided information and

ACL 20-25

PIN 20-06-CCLD

PIN 20-05-CCLD

PIN 20-04-CCLD

Subscribe Past Issues RSSTranslate

CAREGIVERSCOFFEE WITH

VIRTUAL CONNECTION, SUPPORT &TRAINING

Grab your favorite drink and snack and join usduring the following virtual meetings:

April 7th 1:30-2:30 pmApril 10th 10:30-11:30 am

April 14th 1:30-2:30 pmApril 17th 10:30-11:30 amApril 21st 10:30-11:30 am

April 23rd 1:30-2:20 pm

email or call Dayna: dfreier@cacaregivers.org530-219-6604

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March 26, 2020 The Honorable Gavin Newsom Governor State of California The Honorable Toni Atkins President pro Tempore California State Senate The Honorable Anthony Rendon Speaker of the Assembly California State Assembly

Dear Governor Newsom, President pro Tempore Atkins and Speaker Rendon, The over 60,000 children and youth in California's foster care system are among the most marginalized members of our society. Removed from their families due to abuse and neglect, their trauma is often compounded by the instability they experience while in foster care, through placement and school changes. COVID-19 poses a special risk to children and youth in foster care, who are the legal dependents of the State of California. While California’s response to COVID-19 is critical for all, children and youth in foster care uniquely rely on the public child welfare system to ensure their economic, emotional and educational well-being. It is critical that the State of California act swiftly and responsibly to address these urgent needs. Provided below is a summary of some of the most urgent needs facing children and youth in foster care related to the COVID-19 pandemic, together with policy recommendations to address these needs. The undersigned organizations urge the Administration and the California State Legislature to adopt the recommendations as part of California’s COVID-19 response and relief efforts. Recommendation #1: Provide emergency financial relief to caregivers and youth impacted by COVID-19.

California has a strong community of caregivers, 40 percent of whom are relatives and are more than twice as likely to be living at or below the federal poverty level than non-relatives. These caregivers face new challenges as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. Many have lost their jobs while others will require more childcare due to school closures. Older youth in foster care, aged 18 to 21, also face serious challenges from COVID-19, as

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their hours of employment are reduced or they are laid off. It is critical that we support caregivers and young adults in foster care during this time and to do so we recommend policymakers take the following actions:

● Increase the monthly foster care payments across all programs by $400 per child or youth and increase the infant supplement by $400 per child per month for at least 6 months.

● Establish a $10M Foster Youth College Relief Fund for college students who have exited foster care who are facing food or housing insecurity or other emergency needs. At campuses with existing foster youth campus support programs, funds would be distributed through this program. At campuses without such a program, the campus financial aid or equity office would administer this program.

● Inform nonminor dependents who have become unemployed or had hours reduced due to COVID-19 about the availability of unemployment benefits and recovery rebates included in the federal stimulus package.

● Waive face-to-face interviews for CalFresh, authorize the use of CalFresh for online purchasing with the use of EBT and provide guidance to nonminor dependents and caregivers about how to access CalFresh.

Recommendation #2: Ensure stability of foster care placements

Studies show one of the most traumatic aspects of foster care for children and youth is placement instability. COVID-19 poses a serious threat to destabilizing foster care placement by undermining the economic stability of the families and providers who care for them. Action can be taken now to preserve Resource Families and providers and maintain placements. We recommend policymakers take a Housing First approach through the following actions:

● Place a 180-day moratorium on discharge of non-minor dependents from extended foster care unless the youth no longer wishes to participate in the program. This includes suspending school and work requirements as a condition of nonminor dependent placement for 180 days.

● Preserve placements by enforcing current law requiring the development and implementation of placement preservation strategies prior to a written 14-day notice, including for nonminor dependents in all placements for the next 180 days. Issue guidance emphasizing that multiple placement preservation strategies should be used and how to implement strategies during a public health crisis.

Recommendation #3: Immediately remove obstacles to distance learning, telehealth, visitation, and permanency

COVID-19 has created new obstacles for children and youth in foster care, further complicating the child welfare system's ability to achieve the permanency, safety and well-being goals of children and youth. This includes facilitating access to education, medical and mental health care, and visitation with siblings

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and parents. These services are critical now as youth are more isolated which can exacerbate their needs. We recommend policymakers take the following actions:

● Ensure every foster youth has access to a laptop, WiFi and a telephone for remote learning, telehealth appointments, visitation, child and family team meeting participation and other connectivity needs, without the requirement to verify dependency status.

● Waive health and safety inspections for Supervised Independent Living Placements for the next 90 days for any non-minor dependents changing placements, not solely those moving due to campus closures.

● Authorize virtual completion of the voluntary re-entry agreement and other required documents for nonminor dependents re-entering foster care without a face-to-face contact.

● Suspend the annual Resource Family Approval updates, until the shelter-in-place order is lifted, unless significant changes have occurred in the Resource Family home since the completion of the existing approval which warrant such an update, such as a change in marital status, moving to a new location, birth of a child, an adult moving into the home.

● Authorize the use of online signatures to process and finalize adoptions.

● Allow virtual interviews for the Resource Family Approval process rather than in person/in home.

● Direct the California Student Aid Commission to distribute Chafee Education and Training Voucher payments to youth attending college electronically or distribute directly to the student in the current term and until campuses reopen.

Recommendation #4: Include the needs of marginalized and disconnected youth in California’s COVID-19 response

Youth experiencing homelessness make up ten percent of California’s Homeless Point-in-Time Count and 79 percent are unsheltered youth, putting them at heightened risk for COVID-19 exposure. To ensure the well-being of marginalized and disconnected youth during the COVID-19 pandemic, we recommend policymakers take the following actions:

● Immediately issue funding for the Transitional Housing Program and Housing Navigation Program by suspending the regulatory requirement that counties submit a signed resolution from their County Board of Supervisors, authorize the rollover of unutilized funds to FY 21 and issue FY 21 funding by July 31, 2020.

● Require a minimum of ten percent of homelessness funding included in the FY 21 state budget be dedicated to establish or expand services meeting the needs of homeless youth or youth at risk of homelessness, including student homelessness.

● Allocate $30 million to California’s 44 Continuums of Care to award grant funding to youth providers through the Homeless Emergency Aid Program to address the immediate needs of youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

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Thank you very much for your time and attention. Our organizations are available as a resource to support youth, child welfare providers, policymakers and funders during this time of emergency.

Respectfully,

Amy Lemley, Executive Director John Burton Advocates for Youth Jennifer L. Braun, President and CEO Alliance for Children’s Rights Jenn Rexroad, Executive Director California Alliance of Caregivers Christine Stoner-Mertz, Chief Executive Officer California Alliance of Child and Family Services Ted Lempert, President Children Now Robert C. Fellmeth, Executive Director Children’s Advocacy Institute Leslie Heimov, Executive Director Children’s Law Center Jesse Hahnel, Executive Director National Center for Youth Law Amber Twitchell, Director VOICES Jennifer Rodriguez, Executive Director Youth Law Center