California Welfare and Institutions Code

§ 16010.7

WIC § 16010.7 Effective Jan 1, 2026Div. 9 · Part 4 · Ch. 1

Statute text

(a)It is the intent of the Legislature to prevent children or youth in foster care placement from experiencing unnecessary or abrupt foster care placement changes that negatively impact their well-being or sense of security. It is the intent of the Legislature to preserve and strengthen the foster care placement of a child or youth whenever possible. It is also the intent of the Legislature to ensure that foster care placement changes do not occur due to gender, gender identity, race, or cultural differences. The Legislature finds and declares that unnecessary or abrupt foster care placement changes undermine the essential duties that foster caregivers have an obligation to uphold. It is the intent of the Legislature that prior to a caregiver or provider requesting a child or youth to be removed from the caregiver’s or provider’s care, the caregiver or provider shall participate in a placement preservation strategy meeting.

(b)Prior to making a change in the foster care placement of a child or youth, a social worker or probation officer shall develop with the caregiver a placement preservation strategy, which shall be done in consultation with the child and family team pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 16501, to preserve the child’s or youth’s foster care placement. The strategy may include, but is not limited to, conflict resolution practices and facilitated meetings, and shall include a referral by the social worker or probation officer to the qualified individual for an assessment, as described in subdivision (g) of Section 4096, if the next placement is anticipated to be in a short-term residential therapeutic program or in an out-of-state residential facility, as defined by paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 7910 of the Family Code.

(c)A social worker or probation officer shall include the strategy developed and implemented pursuant to subdivision (b) within the child’s contact notes or equivalent in the statewide child welfare information system.

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Legislative history

Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 564, Sec. 3. (AB 896) Effective January 1, 2026.