Amended  IN  Assembly  March 24, 2022

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill
No. 2590

Introduced by Assembly Member Arambula

February 18, 2022

An act to amend Section 16206 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to foster youth. add Chapter 4.4 (commencing with Section 18259.7) to Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to social workers.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2590, as amended, Arambula. Foster youth: social Social worker training.
Existing law establishes the State Department of Social Services and requires the department to administer various public social services programs, including the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program and various child welfare services. Existing law employs social workers in different aspects of those public social services programs, such as dependency proceedings and in-home support services, among others, and requires specialized training.
This bill would, upon an appropriation by the Legislature, require the State Department of Social Services to establish a pilot program to develop a mentorship program to match social workers with at least 10 years in the profession with social workers who have graduated within 6 years, who are transitioning from one field of practice to another, or who have moved to a new geographical area of work.

Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to select and award a grant to a private nonprofit or public entity for the purpose of establishing a statewide multipurpose child welfare training program. Existing law requires the training to provide practice-relevant training to county child protective services social workers who screen referrals for child abuse or neglect and for all workers assigned to provide emergency response, family maintenance, family reunification, and permanent placement services. Existing law requires the training to include specified components, including, among others, use of community resources.

This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: NOYES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) The profession of social work is integral to providing critical services to people in the state of California. Social work is a broad field involving multiple scopes of responsibilities.
(b) Professional social workers train in a combination of classroom and community experiences. The transition from being a student or trainee in the field of social work into handling casework can be challenging for individuals who are new to the field. Similarly, a social worker transitioning from one field of practice to something different may also experience issues associated with navigating the field.
(c) Research reveals that having a designated person, or a mentor, to collaborate with when starting a new career is extremely beneficial for that individual. Mentorship programs benefit both the mentor and mentee.

SEC. 2.

 Chapter 4.4 (commencing with Section 18259.7) is added to Part 6 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:
CHAPTER  4.4. Social Worker Mentorship Pilot Program

18259.7.
 (a) Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the State Department of Social Services shall establish a pilot program to develop a mentorship program for individuals in the field of social work.
(b) The mentoring program will match social workers who have been in the profession for at least 10 years with any of the following:
(1) Social workers who have graduated within the past six years.
(2) Social workers who are in the process of transitioning from one field of practice to another.
(3) Social workers who have moved to a new geographical area of work.

SECTION 1.Section 16206 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:
16206.

(a)The purpose of the program is to develop and implement statewide coordinated training programs designed specifically to meet the needs of county child protective services social workers assigned to emergency response, family maintenance, family reunification, permanent placement, and adoption responsibilities. It is the intent of the Legislature that the program include training for other agencies under contract with county welfare departments to provide child welfare services. In addition, the program shall provide training programs for persons defined as a mandated reporter pursuant to the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 11164) of Chapter 2 of Title 1 of Part 4 of the Penal Code). The program shall provide the services required in this section to the extent possible within the total allocation. If allocations are insufficient, the department, in consultation with the grantee or grantees and the Child Welfare Training Advisory Board, shall prioritize the efforts of the program, giving primary attention to the most urgently needed services. County child protective services social workers assigned emergency response responsibilities shall receive first priority for training pursuant to this section.

(b)The training program shall provide practice-relevant training for mandated child abuse reporters and all members of the child welfare delivery system that will address critical issues affecting the well-being of children, and shall develop curriculum materials and training resources for use in meeting staff development needs of mandated child abuse reporters and child welfare personnel in public and private agency settings.

(c)The training provided pursuant to this section shall include all of the following:

(1)Crisis intervention.

(2)Investigative techniques.

(3)Rules of evidence.

(4)Indicators of abuse and neglect.

(5)Assessment criteria, including the application of guidelines for assessment of relatives for placement according to the criteria described in Section 361.3.

(6)Intervention strategies.

(7)Legal requirements of child protection, including requirements of child abuse reporting laws.

(8)Case management.

(9)Use of community resources.

(10)Information regarding the dynamics and effects of domestic violence upon families and children, including indicators and dynamics of teen dating violence.

(11)Post-traumatic stress disorder and the causes, symptoms, and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in children and the types of, and behavioral manifestation of, trauma, loss, and grief.

(12)The importance of maintaining relationships with individuals who are important to a child in out-of-home placement, including methods to identify those individuals, consistent with the child’s best interests, including, but not limited to, asking the child about individuals who are important, and ways to maintain and support those relationships.

(13)The legal duties of a child protective services social worker, in order to protect the legal rights and safety of children and families from the initial time of contact during investigation through treatment.

(14)The information described in subdivision (d) of Section 16501.4.

(15)The information described in subdivision (i) of Section 16521.5. The program may use the curriculum created pursuant to subdivision (h), and described in subdivision (i), of Section 16521.5.

(d)The training provided pursuant to this section may also include any or all of the following:

(1)Child development and parenting.

(2)Intake, interviewing, and initial assessment.

(3)Casework and treatment.

(4)Medical aspects of child abuse and neglect.

(e)The training program in each county shall assess the program’s performance at least annually and forward it to the State Department of Social Services for an evaluation. The assessment shall include, at a minimum, all of the following:

(1)Workforce data, including education, qualifications, and demographics.

(2)The number of persons trained.

(3)The type of training provided.

(4)The degree to which the training is perceived by participants as useful in practice.

(5)Any additional information or data deemed necessary by the department for reporting, oversight, and monitoring purposes.

(f)The training program shall provide practice-relevant training to county child protective services social workers who screen referrals for child abuse or neglect and for all workers assigned to provide emergency response, family maintenance, family reunification, and permanent placement services. The training shall be developed in consultation with the Child Welfare Training Advisory Board and domestic violence victims’ advocates and other public and private agencies that provide programs for victims of domestic violence or programs of intervention for perpetrators.