Frequently Asked Questions

The FAQs previously posted on this page have been moved. Most FAQs are now posted by topic on the Resources tab. Those not associated with an existing topic on the Resources tab are shown below.

Send your question to lustig_michelle@lacoe.edu.

The FYSCP TAP and the CDE team members work collaboratively on FAQs depending on the topic.

The FYSCP TAP and CDE teams primarily send pertinent information, trainings, and other announcements to the primary (and possibly secondary) FYSCP coordinator contact through the Weekly Blast email and post items on the Hub website.  If you need assistance accessing this information, connect with the TAP team. 

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Yes. The California Foster Care Education Task Force (CFYETF) releases a California Foster Care Education Fact Sheet annually or bi-annually. The most recent version can be found on CFYETF website or on the Hub Legislation & Legal page.

The California Foster Youth Education Task Force has an active Legislative Workgroup and provides regular updates. The FYSCP TAP team regularly provides updates via email, in the Weekly Blast and on the Hub website.

The code sections that grant the entitlements under AB 167/216 do not address this question of whether the LEA could use the exemptions to allow the student to graduate early. In making a decision as to whether to apply the exemptions, an LEA will want to take other reasonable considerations into account that may impact the answer to this question. The reasonableness determination can include the age of the student and whether the student could be reasonably able to complete the LEA’s local requirements in time to graduate high school by the end of their fourth year. See EC § 51251.1 for information on Assembly bill 167 and 216 requirements. Please see the link below: 

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=EDC&sectionNum=51225.1

A. The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978 is a Federal law that governs the removal and out-of-home placement of American Indian children. The law was enacted after the Federal Government recognized that American Indian children were being removed from their homes and communities at a much higher rate than non-Native children. The law established Federal standards for the removal and placement of Native children as well as with termination of parental rights to protect the best interests of Native American children and keep them connected to their families and Tribes. ICWA was enacted after Native American children were systematically removed—often without evidence of abuse or neglect that would be considered grounds for removal—and placed with non-Native families, with the intent to deprive them of their Native family or culture. The law delineates the roles of State and Tribal governments in child welfare cases involving children who are members of or eligible for membership in Federally recognized Tribes. For example, it clarifies that Tribes have sovereignty and exclusive jurisdiction over their members who reside on Tribal land and establishes a process for transferring cases to Tribal court in other cases. The law is one of the key components in protecting the rights and culture of American Indian and Alaska Native children and families.

Find resources on this page to learn more about the history, procedures, and standards of the act here:

https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/diverse-populations/americanindian/icwa/

A child is considered “subject to a petition a Dependency petition has been filed under W&I §§300, 325.” This is commonly known as the Detention Hearing. This Dependency Flow Chart from the California Courts provides a visual explanation.

A. As part of the Bipartisan Budget Act (HR. 1892), which was signed in to law in February 2018, the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) was enacted to turn the focus of the current child welfare system toward keeping children safely with their families to avoid the trauma that results when children are placed in out-of-home care. To increase the number of children who can remain safely at home with their families, the law provides families with greater access to mental health services, substance use treatment, and/or improved parenting skills. This law significantly shifts how the country provides services for families and youth. In particular, it changed the role of community service providers, how courts advocate and make decisions for families, and the types of placements that youth placed in out-of-home care experience. The law also created the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse, which consists of a continuously updated comprehensive list of evaluated and tested prevention services and programs that States can use title IV-E funds toward to prevent disruption within families.

This page offers guidance on how FFPSA plays a role in primary prevention, its impact on the foster care system, a shifted focus on court involvement, and how it affects older youth who are currently in out-of-home care and will “age out” of foster care.

Additional information can be found here: https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/laws-policies/federal/family-first/

The Continuum of Care Reform (CCR) draws together a series of existing and new reforms to our child welfare services program designed out of an understanding that children who must live apart from their biological parents do best when they are cared for in committed nurturing family homes. Assembly Bill 403 provides the statutory and policy framework to ensure services and supports provided to the child or youth and his or her family are tailored toward the ultimate goal of maintaining a stable permanent family.

More information can be found here: https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/continuum-of-care-reform

A. Local placing agencies (child welfare and probation) contract with Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTPs) for placement for the children and youth under their jurisdiction. Please contact your local placing agencies for a list of STRTPs they currently are contracting with.

General facility information may be found on the Community Care Licensing page, but this does not indicate the placing agencies currently contracting with the facility.