Plain English Breakdown
The effective date is not provided in the source material, so it remains unknown when this law takes effect.
Virtual Visits for Out-of-State Nonminor Dependents
This law allows young adults in foster care who live out of state to have their monthly check-in with a social worker online, while still requiring some visits to happen in person.
What This Bill Does
- Allows county workers to offer virtual meetings for the required monthly visit if the youth lives outside California.
- Requires the young adult to agree to the virtual meeting and have that choice written in their case plan.
- Mandates a private part of every visit where only the worker and the young adult can speak, keeping those words secret from caregivers or group home staff.
- Lets the young adult ask for an in-person meeting instead of a video call at any time.
- Requires workers to meet with these young adults face-to-face at least once every three months.
- Orders the State Department of Social Services to create new guidelines by July 1, 2027.
Who It Names or Affects
- Nonminor dependents (young people over age 18) in foster care who live outside California.
- County social workers and probation officers assigned to these cases.
- The State Department of Social Services, which must create new rules.
Terms To Know
- Nonminor dependent
- A person over the age of 18 who is still legally under the care of the foster system.
- Virtual visit
- A meeting that happens online using video or phone technology instead of in a physical location.
- Case plan
- An official document that lists the goals and services for a person in foster care.
Limits and Unknowns
- The law does not say when it will officially start because no effective date is listed.
- Some training activities depend on whether lawmakers approve money (appropriation) to pay for them.
- It is unclear if the state must pay counties for these new duties until a commission reviews the costs.