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(a) The Legislature recognizes that group homes are one of the primary placement options utilized by probation departments to avoid inappropriate housing of youth in a detention hall, more so since the 2007 realignment of most juvenile offenders from state supervision to county supervision. In order to further improve outcomes for these youth, targeted efforts will be required at the state and local levels to create sufficient capacity in home-based family care and in short-term residential therapeutic programs in order to serve these youth safely in the least restrictive, family-based settings, whenever possible. This increased capacity is needed in both the number of related and unrelated family-based caregivers, in the caregivers’ ability to meet the needs of probation youth, and in the services and supports available to these caregivers. Additionally, there must be sufficient capacity in short-term residential therapeutic programs to meet the needs of probation youth and ensure public safety.
(b) To meet the capacity needs described in subdivision (a), commencing on January 1, 2016, county probation departments shall do all of the following:
(1) Work with group home providers to develop short-term residential therapeutic programs that meet the treatment needs of probation supervised youth in foster care.
(2) Work with foster family agencies and other community-based organizations to develop strategies to recruit, retain, and support specialized foster homes for probation youth.
(3) Work with the department on strategies to identify, engage, and support relative caregivers.
(4) Work with the department to define probation youth outcome measures to be collected and analyzed to assess implementation of this act.
(c) To support the activities described in subdivision (b), commencing on January 1, 2016, the department, in consultation with the Chief Probation Officers of California, shall do all of the following:
(1) Work with providers, courts, and county probation departments to develop capacity for home-based family care.
(2) Work with short-term residential therapeutic programs and foster family agencies to address the treatment needs of specific probation populations, including, but not limited to, sex offenders, youth with gang affiliations, youth who currently are placed out of state, and youth with mental illness.
(3) Develop appropriate rate structures to support probation foster youth in home-based family care.
(4) Identify strategies to address the systemic challenges specific to small and rural counties in meeting the needs of probation foster youth in need of placement or treatment services.
(5) Provide technical assistance to existing group home providers interested in serving probation youth during the transition to the short-term residential therapeutic program or foster family agency models outlined in this act.
(6) Provide technical assistance related to implementation of this section to any requesting county probation department.
(d) Beginning January 1, 2018, the department, in consultation with the Chief Probation Officers of California, shall assess the capacity and quality of placement options for probation youth in foster care, including home-based family care and short-term residential therapeutic programs. This assessment shall include:
(1) The number and type of placement options.
(2) Whether short-term residential therapeutic programs have developed programming tailored to address the propensity of probation youth to run away.
(3) The degree to which foster family agencies, community-based service providers, and county probation departments have developed the programs and services necessary to recruit, retain, and support foster families and relative caregivers serving foster youth supervised by probation departments.
(4) Any need for additional training and technical assistance to be provided to short-term residential therapeutic programs or foster family agency providers.
(e) The department, in consultation with the Chief Probation Officers of California and the counties, shall provide an interim report, pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code, to the Legislature no later than January 10, 2019, and a final report, pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code, to the Legislature no later than January 10, 2021, which shall include the number of youth served in home-based family care, in short-term residential therapeutic programs, and in group homes, characteristics of youth in these placement types, and whether there is a continued need for probation placement in group homes. The reports also shall provide recommendations on any further technical assistance and training, if needed, to facilitate county probation departments, county child welfare departments, DSS, and providers in strengthening the continuum of care for justice-involved youth.