New Placement Change Requirements

California Alliance of Caregivers has received numerous questions regarding ACL 19-26 that informs on the legislative intent and implementation of AB2247 that passed in 2018. This bill was led by California Youth Connection as part of their #FosterStability campaign to address the trauma that children and youth in foster care experience when their placements are disrupted and they must move to a new home.

This bill created a process to bring all necessary resources immediately to the child/youth and family to stabilize the placement and to avoid moving the child/youth to a new family. If a Resource Family is not able to safely or effectively maintain the care of a child/youth, we hope that appropriate services and supports can be accessed. In practice, the Child and Family Team should not let a family get to the point when they are requesting a placement change. However, when a family reaches the point of requesting a move for the child/youth, there is now a path to try “whatever it takes” to keep a child/youth safely with their current placement. There are exceptions when any child is at risk and a move must proceed for safety.

AdvoKids has a great resource for Resource Families to use when faced with a notice of a placement change from the agency – see 14 Day Notice of Placement Change. When the agency initiates the move of a young child, these requirements must be met as well.

If you are a Resource Family in California that would like to help implement this new law in your county and/or statewide, please contact: Dayna – dfreier@cacaregivers.org.