Child Welfare Services
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Bringing Families Home program funding for Fiscal Year 2025-26
The Bringing Families Home (BFH) program has been allocated $81 million through June 30, 2028. BFH provides housing-related financial assistance and supportive services to families who are receiving child welfare services, including tribal child welfare services, and are…
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Voluntary relinquishment of juvenile dependent and non-dependent children
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has released questions and answers about voluntary relinquishment of juvenile dependent and non-dependent children. Voluntary relinquishment is when the birth/legal parents voluntarily turn over care, custody, and control of their child…
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CalSAWS system changes to support changes in foster care referrals for child support
The California Department of Social Services and the California Department of Child Support Services have discussed several possible changes to the CalSAWS computer system to help implement changes regarding foster care referrals for child support. However, despite the…
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Foster Care child support arrears
The California Department of Child Support Services instructs local child support agencies (LCSAs) to review all cases with foster care arrearages. If the annual income of the parent ordered to pay support is less than $100,000, or 400…
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Referrals of families with a child in foster care to child support agencies
Effective January 1, 2023, counties cannot refer parents whose children have been removed from the home and who are receiving Child Welfare Services to child support agencies. The only exception to this rule is if a parent’s annual…
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Forms and notices for CalWORKs Family Reunification grants
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has released new forms and notices for the CalWORKs Family Reunification benefit. The CalWORKs Family Reunification benefit provides up to six months of cash aid and child care as part of…
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Changes to the Bringing Families Home program
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued guidance regarding changes to the Bringing Families Home Program. Bringing Families Home provides financial assistance and housing support services to families receiving child welfare services, including tribal child welfare…
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Requirements for truncating Social Security Numbers
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued guidance regarding AB 499 (2020) that requires mailings from state agencies, which includes counties operating state and federal programs on behalf of CDSS, to only include the last four…
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Family Urgent Response System for foster caregivers and children or youth
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has issued information regarding Family Urgent Response System for foster caregivers and children or youth (FURS). FURS is a coordinate statewide, regional and county-level system to provide state-level phone-based response and…
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COVID-19 extension of child welfare caseworker visits by alternative means
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has informed counties of extensions of various COVID-19 policies for child welfare services caseworker visits. ACIN I-33-20, summarized here, about monthly caseworker visits using alternative contact methods is extended until the…