California Youth Connection’s Monterey Chapter’s 2017 Accomplishments

CYC is doing big things in 2017!

Our local issue as of right now is scheduling a meeting with Deputy Director of Family and children’s services, Lori Medina, to discuss how trainings are being done in Monterey County. The CYC members plan on using the skills we obtained at DAC along with knowledge of the local area and present to Lori why we feel specialized trainings for foster parents is mandatory and important. The meeting date is TBD but we will let you know!

-CYC Monterey Chapter

AB INVOLVEMENT 

A Reform to Foster Family Training

Foster families are currently required by law to take eight hours of annual caregiver training.

“But what they take, where, and when they go is all over the place,” said CYC’s Hernandez. For example, she shared the example of families that house only teenagers, who may take an infant training class to meet a requirement deadline at the end of the year.

In February, chapters from all over California with over a hundred members came together in Sacramento to bring bill AB 507 to assembly men and woman’s attention. The weekend; full of workshops, bonding and getting to know the bill inside and out to be fully prepared for our meetings was a complete success. With AB 507, introduced by Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) and co-sponsored by CYC and the Youth Law Center, foster families would instead work with their county agency to develop an annual training plan that is based on the needs of the children in their home.

“This bill empowers the family to create a training plan based on the children and youth in their home,” Hernandez said. “So it’s proactive and intentional versus just checking the box.”

This bill puts into place a “Plan” between foster parent and foster child that will be revised if for any reason a 7 day notice, 51/50 or police action has to take place.

The bill awaits a hearing from the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

Help for Foster Youth Participating in Extracurricular Activities

Summer Rae Worsham, The Epicenter’s foster service coordinator, and Monterey’s chapter member participated with the introduction of AB 754, with Assemblyman Dante Acosta (R-Santa Clarita).Co-sponsored by CYC, This bill seeks to address the gap faced by foster youth when it comes to extracurricularactivities—such as sports, clubs and field trips. These activities can be a bridge to building healthy relationships for foster youth in high school and help them build a strong college application. But associated costs of participating in these activities often prevent many foster youth from accessing these hallmark school experiences.The bill would create a workgroup to establish eligibility criteria for foster youth to access grants under $500 each. Youth would need to submit receipts and documentation of how grants were used.

“Our members recognized that to feel normal and make relationships, to be involved in [extracurricular] activities was fun and important,” Hernandez said. “But barriers are the funding and logistical pieces. This enrichment fund really is angled at removing those barriers directly.”

The bill passed the Assembly Human Services Committee and awaits a hearing with the Appropriations Committee.