To better serve children in foster care and their families, Chief Justice Ronald M. George appointed the California Blue Ribbon Commission on Children in Foster Care in March 2006. The commission's charge was to develop recommendations to improve outcomes related to safety, permanency, well-being, and fairness.
The commission issued draft recommendations for public comment on March 14, 2008. The recommendations focus on four areas: 1) efforts to prevent removal and achieve permanency; 2) court reforms; 3) collaboration between the courts and their child welfare partners; and 4) resources and funding. The recommendations will be finalized by August and presented to the Judicial Council along with an implementation plan.
Summary Highlights
Child abuse prevention and services funding
The Judicial Council should work with state and federal leaders to allow greater flexibility in the use of funds for prevention and to eliminate barriers to coordinating funds for prevention and services.
Prioritizing foster care
All agencies and the courts should prioritize children in foster care and their families when providing services and when allocating and administering public and private resources.
Caseloads
The Judicial Council should advocate reasonable judicial, attorney, and social worker caseloads.
Data and information
The Judicial Council should support the courts and all partners in the child welfare system in eliminating barriers to the exchange of essential information and data about the children and families they serve. The Judicial Council should implement court performance measures to improve foster care outcomes as mandated by state law.
Disproportionality
The courts and child welfare agencies should examine and address why a disproportionate number of African-American and Native American children are in the child welfare system.
Kinship
Child welfare agencies should engage family members earlier and the Judicial Council should work with state and federal leaders to develop greater flexibility in approving relative placements when necessary.
Indian child welfare
The courts, child welfare and other agencies should collaborate with Indian tribes and tribal courts to ensure that Indian children and families get the services for which they are eligible.
Extended support for transitioning youth
The Judicial Council should urge Congress and the state Legislature to extend the age for children to receive foster care assistance from 18 to 21.
A voice in court
The courts should ensure that all participants in dependency proceedings, including children and parents, have an opportunity to be present at and heard in court. CASA programs should be available in all counties.
Local commissions
The courts and child welfare agencies should jointly convene multidisciplinary commissions at the county level to identify and resolve local concerns and to help implement commission recommendations and related reforms. | 
